Category Archives: North Queensland

NQ and Mackay region builders the least optimistic

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I just noticed Master Builders Queensland released its latest survey of industry conditions last week. While it shows a positive outlook on average across all regions, the outlook is only just positive in the North Queensland and Mackay regions (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Mining, North Queensland, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

NQ worried about NT plan

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is rightly critical of the Prime Minister’s proposed special economic zone in the Northern Territory, in which a lower rate of company tax would apply. As reported in the Townsville Bulletin this morning (Economic zone plan … Continue reading →

Posted in North Queensland, Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Which Qld regions are the most productive per capita?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Based on Queensland Treasury figures published earlier this year (Experimental Estimates of Gross Regional Product), the North West and Mackay regions of Queensland have the highest levels of gross regional product (GRP) per capita, largely due to mining in each … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International tourism continues to recover, particularly in TNQ, thanks largely to Chinese visitors

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) has released its latest International Tourism Snapshot, and it shows a solid recovery in international tourism in Queensland and nationally, particularly in Tropical North Queensland (TNQ), which includes Cairns and Cape York (see my chart … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Macroeconomy, North Queensland, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ABS should review administration of Labour Force Survey in North Qld

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Gene Tunny

I remember one of the old hands in the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office telling me back around 2000 that they once queried the ABS about the reliability of labour force data for Queensland, and were told the main point of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Tourism recovering at slower rate in Qld than in rest of Australia

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s tourism industry is recovering at a slower rate than that of the rest of Australia, as shown in these charts from Tourism Queensland’s new International Tourism Snapshot:     Pete Faulkner at Conus Economics Blog has some insightful analysis of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, North Queensland, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Insurance Council admits ignorance on strata insurance hikes and funds JCU research

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Gene Tunny

In a post last month, I observed that the Australian Government Actuary found insurers were struggling to understand the risks they face from natural disasters such as cyclones, and hence it is possible that huge increases in insurance premiums for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Cyclones, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Govt Actuary finds insurers struggling to understand catastrophe risk

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Gene Tunny

North Queensland apartment owners will have to put up with the massive insurance premium increases (e.g. more than 300%) they have experienced in recent years after an Australian Government Actuary report concluded the premium increases most likely reflected the market … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Climate change, Cyclones, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Whole world struggling to manage disaster risk

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Gene Tunny

I was pleased to learn that the World Bank and Government of Japan are hosting the Sendai Dialogue tomorrow and Wednesday this week to discuss how the world better manages disaster risk. This is a critical issue because, assuming no … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Cyclones, Floods, Housing, North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Northern economic cooperation appears sensible, but may not last

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Gene Tunny

It’s always been unclear to me whether North Queensland is unfairly treated by State and Federal Governments, given the large public investments that have occurred over the years, e.g. the Burdekin Dam, and the ongoing expansion of Lavarack Barracks in … Continue reading →

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