Currency | Australian Dollar (A$ or AUD) |
---|---|
1 July – 30 June | |
Statistics | |
GDP | A$288.3 billion (2012-13) [1] |
GDP growth | 3.5% (2012-13) |
2.5% (2013) [1] | |
Labour force | 2,313,800 (2010-11) [2] |
Labour force by occupation | Retail trade (11.7%), Construction (11%), Health care & social assistance (10.1%), Manufacturing (8.5%), Education & training (7.6%) [3] |
Unemployment | 6.2% (2018) [4] |
Main industries | Mining, tourism, agriculture, financial services |
External | |
Exports | A$49.2 billion (2010-11) [2] |
Export goods | Coal, beef, aluminium, copper, copper ores & concentrates, fertilizers, animal feed, zinc ores & concentrates, lead ores & concentrates, lead [5] |
Main export partners | Japan (29.5%), India (11.8%), South Korea (11.3%), China (9.3%), Taiwan (5.8%) [5] |
Imports | A$41.7 billion (2008-2009) [5] |
Import goods | Crude petroleum, passenger motor vehicles, refined petroleum, gold, goods vehicles, civil engineering equipment & parts, rubber tyres, treads & tubes, aircraft, spacecraft & parts, furniture, mattresses & cushions, mechanical handling equipment & parts [5] |
Main import partners | China (11.9%), United States (11.1%), Japan (10.2%), Papua New Guinea (7.2%), Malaysia (5.7%) [5] |
Public finances | |
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars. |
The economy of Queensland is the third largest economy within Australia. Queensland generated 19.5% of Australia's gross domestic product in the 2008-09 financial year. [5] The economy is primarily built upon mining, agriculture, tourism and financial services. Queensland's main exports are coal, metals, meat and sugar. [6]
Western Australia and Queensland are often referred to as the "resource states" because their economies are currently dependent on exports of resources such as coal, iron ore and natural gas. However, of the two states, Queensland has a more diversified base. [7] In 2006, exports from Queensland totaled A$49.4 billion. [6] By 2009 this figure had grown to A$65.5 billion.
Brisbane is categorised as a global city, and is among Asia-Pacific cities with largest GDPs. It has strengths in mining, banking, insurance, transportation, information technology, real estate and food. [8] Some of the largest companies headquartered in Brisbane, all among Australia's largest, include Suncorp Group, Virgin Australia, Aurizon, Bank of Queensland, Flight Centre, CUA, Sunsuper, QSuper, Domino's Pizza Enterprises, Star Entertainment Group, ALS, TechnologyOne, NEXTDC, Super Retail Group, New Hope Coal, Jumbo Interactive, National Storage, Collins Foods and Boeing Australia. [9]
In 2018, there were 134,312 international students enrolled in the state, largely focused on Brisbane. Most of the state's international students are from Asia. [10]
In 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded a total of 28,435 farms covering 81% of the state. [11] Sugar cane is harvested in coastal areas from Far North Queensland to the southern border and is the state's biggest rural commodity. Queensland produces 94% of Australia's total raw sugar production. [12] Customers in the Asia-Pacific region can be supplied all year round through the use of storage facilities at bulk port terminals. [13] Most of the state's sugar crop is marketed through Queensland Sugar, which until 2006 compulsorily acquired all sugar grown in the state under a single desk arrangement. [13]
Cattle grazing for beef and sheep grazing for wool production are spread across inland areas. Wheat is grown in the Darling Downs region, an area that has seen mining activities expand. This has produced a boom in construction work for the region despite the global downturn [14] but created conflict between farmers and mining companies. [15] The Lockyer Valley is a significant horticultural region, although persistent drought is forcing the local economy to diversify. [16] Farms around the coastal town of Bowen produce Australia's largest winter crop of vegetables. [17] Other major crops produced in Queensland include bananas, cotton and citrus crops. Southern coastal regions include mixed forestry and farming land uses.
