Tag Archives: budget

Economic update: interest rates, monetary policy, fiscal policy, and coal prices

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Gene Tunny

The election debate would benefit from a clear understanding of the factors affecting interest rates, now that the RBA has increased the cash rate from the “emergency level” of 0.1%, practically the lowest it could go, to the still extraordinarily … Continue reading →

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Unemployment and state budgets update

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Gene Tunny

On Monday, I appeared on the 612 ABC Brisbane Radio Drive program (from 2:09:00) to chat with Kelly Higgins-Devine about how we estimate the unemployment rate, a matter of interest that day obviously due to the Opposition Leader being unable … Continue reading →

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Fake privatisation of Titles Registry helping Qld Gov’t pretend it has debt management plan

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Gene Tunny

This post is an early draft of an article I’m preparing for a public finance or public policy journal about the Queensland Government’s accounting trickery regarding the Titles Registry last year. The state government has violated some well-established principles for … Continue reading →

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Qld Economic Outlook for 2022

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Gene Tunny

Prior to the omicron outbreak, I was very confident about the Queensland economic outlook for 2022. I’m still reasonably confident that the state economy will perform well over 2022, but nothing is certain of course. There’s been a bit of … Continue reading →

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Coal the dirty secret behind Qld budget improvement

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Gene Tunny

The super high coal price is the main reason Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick will report a much improved state budget balance this week. However, yesterday the Brisbane Times reported: Mr Dick said the silver lining of the pandemic was an … Continue reading →

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Good sign the Great COVID Panic will end in Qld soon

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Gene Tunny

A few weeks ago I observed that it took the NRL Grand Final for the Queensland Government to adopt a more rational approach to the pandemic, and now, thankfully, there are further signs of rationality from the Government, with the … Continue reading →

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Hospital funding fight the latest illustration of the big problem with vertical fiscal imbalance in our federation

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Gene Tunny

There is a deep structural problem underlying the current hospital funding fight between the Queensland Premier and the PM, the vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) between the state’s spending responsibilities and the Commonwealth’s revenue raising powers. The states receive around half … Continue reading →

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Super high coal prices will boost royalties and slow the increase in Qld state debt

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Gene Tunny

Back in early August I observed that higher coal prices were helping the Qld economy and state budget in this time of rolling lockdowns. Amazingly, the all important metallurgical or coking coal price has surged even higher since then. There … Continue reading →

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Managing government budgets podcast chat with Rachel Nolan, former Qld Gov’t finance minister

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Gene Tunny

Former Queensland Government Finance and Transport Minister Rachel Nolan (currently Queensland Executive Director of the McKell Institute) provides some great insights into managing government budgets in my latest Economics Explored episode EP96 Managing Government Budgets. For example, here’s Rachel on … Continue reading →

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Premier’s Estimates appearance illustrates my point at ASPG seminar at Parliament House in June

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Gene Tunny

Exhibit A regarding the woefulness of Queensland’s Parliamentary Committee process and the lack of accountability of executive government in this state is the appalling budget estimates committee meeting today, during which the Premier would not disclose whether taxpayers would pay … Continue reading →

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