Category Archives: Budget

Queensland Treasury’s forecasting record on royalties

I’ve written before about the big fiscal challenges facing the Queensland Government, and about how concerning it is that the Queensland Treasury is now as reliant as it is on volatile revenues such as royalties (see Qld Govt increasingly dependent … Continue reading

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Qld Govt faces big budgetary challenges from unreliable revenues and soaring health costs

In yesterday’s post I noted that the Queensland Government has become increasingly reliant on volatile royalties revenue, and that its major revenue sources of Commonwealth grants and taxation revenue have been growing significantly slower than expenses in recent years. I … Continue reading

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Qld Government increasingly dependent on volatile royalties revenue

The current resources sector slowdown is resulting in hard times for many businesses and workers, and it will make the new Queensland Government’s budget management task a lot harder, especially if projected royalties revenues don’t eventuate. Over the last ten … Continue reading

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Intergenerational Report shows the problem, but offers no solutions

The Intergenerational Report is a useful document in that it reinforces the need for tough fiscal measures to avoid ever-increasing budget deficits and debt – a need that has been apparent for some time – but alas the IGR offers … Continue reading

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New Qld Government should allow plenty of time for thorough review of spending

I noticed that former Olympian Kieren Perkins has cast doubt on Queensland’s ability to host an Olympic Games and has pointed to the Queensland Government’s lack of a clear strategy to pay down debt (see today’s Courier-Mail). While the Queensland … Continue reading

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Time for a Sensible Debate on Broadening the GST Net – Guest post from Michael Willis

Last week, I spoke with Ben Davis from 4BC about broadening the GST (see 4BC interview on KPMG’s analysis of GST increase for CPA Australia). Our discussion was pretty high-level, and there were many detailed issues we could have discussed … Continue reading

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No tears for BaT tunnel – it most likely didn’t stack up

Whichever party forms government in Queensland, the Bus and Train (BaT) tunnel project is no more, as reported by the Brisbane Times (BaT tunnel plans scrapped). I was always skeptical about the economic case for the project, and was very … Continue reading

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Has Queensland kicked the can down the road? – guest post from Keiran Travers

The still undecided Queensland election has given many of us reason to think about the future of our State, and I’m delighted to publish a guest post from Keiran Travers, a Brisbane-based infrastructure expert, who wonders whether Queensland has kicked … Continue reading

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Fiscal reality will drive the next reform agenda – guest post from Joe Branigan

I’m delighted to present a guest post from my old friend and former Treasury colleague Joe Branigan. It goes without saying that the views presented below are Joe’s and not necessarily mine. That said, I agree broadly with Joe regarding … Continue reading

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New Qld Government faces big fiscal challenges

Many Queenslanders in the construction and engineering sectors will be disappointed by the capital spending plans of the likely new Queensland Government. Previously, there was some excitement at the prospect of a large boost to capital spending across Queensland, with … Continue reading

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