Tag Archives: townsville

Remarkable turnarounds for Townsville, Mackay, and Cairns

In my upcoming Brisbane Club presentation on Tuesday, one chart I’ll show is of selected Queensland regional unemployment rates, highlighting how the economic recovery generally and a booming mining sector have translated into some extraordinarily low unemployment rates in some … Continue reading

Posted in Cairns, Labour market, Mackay, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regional concerns over 2032 Brisbane Olympics

The Queensland Premier, Brisbane Lord Mayor, and federal Sports Minister are flying to Tokyo for the Olympics, to make the final pitch for Brisbane to host the Games in 2032, although we’re the preferred bidder and apparently the only city … Continue reading

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ACCC right to call for Qld Gov’t to cut stamp duty on home insurance – $200 in stamp duty on each NQ home insurance policy on average

The ACCC’s Final Report on its Northern Australia Insurance Inquiry has been released at last and, among other things, it rightly reiterates a recommendation made in previous reports to (on p. xxiii): Abolish stamp duty on home, contents and strata … Continue reading

Posted in Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

NQ State feasibility should be explored in lead up to Katter-proposed referendum

I’m pleased that Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) leader Robbie Katter will push for a referendum on North Queensland statehood in the first half of 2021, as reported on news.com.au. It appears there is widespread disappointment in the North with the … Continue reading

Posted in North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Yes to a North Qld State podcast

Bill Bates and David Young from the Boot Brisbane group have started a new live-streamed podcast on creating a new state of North Queensland. Guests so far have included former Queensland Speaker John Mickel and federal MP Ewen Jones, and … Continue reading

Posted in North Queensland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

State and regional unemployment rates in this time of COVID-19 with Pete Faulkner

Mission Beach-based economist Pete Faulkner from Conus Consulting has been in the news recently with his estimates of the massive adverse impacts that measures to combat coronavirus are having on Queensland’s regional economies (e.g. see the InQueensland report Jobless numbers … Continue reading

Posted in Cairns, Gold Coast, Labour market, Macroeconomy, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

COVID-19 rescue package chat with CCIQ Chief Economist Marcus Smith

In both its scale and scope, the COVID-19 rescue package announced by the Prime Minister and Treasurer this morning is stunning. I spoke with CCIQ Chief Economist Marcus Smith earlier this afternoon regarding what he thinks about the package, and … Continue reading

Posted in Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My top ten posts of the 2010s

Since I started Queensland Economy Watch in June 2010, I’ve attempted to cover the changing fortunes of the Queensland economy and state budget as accurately and objectively as possible. It’s been a great experience. I’ve learned a lot and met … Continue reading

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Bad economic news keeps coming – declining job vacancies & inverted US yield curve

The federal Department of Jobs and Small Business published its February 2019 internet job vacancies data last week, and it revealed a continuation of the downward trend in job vacancies, which were 5.5% lower in Queensland and 4.0% lower nationally … Continue reading

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

The North West Minerals Province – A Better Public Sector Investment than the Capital City

The North West Minerals Province – A Better Public Sector Investment than the Capital City Guest post by Craig Wilson* Townsville received the lion’s share of the media coverage in Australia and around the world from the recent flood events. … Continue reading

Posted in Infrastructure, Mining, North Queensland, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments