Tag Archives: queensland

Fossil fuels to figure in Qld’s future for decades to come

Despite the Queensland Government promoting the so-called Clean Economy, our state Treasury is still highly dependent on coal royalties, and the prosperity of our regional economies is highly correlated with coal mining. Coal prices remain at high levels and may … Continue reading

Posted in Climate change, Mining | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

How the Qld economy has changed in recent decades

The state and national economies have experienced similar trends by industry since 2000. The big changes have been the 2-3x increase in the mining sector’s importance since China’s economic growth started significantly influencing the global economy in the early-2000s (Figure … Continue reading

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The Queensland Economy Post-Palaszczuk

Summary Given its strong potential, the Queensland economy should be doing much better than it is, particularly regarding its business and housing investment levels. Furthermore, the state has not had the rebound in manufacturing that Palaszczuk suggested at her final … Continue reading

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

Rookwood Weir illustrates how richer countries can better protect the environment

The nearly finished Rookwood Weir on the Fitzroy River in Central Queensland illustrates how wealthier countries can afford to look after the environment better than poorer countries. It is a good example of why calls for ‘degrowth’ should be rejected. … Continue reading

Posted in Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Over half of Qld Budget’s $60bn of revenue upgrades used for additional spending over FY21 to FY24

Queensland general government revenues are $60 billion higher than once expected over 2020-21 to 2023-24, but debt is only $23 billion lower, with total spending revised up by around $32 billion. Some of this is understandable due to higher inflation … Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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