Tag Archives: megamine

Queensland construction industry outlook

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Gene Tunny

The construction industry is very important to the Queensland economy, and it employs nearly 10 percent of all workers (see Queensland Treasury’s Employment by Industry brief). One part of the broader industry, residential construction, has grown strongly in recent years, … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Infrastructure, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On mega mine, Qld Government should avoid taking equity risk for just a return on debt

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Gene Tunny

Financial journalist Trevor Sykes would frequently point out that the problem with lending to highly-leveraged companies is that you can effectively take on equity risk while only receiving a return on debt. The Queensland Government needs to avoid this risk … Continue reading →

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

Pros and cons of a $300M royalties holiday for the Adani mega mine

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The acrimonious political debate on the proposed Adani mega mine (see Brisbane Times coverage) would be well informed by a number of economic policy considerations that I discuss below. Some of these, but not all, would lend support to a … Continue reading →

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

NAIF $900M loan to Adani for mega-mine rail line is far from a first best solution, possibly second or third best

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Gene Tunny

As a former Treasury official and long-time critic of industry assistance, I’m sympathetic to the Federal Opposition’s criticism of the expected $900 million soft loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to Adani for the rail line to its … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Selling QIC highly desirable and would avoid allegations of political interference regarding mega mine infrastructure

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Gene Tunny

First, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of North Queensland as they wake up to the devastation from Cyclone Debbie. In his extraordinary eulogy for Marie Antoinette, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke lamented that the French Queen had … Continue reading →

Posted in North Queensland, Queensland Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment