Tag Archives: coal

ABC radio interview on the fiscal challenges facing the new Qld Government

Chatting with Steve Austin about the fiscal challenges facing the new Government in the Legislative Council Chamber at Queensland Parliament House, Brisbane (Photo: Terri Begley) On the first day of Queensland’s new Parliament, Steve Austin from 612 ABC Brisbane radio … Continue reading

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Great news about Abbot Point expansion given need for royalties and boost to mining & Qld economy

I was very pleased to see the announcement about the Abbot Point expansion going ahead yesterday, given the boost it will provide to Queensland’s ailing mining industry (see chart below), royalties revenue for the Government, and the Queensland economy. North … Continue reading

Posted in Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Queensland’s top five customers – China has taken top spot from Japan in recent years

Earlier this month, the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office released a useful set of trade reports on Queensland’s trade with international economies. In our merchandise exports data (see chart below), it’s not surprising to see the importance of China, which has … Continue reading

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2014 wrap up – Qld Govt excelled on budget management, but Adani & Tatts deals questionable

The Queensland Government’s major economic policy achievements in 2014 included: strong budget management, particularly through expenditure restraint, with the Mid Year Fiscal and Economic Review reporting that expenses in 2014-15 are expected to now be $720 million lower than budget … Continue reading

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Queensland mid-year Budget update – Nine News interview

Katherine Feeney of Nine News Brisbane interviewed me yesterday regarding Queensland’s mid-year Budget update, which significantly downgraded Queensland’s fiscal outlook, largely due to lower coal and LNG prices in the forecast period. Katherine and the Nine team did a good … Continue reading

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Nice introduction to business opportunities in China and elsewhere

The Australia-China free trade agreement is great news for the Queensland economy, with scheduled reductions in Chinese tariffs on coal and agricultural products from Australia. It will also provide opportunities for people in professional and financial services (see Max Mason’s … Continue reading

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Qld Govt recognises importance of coal to economy and budget

Reading the Courier-Mail story today about how the Government looks set to favour coal miners over farmers in Central Queensland,  I recalled a chart my friend and colleague Brad Rogers once showed me of the contributions made by different commodities … Continue reading

Posted in Mining | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Qld Treasurer rightly rejects pessimism about mining industry

I’m pleased to see Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls has rejected the doom and gloom around the state of the mining industry in Queensland, as reported in the Brisbane Times this morning (Qld mining industry still strong), pointing to strong growth … Continue reading

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More on the mining slowdown

I posted last week on how the new ABS labour force data show a slowing in the growth rate of mining employment, but no decline in employment yet, as one might have expected based on reports of job losses at … Continue reading

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Good news on Qld coal exports and tourism

The Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson released some encouraging figures on coal exports yesterday, which I’ve charted below (Ports back to pre-GFC coal volumes): In part, the strong growth rates in the chart above reflect the coal industry recovering from … Continue reading

Posted in Mining, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments