Category Archives: Cairns

My comments on NQ exit in ABC online story

Posted on September 23, 2018 by

Thanks to ABC state political reporter Josh Bavas for asking my opinion on the new state of North Queensland that has been proposed from time-to-time, most recently by Katter’s Australian Party and Queensland Senator Matt Canavan, Minister for Resources and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld regional unemployment rates facet wrap via R

Posted on September 20, 2018 by

Queensland is such a large and diverse state, with regional economies having vastly different drivers of growth (e.g. tourism in Cairns, mining in Mackay), that it’s often hard to get a sense of how different parts of the state are … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Labour market, Mackay, Migration, Mining, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Top 10 posts from the first 1,000

Posted on October 28, 2014 by

Yesterday I posted my 1,000th post, and below are links to the most clicked from the first 1,000. Having grown up in Townsville, and knowing the intense debate the issue causes up North, it didn’t surprise me that a post … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Climate change, Labour market, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

High insurance costs likely to impede development of Northern Australia

Posted on September 8, 2014 by

Since Cyclone Yasi, insurance premiums have soared in North Queensland as insurance companies have reassessed the risks of insuring properties in the region. Just how much premiums have increased is illustrated by some figures provided to the Joint Select Committee … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

North Qld struggling to recover – Cairns looking slightly better, but not Townsville yet

Posted on June 10, 2014 by

North and Far North Queensland have had lacklustre economies in the years since the financial crisis, with Cairns especially having suffered from the combined impact of the tourism downturn and an over-supply of properties due to a pre-financial crisis construction … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Growing Chinese visitor numbers great news for Qld tourism

Posted on April 8, 2014 by

Mission Beach blogger Pete Faulkner has been closely following Chinese visitor numbers, given that many tourism operators, especially in the Far North, are hopeful that Chinese tourism will revive their industry. Regarding yesterday’s new overseas arrivals and departures data from … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

CairnsWatch remains optimistic despite very weak Cairns labour market

Posted on March 31, 2014 by

Rick Carr of Herron Todd White Cairns has released the March edition of his excellent CairnsWatch report, and it contains this disturbing chart of employment in the Cairns region, which suggest a very weak economy: Let’s hope employment in Cairns … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments