Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pets are good for your health, the Budget and the economy

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Bondi Vet Dr Chris Brown has noted: “…pets make us happy. They wash away our worries while showing us how life should be lived. And pets are proven to also make us healthier.” Pets also have economic and budgetary impacts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Health, Housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pets are good for your health, the Budget and the economy

Heavy criticism of Qld’s infrastructure deficit at IAQ Infrastructure Summit

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Government ministers should accept speaking invitations at important conferences so they can communicate with industry and the public, and, also, so they can deny Opposition members 20 minute speaking slots in which they can criticise the Government’s performance. That is … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Subsidiarity principle suggests Qld Government should let West Village proceed in current form

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Gene Tunny

In today’s Courier-Mail, commenting on the Deputy Premier’s call in for State Government review of an $800 Million West End development, Steve Wardill observes that “WITH the case of the West Village development call-in, Jackie Trad was damned if she … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Upcoming lecture on whether Australia should have a Royal Commission into banking

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Last month in Perth, at the WA Local Government Association Convention, I was lucky enough to hear a speech by former Australian Chief of Army David Morrison, in which he asked what comes to mind when you hear the words … Continue reading →

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

Weekly highlights: BDO Economic & Political Update and ESA Qld-Nine Squared CBA seminar

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Gene Tunny

It was a fantastic week to be an economist in Brisbane, with two excellent events, the BDO Economic & Political Update on Tuesday morning at BCEC and the ESA Qld-Nine Squared seminar on Cost-benefit analysis in contemporary project evaluation at … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Good news for the economy as Qld businesses increase investment in machinery & equipment

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Despite having some weak regional economies, particularly in the Townsville and Queensland outback regions, the State economy overall recorded reasonably healthy growth in State Final Demand in the June quarter of 0.7 percent in seasonally adjusted terms. This is very … Continue reading →

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

Young Economist Award winner Lionel Page to explain how people can be “optimally irrational”

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Last year, the Prime Minister launched a behavioural economics or “Nudge” unit in his Department (see my post from last November), following similar initiatives in the US and UK. The Government is looking at how it can use the insights … Continue reading →

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

No substitute for experience

Posted on September 5, 2016 by Gene Tunny

There is a very interesting story at the Huffington Post titled 15 Photos Show You Can Be Awesome At Your Job, No Matter Your Age. That this is the case should not be surprising. Winston Churchill’s finest years, for example, … Continue reading →

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

Be careful what you wish for on infrastructure spending

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The Brisbane Times this morning draws attention to the relatively low level of heavy or engineering construction activity (e.g. on roads, bridges, dams, etc) being undertaken for the public sector in Queensland at the moment, based on analysis by RPS’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Ex-Holden boss confirms that Carr’s car cash was excessive

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Lately I have been hearing a number of people lamenting the loss of car manufacturing in Australia. The loss of jobs is certainly devastating for many former assembly line workers of Holden, Ford and Toyota, who may struggle to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments