Category Archives: Uncategorized

Replacement public holiday rule will cost Qld consumers

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) and Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) have attacked the Queensland Government’s decision to grant an extra public holiday, on a weekday, when a public holiday in the Christmas-New Year’s period falls on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Occupy Brisbane anarchists struggle to draft mission statement

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Occupy Brisbane at Post Office Square is fascinating but will ultimately turn out to be futile. Unlike protestors against the Vietnam war or apartheid, the movement isn’t advancing a specific and potentially achievable policy position, but instead calling for some … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Stamp duty volatility a risk to the Qld Budget

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Gene Tunny

RP Data’s Cameron Kusher makes some good points regarding the risk to the budget from relying on stamp duty revenue, which varies with the total value of property sales, as reported in the Townsville Bulletin yesterday (Governments facing stamp duty … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Tax, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Treasury chief’s nuanced optimism on China

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Treasury Secretary Dr Martin Parkinson delivered a highly informative speech to a Goldman Sachs conference yesterday, in which he noted: …Treasury has often been portrayed as eternally optimistic on the Chinese economy – in fact, our analysis is far more … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Government on track to hit 100,000 new jobs target

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s positive labour force numbers confirm that the Bligh Government should be able to meet its 100,000 new jobs election commitment, which I’ve discussed in a previous post.

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Milton Friedman was right, but that doesn’t excuse a lack of ethics

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Gene Tunny

In a New York Times article in 1970, Milton Friedman – second only to Keynes in the ranking of 20th century economists  – declared that the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits (article reproduced here). This was … Continue reading →

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ABS Census history – Aboriginals originally not counted to deny Qld seats in parliament

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Gene Tunny

In the lead up to the 2011 Census on Tuesday 9 August, the ABS has released a fascinating set of notes on the history of Australia’s Census (Reflecting a Nation). The notes reveal that a possible motivation for our founding … Continue reading →

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Best economics book of the year so far – Tim Harford’s Adapt

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Gene Tunny

The Undercover Economist Tim Harford’s latest book Adapt lucidly explains the virtues of a free market economy, which allows a wide range of businesses to try their luck, with only the fittest surviving, meaning the economy adapts in a similar … Continue reading →

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Westminster system needs reform

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Gene Tunny

With his bold bid to jump from City Hall to the Premier’s office, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman is thinking laterally to overcome a major deficiency of the Westminster system, which requires the Government to be formed in the parliament. … Continue reading →

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Was spending on the pokies boosted by flood and cyclone relief payments?

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Gene Tunny

A significant number of people who claimed flood and cyclone relief assistance from Centrelink may not have really needed the $1,000 they received, and it’s likely that a good chunk of any undeserved assistance was spent on leisure activities, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Cyclones, Floods, Uncategorized | 1 Comment