With the flood waters receding in Queensland – giving us our first real look at the size of the damage involved – Possum Comitatus discusses what happened on the economic front immediately following the last big South East Queensland flood drama in January 1974.
January, 2011
Essential: 52-48 to Coalition
Yesterday’s Essential Research survey showed no change in voting intention since the previous poll on December 20, with the Coalition leading 52-48 on two-party preferred, writes William Bowe.
travel Shattering the rose-tinted vision of tropical island life
Mention the words “tropical island” and most people conjure images of towering palms, sugar-white sands and plenty of cocktails at sunset. But add in traffic, oppressive heat and hurricanes, and it’s not quite the same, says Cayman Islands resident India Lloyd.
Bookish ways to help out the flood victims
The recent floods throughout Queensland and other parts of Australia have had a massive impact on many lives. But there are some literary-minded ways you can help out, such as buying books from Queensland auctions, writes Angela Meyer.
Mungo MacCallum: Bligh trumps St Mary McKillop as model of virtue, rectitude
Seldom has an Australian politician received the kind of accolades accorded to Queensland Premier Anna Bligh after the disastrous floods that engulfed her state.
Morning Market Report: Wall St at highest level since 2008
Wall Street closed up 55 on Friday. Dow was up 62 at best and down 33 at worst and closed at its highest level since 2008. T
Summonses to eight over NSW electricity asset sell-off
Court summons will be issued this week in a bid to force the eight former directors who quit in protest over the privatisation of NSW electricity assets to appear before an upper house inquiry into the controversial sell off, writes Mathew Knott.
After the deluge, a flood of volunteers help Brisbane clean up
Along with the piles of furniture and junk lining Brisbane streets severely affected by the Queensland floods are thousands of volunteers. Households and business owners are being inundated with help from those whose houses fared better, writes Emma Buckley Lennox.
New flights to boost Australia-China trade connections
Something momentous in the development of Australia-China trade connections this Thursday has so far slipped under the media radar.
No surprises in South Sudan’s vote for freedom
There’s never been any doubt as to which way the South Sudanese would vote.
A history of La Nina
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology provides an excellent history of La Niña event that helps to put the recent rainfall into perspective with the descriptions below describing those that have had the biggest impact.
Brown: a national flood insurance scheme makes sense
Greens supremo Bob Brown has called on the federal government to seriously consider a national flood insurance scheme in the mould of the United States, but has sounded a note of caution over free riders who build houses in risky areas and then expect the state to bail them out.
Mopping up the River City, thankful for the help
In front of my mother-in-law’s home, the Brisbane River becomes a bay; a quiet inlet of tiny mud crabs and mangroves, writes Patty Beecham on her blog site.
Tunisia and Western obsessions
The debate over whether Tunisia witnessed a “Twitter revolution” reflects a commentariat unable to see outside its own obsessions.
The new flood emergency in Vic: ‘bigger than anyone can remember’
Much of rural Victorian is braced for floods worse than even the oldest residents can remember. Hundreds of houses across the state’s north and west are under threat, report Amber Jamieson and Jason Whittaker.
Still the yuan: China won’t budge on currency, warns about quantitative easing
Chinese President Hu Jintao has signalled that China is not about to budge on its exchange rate policy despite growing pressure, and has instead called on the United States to follow an internationally responsible monetary policy, writes Business Spectator’s Karen Maley.
Australian house prices continue to soar, but at what cost?
Another year, another massive increase in house prices and more excuses proffered by the real estate industry as to why Australia’s houses are among the most expensive in the world.
Protests across Arab world highlight socio-economic pressures
Events in Tunisia, Algeria and Jordan over the past week reveal the socio-economic pressures building up across the Arab world that may pose significant internal challenges to regional governments, writes Tim Molesworth.
Addicted to disaster porn
During the past week, we’ve been treated to wall-to-wall television coverage of the Brisbane and Queensland floods. But does disaster porn really facilitate empathy? writes Michael Mullins, editor of Eureka Street.
Ask the economists: what effect will the Qld floods have on GDP?
Some have said GDP is not an appropriate measure of the economic effect of disasters like the Queensland floods. Regardless of who may be right on that, GDP remains a common tool used to measure economic impact. With that in mind, Crikey went to the economists to ask: “What effect will the Queensland floods have on GDP?”
Hezbollah quits Lebanon government … fears again of civil war
The people of Lebanon are sick of war, and all parties are desperate to avoid it, writes Michael Safi, who is studying politics and Arabic.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: An unjustified Royal Commission
Crikey readers have their say.
Daily Proposition: Make a great cup of coffee at home
You hate instant coffee. You may not be aware of it yet, but you do. So how do you make a cheap, easy and great-tasting cup of coffee at home? Liam Mannix has some tips.
Media briefs: Nine’s Qld commitment … Seven cleared over outing …
Seven doesn’t care about flood victims in Queensland. Only Nine does. Or so they say. Also, Andrew Fraser gets down and dirty in a Crikey t-shirt and more…
