Tag Archives: infrastructure

Rookwood Weir illustrates how richer countries can better protect the environment

The nearly finished Rookwood Weir on the Fitzroy River in Central Queensland illustrates how wealthier countries can afford to look after the environment better than poorer countries. It is a good example of why calls for ‘degrowth’ should be rejected. … Continue reading

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Stopping poor infrastructure spending & pork barreling w/ Nicholas Gruen

Around the corner from my Brunswick St office, at the RNA showgrounds, work is underway on the Exhibition station upgrade so it’s ready for Cross River Rail, Brisbane’s new subway system. This appears to have necessitated traffic control on Gregory … Continue reading

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White Elephant Stampede – podcast chat w/ Scott Prasser

Queensland has had more than its fair share of white elephant projects, including the Toowooomba Wellcamp quarantine facility and the Gold Coast desalination plant. The economics and politics of white elephants are considered in a new book from Connor Court … Continue reading

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Gigi Foster event on the Great COVID Panic + latest podcast episode on price controls & infrastructure

Thankfully, we’re getting much closer to a return to normality with the international border reopening. While we should focus on the brighter future, at the same time we should rigorously review what happened over the last two years, and ask … Continue reading

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How much momentum does business investment in Qld have?

Last week, in responding to widespread business anxiety over the economic outlook, the Queensland Treasurer tried to talk up the economy by noting the June quarter National Accounts revealed a 5.7% increase in private investment in Queensland. Such strong growth … Continue reading

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Qld’s heavy CAPEX pipeline dominated by public sector projects

First, thankfully the Queensland Government will lift the Brisbane-Moreton lockdown at 6pm tonight, although the threat of future lockdowns remains, making it challenging to plan anything over the next couple of months. I’m really hoping the COVID spread is contained … Continue reading

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More work needed to show SEQ Olympics would stack up

The increasingly likely 2032 SEQ Olympics stimulated a lot of debate across Australia last week, and I expect scepticism of the Olympics will grow in the lead up to the Games. At the moment, regional Queenslanders such as Robbie Katter … Continue reading

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Qld Budget interview on 4BC with Scott Emerson

I was pleased to speak with 4BC Drive host Scott Emerson yesterday about the 2020-21 Queensland Budget. Among other issues, Scott and I chatted about the Government’s abandonment or, more charitably, nuancing of its fiscal principle around keeping public service … Continue reading

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Transcript of Megaprojects chat with Marion Terrill of Grattan

A couple of weeks ago I spoke with Marion Terrill of the Grattan Institute regarding her new report on The Rise of Megaprojects (check out Megaprojects chat with Marion Terrill from Grattan). Marion made so many excellent points in the discussion … Continue reading

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Megaprojects chat with Marion Terrill from Grattan

The Queensland Government’s troubled Cross River Rail project is a good example of a multi-billion-dollar Megaproject at risk of cost blowouts and falling short of projected benefits, as I posted on last week (Cross River Rail scrutinised by Grattan and … Continue reading

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