Tag Archives: townsville

Local government regulatory reform process fails to stop silly heritage listings in Townsville

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In its report on cutting red tape last year, the Queensland Competition Authority noted that “the Government will consult with local government in late 2013 on a regulatory reform program for local governments.” This consultation obviously didn’t achieve much, because … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Townsville | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Top 10 posts from the first 1,000

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday I posted my 1,000th post, and below are links to the most clicked from the first 1,000. Having grown up in Townsville, and knowing the intense debate the issue causes up North, it didn’t surprise me that a post … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Climate change, Labour market, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The problem with economic development agencies such as Townsville Enterprise & Brisbane Marketing

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It can be very stressful to be responsible for outcomes over which you have very little control. This is the predicament faced by economic development agencies such as Townsville Enterprise and Brisbane Marketing. This predicament was highlighted by the sacking … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Townsville | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Success of privatisation plan requires $12 billion spent wisely

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

As I’ve commented on previously, I’d prefer the Queensland Government to allocate all of the privatisation proceeds to debt reduction to maximise our chances of regaining our AAA credit rating. By allocating a sizable fraction – now $12 billion according … Continue reading →

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

Privatisation proceeds should be spent wisely

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I have an opinion piece in today’s Courier-Mail on asset sales/privatisation: Corporatisation has brought efficiency gains but there is still room for more gains through privatisation It’s based largely on my speech from a few weeks ago: Productivity and privatisation. … Continue reading →

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

Reality check for Townsville – no metropolis of 1 million before end of century

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Judging by recent articles in the Townsville Bulletin, Townsville appears obsessed with the idea it will grow to 1 million people from its current population of just under 200,000. The Townsville Bulletin reported yesterday (Townsville tipped to hit 1 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Townsville | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Paul Romer backs Galt’s Gulch for Northern Australia

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Gene Tunny

In her 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand imagined a libertarian community, Galt’s Gulch in Colorado, in which capitalists were free to live unconstrained by Government regulations and didn’t have to pay taxes to support the “moochers.” One of the … Continue reading →

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

North Qld struggling to recover – Cairns looking slightly better, but not Townsville yet

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

North and Far North Queensland have had lacklustre economies in the years since the financial crisis, with Cairns especially having suffered from the combined impact of the tourism downturn and an over-supply of properties due to a pre-financial crisis construction … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coles backs Ipswich – good investment given strong population growth

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Coles has announced it is building three new stores in Ipswich, obviously recognising the strong current and projected population growth in the region (Coles project to bring new stores and 700 jobs to Ipswich). While Ipswich is currently around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ipswich | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

QCA should investigate V8 Supercars funding in industry assistance review

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Townsville V8 Supercars event appears not to have delivered the huge visitor numbers and economic benefits that were once forecast by its organisers, given the announcement of a new joint marketing campaign with other V8 races. The Townsville Bulletin reports (V8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Gold Coast, Industry policy, Ipswich, Townsville | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments