Author Archives: Gene Tunny

Adani no go would be bitter blow to Townsville

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is one of the strongest advocates for the Adani mega mine, and she must now be very worried that the mine will not proceed, and that Townsville will miss out on the mine HQ, FIFO jobs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Pros and cons of a $300M royalties holiday for the Adani mega mine

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The acrimonious political debate on the proposed Adani mega mine (see Brisbane Times coverage) would be well informed by a number of economic policy considerations that I discuss below. Some of these, but not all, would lend support to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld full-time jobs growth since election back in positive territory

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Gene Tunny

In April, full-time employment in Queensland continued to recover and is now back above the level that prevailed at the time of the last State election in January 2015, in terms of the trend data that Queensland Treasury prefers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trouble in Qld construction industry & worse may be to come

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Referring to the recent failures of building companies such as CMF Projects, CKP, and Cullen, the Courier-Mail this morning observed: …we hear that even the higher profile builders (household names actually) are getting nervous with soaring costs cutting into profits, … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Subsidised blockbusters like Aquaman crowding out local film productions

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Gene Tunny

There is new anecdotal evidence from film industry insiders that subsidised blockbusters such as Aquaman, currently filming on the Gold Coast, are not delivering the economic benefits they allegedly deliver. International film productions on the GC have benefited from federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Great work BDO, which had the best Budget summary (and a highly entertaining breakfast)

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Leading accounting firm BDO consistently produces the best federal Budget summary, and this year’s did not let them down. The sub-title of the 2017 Federal Budget summary is: A quick sprint to the finish line for housing affordability, but still … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Queensland Parliament Question Time featuring my Cross River Rail post

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Thanks to local citizen journalist David Marler, @Qldaah, for his tweet yesterday afternoon which alerted me to the Question Time debate on Cross River Rail in the Queensland Parliament, in which my post from yesterday morning was quoted a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cross River Rail Budget snub unsurprising given weak business case – will QIC now step in?

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Last night’s federal Budget offered some positive news for Queenslanders, such as a commitment to the Melbourne-to-Brisbane Inland Rail project ($8.4 billion) and Bruce Highway upgrades ($844 million), but disappointed some by not providing funding for the State Government’s priority … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Surge in overseas exports has given Qld a rare trade surplus

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury’s December quarter State Accounts estimates released earlier this week were encouraging, with gross state product (GSP) growth recorded at 0.9 percent for the quarter and 3.4 percent through-the-year, which are very respectable growth rates, particularly with population growth … Continue reading →

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2017-18 Federal Budget Wish List – guest post from Nick Behrens

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Gene Tunny

I am delighted to publish this guest post on the upcoming federal budget from Nick Behrens, Director at Queensland Economic Advocacy Solutions. GT 2017-18 Federal Budget Wish List by Nick Behrens According to business groups the 2017-18 Federal Budget should … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments