Category Archives: Macroeconomy

Upcoming Qld Treasury post-Budget briefing on Qld’s economic outlook

Today is National Accounts day, one of those four glorious days each year on which we receive the latest quarterly GDP figures for the national economy, this time for the March quarter. Alas, based on the partial indicators such as … Continue reading

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Better policies would help Qld win the Economic State of Origin

At times during the last mining boom, Queensland was winning the economic State of Origin against NSW, with higher employment growth, a lower unemployment rate and a higher gross state product (GSP) per capita. But those glorious days are behind … Continue reading

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Interview with ABC Radio’s Steve Austin on “The time Australia’s Treasury almost ran out of money”

I had a nice chat with 612 ABC Brisbane’s Steve Austin last Friday morning regarding my time in the Australian Treasury, particularly during the financial crisis in 2008-09, and focusing on what he described as: The time Australia’s Treasury almost … Continue reading

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Qld full-time employment still below level of five years ago, but hopefully is on the upswing

Queensland’s economic story over the last few years has been dominated by the end of the mining boom, which has had particularly adverse impacts in some Queensland regions, such as in the Fitzroy, Mackay and Townsville regions. The end of … Continue reading

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Palaszczuk will most likely beat Newman in jobs created over term of government

The Queensland Government looks likely to enter the next election campaign boasting a job creation record superior to the previous LNP Government’s. Let us put aside the debate over just how much credit governments deserve for job creation (but please … Continue reading

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Qld economy should be resilient to Cyclone Debbie

While we are still to learn the full extent of the damage and economic disruption of Cyclone Debbie, we should be reasonably confident that any adverse economic impact, such as through lost crops, tourism, or disruption to coal mining and … Continue reading

Posted in Cyclones, Macroeconomy, North Queensland, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld economy not generating enough jobs for uni, VET & school leavers

Market economists do not appear too concerned about the new ABS jobs figures released yesterday showing the national unemployment rate increased to 5.9% in February from 5.7% in January. There is a recognition that there is a lot of noise … Continue reading

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RBA making it up as it goes along

After a speech by Assistant RBA Governor Michele Bullock yesterday, there is speculation about the RBA pushing APRA to instruct banks to further restrain their lending to housing investors- strengthening the so-called macro-prudential regulation that has had only limited success … Continue reading

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Residential construction at peak in current cycle in Qld

The mini-boom in residential construction, of both inner Brisbane apartments and detached houses in outer-lying areas in SEQ, such as Ripley, Springfield and Yarrabilba, has been important to the economy over the last couple of years. This mini-boom now appears … Continue reading

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Fantastic December quarter result for Qld economy

The December quarter National Accounts showed a strong rebound for the Australian economy, with economic growth at 1.1 percent for the quarter, while State Final Demand for Queensland grew at 0.9 percent over the quarter according to the ABS. (Note … Continue reading

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