Tag Archives: qld

Qld has highest unemployment rate, but we’ve actually coped with COVID-shock better than most states

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland once again has the highest unemployment rate in Australia (7.7% compared with a national average of 6.9%), as revealed by the September Labour Force Survey data released by the ABS yesterday, but we need to be careful in jumping … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Qld Treasurer trying to have it both ways on budget outlook

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick is trying to have it both ways regarding Queensland’s budget outlook. He is arguing the Opposition’s target of a budget surplus by 2023-24 is unattainable, but he has previously argued the budget outlook is so uncertain … Continue reading →

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Campaigning pollies recognise importance of resources sector to Qld economy

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Gene Tunny

The Guardian Australia’s Queensland correspondent Ben Smee has a nice summary of our Premier’s first week of election campaigning in his article on the Queensland paradox, whereby politicians have to appeal to voters in both Townsville and Toowong: The premier, … Continue reading →

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Frydenberg’s won’t-die-wondering Budget

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered a strong speech tonight in handing down what I’d label as his won’t-die-wondering budget, or possibly as the Nixon-goes-to-China budget, a federal budget with an expected current financial year deficit of $214 billion and projected total … Continue reading →

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Gov’t claims police boost “fully funded”, but won’t release full budget forward estimates

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Earlier today, in announcing a huge boost to police staffing, expected to cost $624 million over five years, Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan commented (in the media release Palaszczuk Government to deliver an extra 2,025 police personnel): “Unlike the commitments … Continue reading →

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Auditor-General exposes deep flaws in Queensland’s governance

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s Auditor-General is having a big week, with the publication of hard-hitting reports into the latest Queensland Health IT bungle (see today’s Courier-Mail) and the Government’s economic response to COVID-19. The report on the economic response revealed a lack of … Continue reading →

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

Defence should never have been on the Qld-NSW border in the first place

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Earlier this month, I was shocked when I landed in Bundaberg and was greeted by a police officer wanting to check I was a Queensland resident, but I guess I would have been even more shocked if I tried to … Continue reading →

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

Second GC motorway should have been built decades ago – BODBTN extract

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Gene Tunny

It was good to see in a media statement yesterday the state government’s commitment to a second M1: The Palaszczuk Government’s economic recovery plan will be significantly boosted with a $755 million commitment to build the 16-kilometre stage one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Infrastructure, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qantas call for state gov’t incentives highlights the prisoners’ dilemma of interstate bidding wars

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Gene Tunny

Queensland Government agencies such as Treasury and State Development will be busy developing an incentive package, no doubt containing payroll tax concessions and possibly a grant, to attract Qantas’s HQ. As the Australian reported yesterday: Qantas is asking state governments … Continue reading →

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Qld’s harsh border policy – a conversation with Joe Branigan

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Gene Tunny

The biggest issue in Queensland right now is our harsh border policy, which I discussed earlier today with my good friend and former Treasury colleague Joe Branigan of Tulipwood Economics. Joe is the co-author with Dr Henry Ergas of the … Continue reading →

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