Category Archives: Uncategorized

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

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Gene Tunny

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 →

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

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

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Gene Tunny

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 →

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

NAIF $900M loan to Adani for mega-mine rail line is far from a first best solution, possibly second or third best

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Gene Tunny

As a former Treasury official and long-time critic of industry assistance, I’m sympathetic to the Federal Opposition’s criticism of the expected $900 million soft loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to Adani for the rail line to its … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Upcoming celebration of bicentenary of Ricardo’s Principles of Political Economy and Taxation on Wednesday 19 April

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Wednesday next week, the 19th of April, will be the bicentenary of the publication of the hugely influential Principles of Political Economy and Taxation by the English classical economist and stockbroker David Ricardo (1772-1823). It was a book that revolutionised … Continue reading →

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Debbie hits Qld Budget, but QIC may help out Government by investing in Cross River Rail

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Cyclone Debbie and the floods that followed have tragically resulted in the loss of at least five lives and have done billions of dollars’ worth of damage in Queensland and NSW. And through lower coal royalties (largely associated with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Cyclones, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Still lots of room to boost population density in Brisbane

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The vexed issue of heritage protection is in the news again, with controversy over the development of two apartment blocks behind the 1886 Clayfield heritage home Mundumburrah”, which will be raised and brought forward on its lot to accommodate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Weekend reading: CIS Policy mag featuring my article on film industry subsidies, available at good newsagents

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Gene Tunny

If you’re looking for something to read this weekend, you could try the latest issue of the Centre for Independent Studies’ magazine Policy, which includes some excellent feature articles. These include an article on the worrying levels of public debt … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy, Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld economy should be resilient to Cyclone Debbie

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Gene Tunny

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

Selling QIC highly desirable and would avoid allegations of political interference regarding mega mine infrastructure

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Gene Tunny

First, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of North Queensland as they wake up to the devastation from Cyclone Debbie. In his extraordinary eulogy for Marie Antoinette, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke lamented that the French Queen had … Continue reading →

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Qld’s lacklustre population and jobs growth have gone hand in hand over the current decade

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s population, now at around 4.9 million, increased 1.4% in the year to 30 September 2016, a growth rate slightly below the national growth rate of 1.5%, but significantly below Victoria’s stand-out growth rate of 2.1% (Chart 1 based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Population, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment