Tag Archives: qld

Qld economic outlook talk at Phil Di Bella’s Coffee Commune this Friday 19 May

The big economic question for 2023 is how much the Australian economy will slow down in response to interest rate increases, regarding which we should expect more to come. Queensland’s economy will benefit from a high-performing mining sector, but there’s … Continue reading

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

Size and structure of the Qld economy: today vs 1939-40 using Colin Clark’s estimates

Back in the nineties, a history-conscious Queensland Treasury official saved a 1944 chart on “Post-war Employment Planning” from the rubbish bin during an office cleanout (Figure 1). On his retirement from the public service, that official gave me the chart. … Continue reading

Posted in queensland | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

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

Regional economic divergence – podcast chat w/ Rob Sobyra, Construction Skills Qld

I’ve reported on how the economic recovery has seen large falls in unemployment rates across Queensland, including in most regions (see Remarkable turnarounds for Townsville, Mackay, and Cairns). But I need to acknowledge that employment growth is still overwhelmingly in … Continue reading

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

National Electricity Market malfunction of June 2022: my latest podcast episode

One of the biggest challenges facing advanced economies is maintaining reliable and reasonably priced electricity as we decarbonise to combat climate change. This year we’ve seen some ominous signs that this may not go well. The war in Ukraine has … Continue reading

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

Qld Gross State Product was up 22% in dollar terms in 2021-22

Hidden in a note to its economic forecasts table in the state budget was the extraordinary estimate from Queensland Treasury that, in nominal dollar terms, the state economy expanded 22% last financial year, 2021-22 (see the chart below based on … Continue reading

Posted in Budget, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Qld gaining nearly 1,000 people per week from interstate – new yearly (50k) & quarterly (19k) records

It’s been an extraordinary day of news for Queensland today, with:  a) record net interstate migration over a twelve-month period of just over 50k, and record quarterly net interstate migration of 19k in December quarter 2021, revealed in the ABS’s … Continue reading

Posted in Migration | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld’s bolshie budget – my latest thoughts

Reading the Courier-Mail’s latest state budget reporting, quoting Cameron Dick as a self-proclaimed Robin Hood Treasurer, it’s clear the state government no longer gives a damn what business thinks. It’s gone full-on economic populist with its royalties hike ($1.2bn over … Continue reading

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

Qld state budget: thanks for the billions coal miners, now pay us even more

As I’ve been forecasting for months now, the Queensland state budget is in much better shape than the state Treasury forecast back in December. Higher royalties, stamp duty, and other taxes helped deliver a $1.9 billion operating surplus in 2021-22 … Continue reading

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

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

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