Category Archives: Brisbane

Brunswick St Mall should have been re-opened to traffic

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Brunswick St Mall facelift is now complete (see Brisbane Times coverage), but I remain of the view that the Mall should have been re-opened to traffic instead. From an economic perspective, I suspect the costs of having a mall … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Crime, Transport | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nine News interview on Paddington seven-storey development

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Tessa Scott from Nine News Brisbane interviewed me yesterday morning regarding the proposed re-development of the Brisbane Workers’ Community Centre and associated shops on the corner of Given and Latrobe Terraces, Paddington. I was supportive of the proposed mixed-used (i.e. commercial … Continue reading →

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

Huge disparity in qualification levels across regions, even in SEQ – e.g. Bris West vs Ipswich & Logan

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A new ABS publication, Perspectives on Regional Australia:  Changes in Regional Educational Attainment, reveals huge differences in the percentage of people aged 20-64 with post-school qualifications (Certificate III and above) across Australian regions (see map below based on 2011 Census … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Higher incidence of long-term unemployment in outer metro areas, Qld outback and Wide Bay

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Around one-in-five of the 150,000 or so unemployed people in Queensland have been out of work for one year or more, corresponding to around 30,000 people, according to ABS labour force data. There is considerable variation in the incidence of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Economics: Keeping the World in Business – speech to high school students at UQ

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Below is the prepared text of a talk I gave to high school students attending the Careers that Shape the World day at the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, on Wednesday, 23 April 2014. I varied the talk significantly … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

BCC still needs to fix up paid parking in the Brisbane CBD

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Last August I posted on how changes to paid parking  arrangements in Brisbane CBD have adversely affected CBD businesses, particularly in the southern part of the CBD – the part of the CBD which finds it tough enough already owing … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Retail trade | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

SEQ has expensive public transport due to low density and costly trains

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

While hard on commuters, the recent Translink fare hike (see Brisbane Times coverage) still leaves South-East Queensland with a heavily subsidised public transport system, which it will continue to have given a relatively low population density and historically poor choices … Continue reading →

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

Qld Tennis Centre precinct a missed opportunity

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

At the Brisbane International Tennis tournament the other day, my friends and I were confronted with very high prices, such as $9.50 for a Corona and $7 for a fruit salad. In part, the high prices reflect the local monopoly … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Additional maps on average incomes in Qld

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Average wage and salary incomes of residents of mining regions in Queensland rival those of residents in the Western suburbs of Brisbane, according to the ABS’s new small area income data (see maps below for the whole of Queensland and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

West is best – high income earners love Brisbane’s leafy western suburbs

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Gene Tunny

I’ve mapped the ABS’s latest small area income data for Brisbane below, and it shows, unsurprisingly, the leafy western suburbs remain popular with high income earners. (For greater clarity, you can right click and open the map in a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Labour market, Transport | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments