Tag Archives: queensland

Why is training in oil & gas drilling fee-free?

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government’s blueprint for reform of vocational education and training (VET), Great Skills Real Opportunities, which was released in June last year, goes a long way toward creating a more efficient and responsive VET sector, but falls short in … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Labour market, Mining | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rent auctions linked to constraints on inner city development

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A story in mX yesterday afternoon highlighted an unnecessary law against so-called rent auctions: Brisbane’s rental squeeze is forcing prospective tenants to offer landlords extra cash to secure a place to live. As competition for properties in the inner city … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Regional infrastructure plan should be based on updated population projections

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Having spent the first fifteen years of my life in Townsville, I’m a great supporter of regional Queensland, but as an economist I think the Government needs to do some further analysis before it commits large amounts of money to … Continue reading →

Posted in Population, Queensland Government, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Qld jobs market remains sluggish – unlikely trend unemployment rate fell last month

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Today’s labour force data from the ABS confirmed that the jobs market remains sluggish, with Queensland’s unemployment rate at 5.9 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms. Unfortunately, the ABS data aren’t very precise for Queensland and it’s hard to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Good pick up in home loans in Qld over 2013

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I agree with MacroBusiness’s assessment (New home finance takes a breather) that the number of loans for the construction or purchase of new houses, which is linked closely with the health of the building industry, picked up in Queensland over … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Good news for Qld building industry as new apartment approvals surge

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Conditions will certainly improve in the Queensland building industry over 2014 as residential building approvals continue to recover (see first chart below based on the new ABS data), although we shouldn’t get too excited yet because the recovery appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

SEQ has expensive public transport due to low density and costly trains

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Gene Tunny

While hard on commuters, the recent Translink fare hike (see Brisbane Times coverage) still leaves South-East Queensland with a heavily subsidised public transport system, which it will continue to have given a relatively low population density and historically poor choices … Continue reading →

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

Qld Tennis Centre precinct a missed opportunity

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

At the Brisbane International Tennis tournament the other day, my friends and I were confronted with very high prices, such as $9.50 for a Corona and $7 for a fruit salad. In part, the high prices reflect the local monopoly … Continue reading →

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

Additional maps on average incomes in Qld

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Average wage and salary incomes of residents of mining regions in Queensland rival those of residents in the Western suburbs of Brisbane, according to the ABS’s new small area income data (see maps below for the whole of Queensland and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Qld Govt leaves room to boost spending in election budget next year

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government’s Mid Year Fiscal and Economic Review released yesterday didn’t contain many surprises, but left me with the thought the Government will have plenty of room to boost spending in next year’s Budget, in preparation for an election … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment