Tag Archives: qld

Qld Budget needs to reflect challenging conditions – asset sales good option to cut debt

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The March quarter private capital spending figures released today by the ABS confirm that Treasury was right to make conservative, sub-par growth forecasts in developing the Federal Budget. Queensland Treasury will have to do the same in the Queensland Budget, … Continue reading →

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Qld residential building recovery due to new apartments and townhouses

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Gene Tunny

After the bad news about the recent slump in consumer confidence – which hopefully is just a short-term post-budget reaction – it’s good to see a recovery in residential building, which the Treasury and RBA are hoping will help drive … Continue reading →

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How Seqwater learned to stop worrying and love Ipswich

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Despite initial fears about their relocation to Ipswich, it appears many staff of Seqwater, which runs South-East Queensland’s dams such as Wivenhoe and Somerset, have come to embrace the city. The local paper, the Queensland Times, which of course may … Continue reading →

Posted in Ipswich, Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dogs in cafes debate highlights over-regulation by local governments

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Australians generally have much more conservative attitudes to pets in public places than people in other countries. I remember vividly one bus trip in Prague in the late nineties when I was the subject of a lot of attention from … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

TAFEs cutting costs as training market gets much more competitive

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It’s good to see that Queensland TAFEs are preparing for the more competitive training market expected in the next few years and are considering cutting courses that are not economically viable. For example, as reported on in the Fraser Coast Chronicle … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

QCA should investigate V8 Supercars funding in industry assistance review

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Townsville V8 Supercars event appears not to have delivered the huge visitor numbers and economic benefits that were once forecast by its organisers, given the announcement of a new joint marketing campaign with other V8 races. The Townsville Bulletin reports (V8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Industry policy, Ipswich, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

PwC Breakfast on the Blackadder Budget – a cunning plan is afoot

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

At the PwC Federal Budget breakfast this morning at the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds convention centre, popular finance commentator Peter Switzer gave an entertaining and informative address on last night’s Federal Budget, which he labelled the Blackadder Budget, because a cunning … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Huge disparity in qualification levels across regions, even in SEQ – e.g. Bris West vs Ipswich & Logan

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A new ABS publication, Perspectives on Regional Australia:  Changes in Regional Educational Attainment, reveals huge differences in the percentage of people aged 20-64 with post-school qualifications (Certificate III and above) across Australian regions (see map below based on 2011 Census … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Teenagers have had tough time in labour market since financial crisis

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A creative reader and former colleague of mine, who goes by the nickname Toad, today sent me an interesting chart, presented below, that he has prepared on teenage labour force data for Queensland (you may need to open it in another … Continue reading →

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Failure of Strong Choices now obvious – missed chance to persuade on asset sales

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government should have directly made the case for asset sales, rather than hoping people would conclude they’re necessary after playing the choose-your-own-budget game on the Strong Choices website, a point I’ve made a few times over the last few weeks (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments