Category Archives: Uncategorized

Trend is the Treasurer’s friend

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt issued an upbeat media release on the Queensland economy yesterday, but I am unsure the Queensland Treasury gross state product (GSP) data he quotes should be interpreted as optimistically as he interprets them. The media … Continue reading →

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

Negative gearing fine in principle, but capital gains tax discount creates major distortion

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The Australian Government is right to be looking at reforming the rules around negative gearing, as the current rules appear to be distorting the market and encouraging excessive borrowing for investment properties (as well as denying the Government significant amounts … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Tax, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Update on lockout law debate

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Rod Bogaards’ recent guest post on the proposed lockout law was quoted by Paul Syvret in the Courier-Mail yesterday in his opinion piece Lockout laws’ knock-on effects need to be weighed. Regarding the proposed law, Syvret noted: The problem is … Continue reading →

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

Will the lockouts and last drinks regulation work?

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Guest post by Rod Bogaards The Queensland Parliament is soon to debate lockout and last drinks legislation. To achieve the objective of reducing alcohol-fueled violence the proposed Queensland legislation needs to pass two tests: Will it be effective in addressing … Continue reading →

Posted in Social policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

QRC right about problem with royalties – does it now support a resource rent tax?

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The new State of the Sector report from the Queensland Resources Council confirms the struggling position of the mining sector, and it must have the Queensland Treasury considering further royalties revenue write downs. It also makes me wonder whether the … Continue reading →

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

Australia Awards workshop on policy making in Bandung

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Gene Tunny

.@AustraliaAwards alumni from @KemenkeuRI meet in #Bandung, workshop ways to strengthen policy making. pic.twitter.com/xoyNg56Z9i — Paul Grigson (@DubesAustralia) February 5, 2016 I returned to Brisbane this morning after a week in Indonesia, which I was visiting to help facilitate the post-course … Continue reading →

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

Should Qld taxi plate owners be compensated for the recent disruption to the taxi industry?

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Guest post by Rod Bogaards* Recent announcements by the NSW and WA Governments to legalise ride sharing service UberX have also included proposals for ‘adjustment assistance’ for taxi plate owners. Taxi plate owners are understandably concerned over the loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Qld Renewable Energy Taskforce asked to achieve impossible 50% target

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s Energy Minister Mark Bailey yesterday announced in a media release that “A formidable team of business, energy, and environmental experts will lead the public inquiry into establishing Queensland’s 50% renewable energy target by 2030.” Being led by a former … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Challenging conditions outside SEQ

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Gene Tunny

In his recent commentary regarding strong growth in the retail sector, National Retail Association CEO Trevor Evans noted: “South East Queensland is performing strongly but performance in Queensland is being held back by issues in some areas…Some areas are living … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Infrastructure, Labour market, Mackay, Macroeconomy, Mining, North Queensland, Queensland Government, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Mackay asks why is Townsville getting special treatment?

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Elly Bradfield on ABC Radio’s Statewide Drive program about Queensland Nickel entering administration and the likely economic fallout. I reiterated the points I made in this blog yesterday that this could be a big economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Mackay, Queensland Government, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments