economy – John Humphreys

NSW budget 2024/25

_{Published in The Spectator Online on 21 June 2024 under the title “NSW’s smoke and mirror budget“.}

The NSW budget continued the nationwide theme of unimaginative big-spending budgets with large deficits. The economic story is not unique, but the budget does stand out for one reason – the masterful display of Machiavellian narrative control.

QLD budget 2024/25

_{Published in The Spectator Online on 15 June 2024 under the title “Queensland’s shock and awe Budget” and reported on by Epoch Times on 18 June 2024 under the title “$10.8 Billion in Debt: Analyst Explains How the State Election Has Affected the Queensland Budget“.}

The Queensland Budget released this Tuesday marks the beginning of the 2024 state election campaign.

The nine-year-old QLD Labor government is behind in the polls, and are attempting to buy back some support with $1,000 handouts to each household (for electricity), $200 for each child (for sport), $0.50 tickets on public transport, 20 per cent discount on car registration fees, and plenty more.

John Humphreys is the Chief Economist at The Australian Taxpayers' Alliance and Director for the Australian Economic Education Foundation.

John has a PhD in economics from the University of Queensland. He has worked previously for the Australian Treasury, as a consultant doing projects for the World Bank and ASEAN (among others), economics lecturer in Australia and abroad, and manager of an education charity in Cambodia (for which he was awarded a knighthood in 2016).

Outside of his day job, John is a certified scuba divemaster, recreational pilot & Justice of the Peace, and he spent four years as a travelling hippy visiting over 80 countries. He was the founder of the Liberal Democratic Party (now called the Libertarian Party) and the Friedman Conferences. Most importantly, John is married to a wonderful wife and has three amazing boys, and is now living the simple life just north of Brisbane in Australia.