In the 2006-07 financial year mining contributed 9% of Queensland's gross state product (GSP). [18] Queensland has significant coal, coal seam gas and bauxite deposits and some oil shale and natural gas reserves. Coal production in the 2008-09 financial year totalled 159 million tonnes leading to exports to 38 countries. [19] Queensland exports half the world's coking coal which is used to make steel. [20]
Minerals including copper, lead, silver, zinc, bauxite, gold, phosphate rock, magnesite and silica sand are mined in the state. [21] Dimension stone, that is, stone that can be cut for domestic use, including granite, marble, sandstone and slate are produced in various locations across the state. [22]
Queensland has the largest onshore oil and gas potential in the country as the state is relatively under-explored. [22] Oil was discovered in the south west of the state in the early 1980s, leading to the construction of an oil pipeline from the Cooper Basin and Eromanga Basins to Brisbane. [22] A series of gas pipelines, which began operating in the late 1990s, connects users in Mount Isa and Brisbane to the south west. [22]
Gemstones such as sapphire, opal and chrysoprase are also mined in commercial quantities. [22] In the 2008-09 financial year Queensland collected A$3 billion in mining royalties. [23]
Despite being positioned under prime agricultural land the Bowen Basin and Surat Basin are becoming intensively developed by the mining industry as Queensland's coal seam gas industry booms. In the ten from 2000, about 1200 wells have been sunk in the western Darling Downs, with that figure set to rise to 20 000 over the following decade. [24] In 2010, coal seam gas was generating 30% of the state's electricity. [24] Several international energy companies are investing in multibillion-dollar projects to convert the coal seam gas to liquified natural gas and export it via the Port of Gladstone. [25] Landowners have raised concerns with the mining development ranging from a lack of compensation, property access, construction of gravel roads on farming land, water runoff from drill sites and the potential problems from the millions of tonnes of salt that will be brought to the surface each year. [26]
One of the largest alumina refineries in the world, Queensland Alumina, was built at Gladstone in 1967. [27] Bauxite for the refinery is transported from Weipa to Gladstone via sea. [22] Also located here is Australia's largest aluminium smelter, Boyne Smelters. [27] Bulwer Island Refinery was the state's largest oil refinery, owned by BP, at Bulwer Island in Brisbane until it was converted to an import terminal. Near Townsville is a major nickel and cobalt refinery known as Queensland Nickel.
Until an extensive rail network developed in the state early industries depended on seaports to get their products to market. [28] The largest ports in Queensland are the Port of Gladstone, followed by the Port of Brisbane and then the Port of Townsville. Some Central Queensland ports have experienced significant backlogs in recent years. For example, in 2007 there were 50 ships waiting off the coast to be loaded. [29] In 2008, the Federal Government provided Queensland an extra $20 billion for major capital works to address port and rail infrastructure shortcomings. [30]
Financial year | GSP growth rate (%) | Average unemployment rate (%) |
---|---|---|
2004-05 [31] | 4.0 | 4.9 |
2005-06 [32] | 4.5 | 5.0 |
2006-07 [33] | 6.8 | 4.0 |
2007-08 [34] | 5.1 | 3.7 |
2008-09 [35] | 1.1 | 4.4 |
2009-10 [2] | 2.2 | 5.7 |
2010-11 [2] | 0.2 | 5.5 |
2011-12 | 4.0 | 5.5 |
2012-13 | 3.5 | 6.0 |
The Queensland Treasury is the state government department that devises economic and financial policy advice, prepares the state budget, organises revenue collection and provides statistical research. [36] Economic policy priorities for Queensland are to develop a diverse economy, to create more jobs and to manage both urban growth and develop Queensland's regions. [37]
Queensland is predicted to be in deficit until the 2015-16 budget. [23] The deficit has been partly caused by decreases in the prices for both coking coal and thermal coal. [38] Declining GST revenue is another cause that is partly attributed to the deficit. [38] Strong population growth and the demands this has placed on infrastructure spending as well as reductions in mining royalties have also strained recent state budgets, resulting in the loss of the state's AAA credit rating. Poor planning including the canceled Traveston Crossing Dam and cost blowouts in the budgets for the Gold Coast desalination plant, Wyaralong Dam, Tugun Bypass and Airport Link projects has not helped the bottom line. [39]
In 2009, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announced plans for the privatisation of a number of government owned assets including Queensland Motorways, Queensland Rail's coal rail business QR National, the Port of Brisbane, the Abbot Point coal terminal and Queensland Forestry Plantations. [40] [41] The asset sale is expected to raise A$15 billion. There has been widespread public criticism of the sell-off which has led to slump in the Premier's popularity. [42] Unions and economists criticised the plans as unjustified and poorly timed. [23] [41]
Historically Queensland has been viewed as the lowest-taxing state. Queensland has slid to third place behind Victoria and Western Australia in a comparison of taxation competitiveness between other states and territories. [43] A measure of tax per capita from 2002 to 2007 has seen the figure rise 70%, from $1,321 up to $2,226, per person. [44] Payroll tax, which is payable when an employer's total annual wage payout is greater than A$1 million and has been described as "crippling" by some businesses, accounted for 26% of Queensland government tax revenue in the 2007-08 fiscal year. [45]
The tourism industry plays a key role in the economies of regional areas and supports thousands of small businesses. Queensland experiences the second highest volume of tourists after New South Wales. Foreign backpackers and students on working holiday visas make up a large proportion of international visitors. The tourism industry in Queensland employs 5.7% of the workforce, or about 119,000 people and accounts for 4.5% of the state's GSP, [46] directly generating A$$8.8 billion to the state's economy. [47] Tourism Queensland is the government agency responsible for the development of the state's tourist industry.
