Category Archives: Uncategorized

Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin argued the highest stage of capitalism is imperialism, so, in his view, capitalism is inherently un-democratic. It was pleasing to see Australia’s share market prove Lenin wrong today, responding positively to the ousting of the … Continue reading →

Australian retailers, most prominently Gerry Harvey, have a legitimate point that they aren’t on a level playing with overseas online retailers for goods priced under $1,000, for which the Government doesn’t (and can’t) enforce the collection of GST.  This is … Continue reading →

With Queensland experiencing an unprecedented flood, “biblical” according to Treasurer Andrew Fraser, and with an estimated cost now in the billions of dollars, it’s timely to review what we know about the capacity of communities to recover from natural disasters. … Continue reading →

With an estimated damages bill in the order of $1 billion (see this morning’s Australian), the Queensland floods will have a significant impact on the Queensland Government budget (already in a $1.75 bn deficit).  Of course, a large part of … Continue reading →

Queensland newspapers are dominated this morning by news about the incredible run of wet weather, including stories about its economic impact on our building industry and cane-growers.  The Queensland Times (More rain forecast for Ipswich) nicely sums up the outlook, … Continue reading →

The NBN Co Corporate Plan was released today, and the projected rate of return on investment is an underwhelming 7%.  The Government argues this is acceptable through a comparison with the long-term bond rate, with the media release noting: NBN … Continue reading →

The State Government will learn an important lesson – about the risks to governments in embarking on risky business ventures – as a result of the failure of the state-owned ZeroGen clean coal company.  The Courier-Mail reported this morning: State … Continue reading →

If you’re in the market for a property in South-East Queensland, you’d be advised to check out the latest Commonwealth Government-funded maps of the potential impacts of climate-change-induced sea-level rises on coastal communities: Visualising sea level rise – South-East Queensland … Continue reading →

The Bundaberg News Mail ($5,000 an hour goes on pokies) reports: More than $44.3 million has been spent on pokies in the region in the past 12 months, according to figures published on the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation’s … Continue reading →