Tag Archives: queensland

Coal and LNG push Qld commodity exports up to $1 billion per week

The surge in coal prices in the second half of 2016 and increased exports of LNG from Gladstone’s Curtis Island have pushed Queensland’s commodity exports to over $52 billion in 2016, or $1 billion per week, up from around $49 … Continue reading

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Valley the victim of retail trends

A report in last Thursday’s Courier-Mail highlighted the decline of Fortitude Valley as a retail hub: ‘Boarded-up shops and “for lease” signs are regular sights in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley as retailers abandon the once-bustling area… …Chairman of the CBD’s Economic … Continue reading

Posted in Retail trade, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CommSec highlights importance of residential construction to Qld economy

The latest State of the States report from CommSec highlights the current importance of residential construction to the health of the Queensland economy. As reported by John McCarthy in today’s Courier-Mail: QUEENSLAND’S economy is starting to emerge from the mining … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy, Mining, Tourism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Disappointing 2016 for Qld labour market

Yesterday, on the same day the December jobs figures released by the ABS confirmed a disappointing 2016 for the Queensland labour market (see charts below), the Deputy Premier announced the State Government’s new regional jobs program. Coincidental or not, the … Continue reading

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

Continuing rebound in Qld private sector job vacancies at end of 2016

There was good news for the Queensland economy yesterday, with the ABS reporting a continuation of the rebound in private sector job vacancies in the final quarter of last year (see chart below). Private sector job vacancies have increased from … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Housing, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld Treasury was right to be cautious on coal royalties windfall

Queensland Treasury was right not to get too excited about the currently elevated coal prices and the surge in royalties when it updated its budget protections (chart below) last month.  As reported in today’s Australian, a report from the Chief … Continue reading

Posted in Mining, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Risk to SEQ economy from likely downswing in residential construction, as market absorbs huge supply shock

John McCarthy had a very good opinion piece in yesterday’s Courier-Mail on the “Sorry tale of the great Queensland divide”, in which he contrasted SEQ’s relatively strong economic performance with weakness in many regions, an issue which I frequently commented … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Victoria still beating Queensland in interstate migration & population growth

Since late 2012, Queensland has been losing people to Victoria, a reversal of the historically positive net flow of people from Victoria to Queensland (see chart below based on the latest ABS population estimates published Thursday last week). While the … Continue reading

Posted in Population, queensland, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Should Queensland legalise recreational marijuana use?

My friend and fellow economist Dr Stephen Thornton of Bluegreen Economics has released a report advocating for the legalisation of marijuana for recreational use in Queensland. While the Queensland Parliament has recently passed a law allowing medicinal marijuana use, we … Continue reading

Posted in Social policy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Government right to rule out fiscal stimulus

The ½ percent GDP contraction in September quarter that the ABS published last week has raised a lot of questions about the current state of the economy, and whether the Government should do more in terms of economic reform or … Continue reading

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