Tag Archives: qr

Qld Budget, economy and polls will give Premier confidence to call election this year

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Gene Tunny

The Australian reports this morning that the Palaszczuk Government is polling well in two-party preferred terms (53% for ALP vs 47% for LNP). The strong result is largely due to One Nation smashing the LNP primary vote. It does not … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Budget, Queensland Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inquiry should consider contestability and privatisation of QR services

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Gene Tunny

One of the alleged benefits of public provision of services is that levels of service and reliability are higher than for private provision, but the crisis engulfing Queensland Rail at the moment suggests we should question that purported benefit. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Queensland Rail, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Another example of the high cost of free parking in Toowong

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Poor economics is at the core of the latest parking dispute in the leafy Brisbane western suburb of Toowong, particularly a misunderstanding about property rights and the lack of a price mechanism for allocating the car parks (see Toowong commuters … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Upcoming event on Steel on Steel – inside story of privatisation of QR’s freight arm

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Gene Tunny

In a post earlier this year, I discussed Stephen Baines’s excellent insider’s account of the privatisation of Queensland Rail’s freight arm, Steel on Steel. Not coincidentally, the Economic Society of Australia’s Queensland branch, of which I’m Deputy Secretary, has arranged … Continue reading →

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QR-Aurizon experience shows benefits of privatisation – Steel on Steel is recommended reading

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Gene Tunny

If you’re interested in the issue of privatisation, I recommend you read a new book, Steel on Steel, published by UQ Press, on the QR float from Aurizon insider Stephen Baines. The book contains an excellent description of the political … Continue reading →

Posted in Transport | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Govt should embrace Costello Commission of Audit privatisation recommendations

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Unsurprisingly, the Peter Costello-led Queensland Commission of Audit has recommended privatisation of a large number of Queensland Government assets, as reported in the Courier-Mail this morning: SELL assets or spend the next half a century paying off debt. That is … Continue reading →

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