Tag Archives: townsville

Economic pain continues for Townsville

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Gene Tunny

With the nickel refinery at Yabulu outside Townsville now in administration, following the sacking of hundreds of workers last week, Townsville residents are right to be very concerned about the economic impact of a possible refinery shutdown, and the loss … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Penalty rates reform should be considered as way to reduce youth unemployment

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Gene Tunny

New labour force data from the ABS yesterday showed that Queensland ended 2015 with solid employment growth, and with the unemployment rate falling slightly further to 5.8 per cent, as the Queensland economy remains resilient at the end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Townsville ABC radio interview on GST

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The GST debate continues, with much attention focused on the regressive nature of the GST. That is, because poorer households typically consume higher fractions of their incomes than richer households, they pay proportionally more of their incomes in GST. Hence … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Qld regions have been struggling and not just the mining ones

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill’s alleged lack of success in bringing new infrastructure projects to the city may become a major issue in the mayoral election in March next year, based on a report in today’s Townsville Bulletin. The Mayor may … Continue reading →

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

Unsurprising Townsville running out of water when Council is charging so little for it

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Townsville City Council desperately needs some hard-headed economic advice, not just on the unwise Super Stadium project, but on water pricing, too. It is reported in today’s Townsville Bulletin that “TOWNSVILLE residents must dramatically reduce their water use if the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

ABC News interview on industry assistance

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I appeared on Brisbane ABC News tonight, commenting on the Queensland Competition Authority’s new report on Queensland Government industry assistance, and the story has been written up on the ABC News website: Queensland Government will maintain industry assistance measures for … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Qld Govt expenditure growth has resumed after extraordinary period of austerity

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The debate over the 2015-16 Queensland Budget continues, with the Courier-Mail publishing an opinion piece by State Political Reporter Steven Wardill, Today’s problems in Queensland bigger tomorrow after Budget, say economists, quoting me and fellow economist (and friend and former … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Should governments financially support elite sports whose players are such poor role models?

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Gene Tunny

An example of massive government support for elite sport – Suncorp Stadium which cost nearly $300 million to upgrade in the early 2000s. The drugs scandal that has engulfed the Gold Coast Titans raises a question about government support for … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Unemployment much higher in North Qld, Wide Bay, Ipswich and outer Brisbane metro area

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The regional dimension to Queensland unemployment is readily apparent from the following unemployment rate maps I’ve produced based on Queensland Treasury’s handy information brief on regional unemployment. Here’s the map for the whole State: My old home town of Townsville … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Black hole election – speech notes and slides

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Gene Tunny

For the record, I’m posting the speech notes I prepared for the presentation I gave Wednesday night at the Ship Inn Function Centre in South Brisbane on economic policy issues in the 2015 Queensland election. My slides are available via … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments