Tag Archives: victoria

Lockdowns reduce retail trade 14-17% in NSW and ACT compared with pre-lockdown levels

Thankfully, and better late than never, the upcoming NRL Grand Final has forced the Queensland Government to recognise the large economic costs associated with lockdowns, and it has decided not to panic this time, and surprisingly it has not yet … Continue reading

Posted in Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Super high coal prices will boost royalties and slow the increase in Qld state debt

Back in early August I observed that higher coal prices were helping the Qld economy and state budget in this time of rolling lockdowns. Amazingly, the all important metallurgical or coking coal price has surged even higher since then. There … Continue reading

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

Not quite the Smart State

The business R&D estimates published by the ABS last Friday reminded me of the limited economic impact of successive Queensland Government initiatives such as the Smart State and Advance Queensland, although there have been some successes such as the Biosciences … Continue reading

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld economy should cope better than NSW and Vic. economies, but our tourism regions will suffer badly

The ongoing economic fallout of the Delta outbreak continued this week, regardless of the statistical anomaly, due to people leaving the workforce, that was the reported 4.6% national unemployment rate for July. Queensland had the highest unemployment rate (5.2%) among … Continue reading

Posted in Cairns, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

All going down together

What an awful month it’s been so far. For the first time in 12 months, the Gold Coast airport had no flights one day earlier this week, as reported by the Courier-Mail. Businesses across the country are pleading for help. … Continue reading

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

Qld economy’s growth rate reduced by business CAPEX fall

Queensland had the second lowest rate of State Final Demand (SFD) growth in the first quarter of 2021, according to the March quarter National Accounts published by the ABS yesterday. Queensland’s SFD grew at 0.4% compared with a national average … Continue reading

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

Mining CAPEX has been growing in WA, falling in Qld

Mining sector capital investment has been increasing in WA but falling in Queensland, according to March quarter capital expenditure data published by the ABS yesterday (see chart above). This would reflect a combination of the following factors: the stronger demand … Continue reading

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Surge in new houses and reno’s offset by slump in non-residential construction in Qld

The ABS’s preliminary estimates of construction activity for March quarter are discouraging for Queensland, with an overall fall of 1.7% since December quarter in seasonally adjusted terms (see chart below). In contrast, construction work done increased by 2.4% nationwide. NSW … Continue reading

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People fleeing Victoria, staying put in Qld

Back in the middle of last decade I often commented on how Queensland was experiencing a brain drain of talented people to Victoria, with vibrant and cosmopolitan Melbourne attracting our best and brightest. That is no longer the case, and … Continue reading

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Six houses, alike in dignity… not much else – guest post by Brendan Markey-Towler

This guest post by my good friend and fellow Queensland economist Dr Brendan Markey-Towler makes some excellent points regarding Queensland’s economic recovery from the COVID-recession – e.g. consumption spending has been goosed up by government benefits and, apart from in … Continue reading

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