Tag Archives: brisbane

A question you could ask RBA Deputy Governor Guy Debelle at ESA Qld business lunch on 22 August

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Gene Tunny

Ten years after the 2008 financial crisis, economists are still debating whether the policy response at the time was excessive or insufficient (e.g. the excellent recent Macro Musings podcast with Larry Ball on the Lehman collapse) and whether banking needs … Continue reading →

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

Inner Brisbane Cross River Rail CAPEX comparable to statewide education CAPEX

Posted on June 21, 2018 by Gene Tunny

Just before I appeared on 612 ABC Brisbane’s Breakfast program last week, one of the presenters Bec Levingston asked Deputy Premier Treasurer Jackie Trad what it would cost to air condition every classroom in Queensland, a question she obviously couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Better to let the private sector risk money on a new Brisbane theatre

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Gene Tunny

In a November 2015 post New 1,500 seat theatre would likely be a waste of taxpayers’ money, I questioned the desirability of a state government-funded $1.3M business case to investigate a new 1,500 seat theatre for Brisbane. At the time, … Continue reading →

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

BCC residential parking permit zone in West End & Highgate Hill is bad policy

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Gene Tunny

I have previously posted on the high cost of free parking, the problem identified by UCLA economics professor Donald Shoup that arises when councils do not properly price access to on-street parking (see Another example of the high cost of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

South Brisbane & South Townsville top Qld in building approvals so far in 2017-18

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Gene Tunny

In my last post, I considered the Queensland construction industry outlook. In today’s post, I take advantage of new data on building approvals at the small area level (ABS SA2 regions) for 2017-18 so far released by the ABS yesterday. … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Housing, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

4BC Dora the Explorer interview & ABC News coverage of my CBIC analysis

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Gene Tunny

Dora the Explorer interview with Ben Davis on 4BC Yesterday afternoon I had an enjoyable chat with Ben Davis on his 4BC wireless show Brisbane Live regarding the state government’s use of taxpayers’ money to lure the live action Dora … Continue reading →

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

Fair Share is overly pessimistic and interventionist, but still worth reading

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Gene Tunny

Last Wednesday night I was fortunate to attend the Fair Share book launch at Brisbane’s historic Customs House. Unlike many book launches it was widely reported (e.g. this SMH article), as the book was launched by former Prime Minister Paul … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

City of Brisbane Investment Corporation’s peculiar investment philosophy

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Gene Tunny

I have previously been critical of the City of Brisbane Investment Corporation (CBIC), which is owned by the Brisbane City Council, but is becoming a significant property investor and developer, raising all sorts of questions about the risk it is … Continue reading →

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

Business counts data show rise of Uber and start ups

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday afternoon, on his 612 ABC Brisbane drive time show (from 1:42:50), Steve Austin interviewed my colleague QEAS Director Nick Behrens on the still relatively weak wages growth figures released yesterday. Nick also covered more positive news regarding the state … Continue reading →

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

Comments on BrewDog being lured to Brisbane in the Broadsheet

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Gene Tunny

I was interviewed by Matt Kirkegaard, beer educator and commentator, for his latest article in the Broadsheet: Is Scottish Superstar BrewDog’s Arrival Good for Brisbane’s Brewing Scene? The debate over whether the Queensland Government should have offered financial incentives to … Continue reading →

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