Category Archives: Macroeconomy

Qld unemployment rate creeps up to 6.5 percent due to ongoing weakness in regions

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Gene Tunny

NAB Chief Economist Alan Oster had a memorable quote regarding the latest NAB Business Survey results published in The Australian yesterday: “West Australia is going backwards, South Australia is in no great shakes and Northern Queensland is just as bad, … Continue reading →

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

ANU’s Ben Phillips quantifies the real per capita earnings declines in Qld and WA post-mining boom

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Gene Tunny

ANU Associate Professor Ben Phillips, who was in the same UQ Economics Honours class as me, has released an excellent note Trends in Household Living Standards in Australia: 1990 to 2016, which shows significant declines in real per capita earnings … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To protect AAA, Federal Government needs to control age pension and manage the Force from the North

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Gene Tunny

What an extraordinary week it has been! We began the week with no clear election winner and the prospect of a hung parliament, and now we end it with the strong likelihood the Government is back with a majority of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Budget, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Qld has lowest annual growth in retail turnover among States and Territories

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Weak economic conditions in parts of regional Queensland, particularly the Townsville, Central Queensland and outback regions, have no doubt contributed to Queensland having the lowest through-the-year growth in retail turnover among States and Territories, according to May retail turnover data … Continue reading →

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

Recommended reading: The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Our embattled Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was at least right about the importance of innovation, even if that message did not resonate with voters in Western Sydney, Tasmania and other regions where the Coalition suffered heavy losses. One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Productivity, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Economic conditions partly responsible for return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Dennis Atkins had an excellent column in the Sunday Mail yesterday analysing the return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation, noting that One Nation voters had: “…rejected the Turnbull mantra of embracing the future because of anxiety about the cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Heavy construction decline has been greater in Qld than in WA

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Gene Tunny

As I have discussed previously, relatively weak economic conditions in several Queensland regions, including Townsville and the outback, have been partly due to the mining downturn (see my post from last Saturday). At the same time as capital expenditure on … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Stark difference in unemployment rates between resources regions and rest of Qld

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland branch of the Economic Society of Australia, of which I am the Secretary, was fortunate last Tuesday to host a presentation by Queensland Treasury official Greg Uptin on the economic forecasts underpinning the 2016-17 Queensland Budget. Greg gave … Continue reading →

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Brexit impact depends on terms of divorce with EU

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Gene Tunny

At the Tattersall’s race meeting at Eagle Farm today, I was fortunate to run into Morgans Chief Economist Michael Knox, and we had a good chat about, unsurprisingly, what everyone else is talking about, Brexit. Michael reminded me that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Upcoming Qld Treasury briefing on Budget economic forecasts to ESA Qld

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Gene Tunny

As the Secretary of the Queensland Branch of the Economic Society of Australia, I am very pleased that Greg Uptin, a senior Queensland Treasury official, will once again brief us on the Treasury’s economic forecasts underpinning the 2016-17 State Budget. … Continue reading →

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