Category Archives: Macroeconomy

More signs of slowing growth in resources sector – bad news for Qld budget

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury already made a big downward revision of $1.4 billion over four years in mining royalties in the 2012-13 Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Review last December, and it may need to shave some more off given the bad news … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Housing, Macroeconomy, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Regional Qld made impressive contribution to national economic growth over 2000s

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Gene Tunny

I’m very impressed by the just released Sustainable Australia Report 2013: Conversations with the Future, which was produced by the National Sustainability Council for Sustainability and Environment Minister Tony Burke. The report covers a wide range of environmental sustainability issues … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Macroeconomy, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Qld and WA were on similar growth paths, but Qld got knocked off by GFC

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Gene Tunny

This month’s RBA chart pack contains a nice, informative chart depicting State shares of Australia’s GDP (see below). It shows that, up until the financial crisis in 2008, Queensland, like WA, was increasing its share of national GDP, but stalled … Continue reading →

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Retail sector adapting to new frugality – big box shopping & affordable luxuries

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Australia’s retail sector has had to adapt to the new frugality as a result of the financial crisis, and it appears that, among bricks-and-mortar retailers, only big box stores such as Bunnings have thrived. Yesterday saw the site launch of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld struck by Dutch Disease – manufacturing employment has plunged in last few years

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The so-called Dutch Disease of a booming resources sector and a contracting manufacturing sector has been very evident in Queensland over the last few years, as seen in the chart below based on the latest vintage of ABS quarterly labour … Continue reading →

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

High Australian dollar has wide-ranging impacts – e.g. on CSR & local production of foreign films

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The high Australian dollar has been linked to job losses at CSR, according to an AAP report (CSR blames cuts and plant closure on currency). There is no doubt the high Australian dollar is having profound impacts on a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld Treasury GRP figures show Far North really struggled post-financial crisis

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasury released its latest gross regional product (GRP) estimates yesterday, and they confirm that Far North Queensland really struggled in the post-financial crisis period, with the Far North’s GRP (in real terms) actually marginally contracting between 2006-07 and 2010-11 (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growing list of impacts and costs of big wet

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Gene Tunny

One economic impact I failed to explicitly mention in my post yesterday on the economic impact of the big wet is the impact on the sugarcane crop, which may be very signficant, as reported in the Courier-Mail this morning: Yesterday, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, Floods, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Economic impact of the Big Wet in Queensland

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The heavy rain, winds and floods that have resulted from ex-tropical cyclone Oswald have caused a large amount of human suffering and will have an adverse short-term impact on Queensland’s economy. I expect the adverse short-term impacts will arise mainly as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, Floods, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

People marginally attached to the labour force behind participation rate movements

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Gene Tunny

In the early 2000s, when Queensland’s unemployment rate seemed permanently stuck around 1-2 percentage points above the national average, it was common for Premier Beattie and Employment Minister Braddy to note that our relatively higher participation rate placed us at … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment