Tag Archives: nsw

Lockdowns reduce retail trade 14-17% in NSW and ACT compared with pre-lockdown levels

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Gene Tunny

Thankfully, and better late than never, the upcoming NRL Grand Final has forced the Queensland Government to recognise the large economic costs associated with lockdowns, and it has decided not to panic this time, and surprisingly it has not yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

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

Lockdowns cause hours worked to fall below pre-pandemic levels

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Gene Tunny

In August, according to the latest ABS Labour Force data, total hours worked were well below March 2020 levels in NSW (-11.1%), and they were 2.9% below nationally and 0.9% below in Queensland (see the chart below). Victoria was slightly … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not quite the Smart State

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Gene Tunny

The business R&D estimates published by the ABS last Friday reminded me of the limited economic impact of successive Queensland Government initiatives such as the Smart State and Advance Queensland, although there have been some successes such as the Biosciences … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lockdowns podcast chat with Senator Malcolm Roberts

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Gene Tunny

One thing that has really shocked me during the pandemic is just how heartless, inconsistent, and hypocritical government policy can be, even when it is directed at promoting the greater good. The latest example of that is obviously the Queensland … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld economy should cope better than NSW and Vic. economies, but our tourism regions will suffer badly

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Gene Tunny

The ongoing economic fallout of the Delta outbreak continued this week, regardless of the statistical anomaly, due to people leaving the workforce, that was the reported 4.6% national unemployment rate for July. Queensland had the highest unemployment rate (5.2%) among … Continue reading →

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

All going down together

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Gene Tunny

What an awful month it’s been so far. For the first time in 12 months, the Gold Coast airport had no flights one day earlier this week, as reported by the Courier-Mail. Businesses across the country are pleading for help. … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Does government understand business and realise the huge costs of lockdowns?

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Gene Tunny

The reports from the Sydney lockdown are grim. The lockdown is imposing a huge cost on affected businesses. The financial assistance offered today by the federal and NSW governments may be insufficient for many businesses (e.g. see Sydney CBD restaurants … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Surge in new houses and reno’s offset by slump in non-residential construction in Qld

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Gene Tunny

The ABS’s preliminary estimates of construction activity for March quarter are discouraging for Queensland, with an overall fall of 1.7% since December quarter in seasonally adjusted terms (see chart below). In contrast, construction work done increased by 2.4% nationwide. NSW … Continue reading →

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

Six houses, alike in dignity… not much else – guest post by Brendan Markey-Towler

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Gene Tunny

This guest post by my good friend and fellow Queensland economist Dr Brendan Markey-Towler makes some excellent points regarding Queensland’s economic recovery from the COVID-recession – e.g. consumption spending has been goosed up by government benefits and, apart from in … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments