Tag Archives: qld

Recent vacancies data suggest we shouldn’t get too excited about jobs market just yet

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Tomorrow’s release of April labour force data from the ABS will hopefully confirm a recovery in the job market in Queensland, continuing the positive trend from last month (see my post from last month: Qld unemployment rate falls slightly to … Continue reading →

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Senate inquiry should consider impact of heritage protection on housing affordability

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was pleased to see the Queensland Government note, in its submission (available on the submissions page) to the Federal Senate Inquiry into Affordable Housing in Australia, that “local government must be more responsive and flexible if improved housing affordability is to … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Should Townsville port long-term lease earnings be earmarked for NQ?

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It would be poor public policy to earmark the earnings from the long-term leasing out of the Port of Townsville for investment in North Queensland, as desired by Townsville community leaders. The Townsville Bulletin reports today: A LONG-TERM lease on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Townsville, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weekend reading and listening – 3-4 May 2014

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Recording of my interview by Pat Hession on Townsville radio on the National Commission of Audit report: Reworking the Budget Excellent article on how to save money on pharmaceutical benefits spending: PBS savings: two sides of the coin Great paper from the CIS’s … Continue reading →

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Brisbane Times article on asset sales

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’m quoted in a Brisbane Times article today regarding asset sales: Asset sales divide economists – but they are united in saying ‘Strong Choices’ is flawed I re-iterated the same points I’ve made over the last couple of weeks: that asset … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Queensland Government | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

CommSec State of States report misleading on population growth

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Gene Tunny

CommSec’s State of the States report is a PR exercise for the Commonwealth Bank rather than a serious piece of economic analysis. As I’ve posted on before, its methodology is daft and gives weird results (Ask a silly question, get … Continue reading →

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Higher incidence of long-term unemployment in outer metro areas, Qld outback and Wide Bay

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Around one-in-five of the 150,000 or so unemployed people in Queensland have been out of work for one year or more, corresponding to around 30,000 people, according to ABS labour force data. There is considerable variation in the incidence of … Continue reading →

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How important is tourism to the Queensland economy?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It is being reported that visitor numbers over Easter at Queensland tourism centres such as the Gold and Sunshine Coasts were at levels not seen since before the financial crisis. This is great news given the importance of tourism to … Continue reading →

Posted in Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Penalty rates reform a priority given youth unemployment rate

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Easter long weekend has once again highlighted the adverse impact penalty rates are having on the hospitality sector, with the Courier-Mail reporting restaurants close over Easter as penalty rates see wages skyrocket. I’ve commented before on how penalty rates make it … Continue reading →

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Strong Choices poorly received by public – Treasury needs to do a lot more work

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government needs some new advisers who can prepare logical, coherent arguments as to why particular assets such as ports and electricity businesses should be privatised, because the current Strong Choices campaign has flopped (see the Brisbane Times article Strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Queensland Government | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments