Tag Archives: cafes

Qld hospitality sector has had stronger recovery than NSW and Victorian sectors

Earlier this month, Queensland Airports boss Amelia Evans was reported by the Courier-Mail as saying that travel was bouncing back strongly. Queensland Airports operates the Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa, and Longreach airports, so Ms Evans would have a good … Continue reading

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How many Australians coped with COVID stress: alcohol

Watching Catherine McGregor chatting with psychologist Dr Tanveer Ahmed on Sky Australia (People will have to ‘rethink’ New Year goals as a result of COVID-19 uncertainty), I remembered that many of my friends have been coping with COVID-related stress by … Continue reading

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Catch up on COVID-19 with CCIQ Chief Economist Dr Marcus Smith

I spoke yesterday afternoon with CCIQ Chief Economist Dr Marcus Smith about the latest COVID-19 news: You can use these timestamps to find the highlights: 3:00 – Marcus’s recent commentary on coronavirus impact on Qld exports (e.g. COVID-19’s billion-dollar hit … Continue reading

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cafe culture & tourism helping Qld endure end of mining boom

May 2015 employment-by-industry data published by the ABS yesterday confirm some points I’ve been making for the last couple of months (see chart above), particularly that Queensland is enduring the shock from the end of the mining boom relatively well, … Continue reading

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Cafe culture prevents employment slump

I recall Alan Kohler observing a while ago that everyone is eating out for breakfast on the weekends nowadays. It’s a good thing that people are, from an employment perspective, given that employment growth in cafes, restaurants and hotels has … Continue reading

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How Seqwater learned to stop worrying and love Ipswich

Despite initial fears about their relocation to Ipswich, it appears many staff of Seqwater, which runs South-East Queensland’s dams such as Wivenhoe and Somerset, have come to embrace the city. The local paper, the Queensland Times, which of course may … Continue reading

Posted in Ipswich, Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dogs in cafes debate highlights over-regulation by local governments

Australians generally have much more conservative attitudes to pets in public places than people in other countries. I remember vividly one bus trip in Prague in the late nineties when I was the subject of a lot of attention from … Continue reading

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Penalty rates reform a priority given youth unemployment rate

The Easter long weekend has once again highlighted the adverse impact penalty rates are having on the hospitality sector, with the Courier-Mail reporting restaurants close over Easter as penalty rates see wages skyrocket. I’ve commented before on how penalty rates make it … Continue reading

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Retail sector adapting to new frugality – big box shopping & affordable luxuries

Australia’s retail sector has had to adapt to the new frugality as a result of the financial crisis, and it appears that, among bricks-and-mortar retailers, only big box stores such as Bunnings have thrived. Yesterday saw the site launch of the … Continue reading

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