As a result of its many varied landscapes, warm climate and abundant natural beauty, tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and international visitors visiting the state each year. The industry generates $8.8 billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's Gross State Product. It has an annual export of $4.0 billion annually. The sector directly employs about 5.7% of Queensland citizens. [46] Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%). [48]
The most visited tourist destinations of Queensland include Brisbane (including Moreton and South Stradbroke islands), the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest, Fraser Island and the Whitsunday Islands. [49] [50] [51]
Brisbane is the third most popular destination in Australia following Sydney and Melbourne. [52] Major attractions in its metropolitan area include South Bank Parklands, the Queensland Cultural Centre (including the Queensland Museum, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and State Library of Queensland), City Hall, the Story Bridge, the Howard Smith Wharves, ANZAC Square, St John's Cathedral, Fortitude Valley (including James Street and Chinatown), West End, the Teneriffe woolstores precinct, the Brisbane River and its Riverwalk network, the City Botanic Gardens, Roma Street Parkland, New Farm Park (including the Brisbane Powerhouse), the Kangaroo Point Cliffs and park, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the Mount Coot-tha Reserve (including Mount Coot-tha Lookout and Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens), the D'Aguilar Range and National Park, as well as Moreton Bay (including Moreton, North Stradbroke and Bribie islands, and coastal suburbs such as Shorncliffe, Wynnum and those on the Redcliffe Peninsula).
The Gold Coast is home to numerous popular surf beaches such as those at Surfers Paradise and Burleigh Heads. It also includes the largest concentration of amusement parks in Australia, including Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World, as well as the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The Gold Coast's hinterland includes Lamington National Park in the McPherson Range.
The Sunshine Coast includes popular surfing and beach destinations including Noosa Heads and Mooloolaba. It is also home to UnderWater World and Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. Its hinterland includes the Glass House Mountains National Park.
Cairns is renowned as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Far North Queensland (including Port Douglas) and the Daintree Rainforest.
The Whitsunday Islands off the coast of North Queensland are a popular tourist destinations for their resort facilities, access to the Great Barrier Reef and natural beauty.
Although there was a rise in the number of unemployed people, the labour market expanded 2.2% in the 2008-09 financial year. [3] The Queensland labour market was hit by skilled labour shortages in 2007. [3] A lack of people completing apprenticeships in the construction industry is a current concern. [53] The problem is particularly acute because the state is already dealing with an inadequate supply of new housing to cope with its population growth. In the past there have been shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers as well as shortages in the agriculture and hospitality sectors. A lack of university places is another factor limiting that is affecting the availability of skilled labour in some regions.
The average weekly earnings for a full-time adult person in Queensland in 2009 was $1,177.00. [54] While Queensland generally does not have high cost of living, housing is expensive compared to other states. Housing in Queensland is the least affordable of any state or territory. [55] The average Queensland homeowner had to pay 40.5% of their household income towards home loan repayments and tenants on average paid 26.5% for rent during the first quarter of 2008. [55] Average wages rose by 7.5% in 2009, three times the national inflation rate. [56]
One of the first industries to spread across the state was pastoralism. Starting in the Darling Downs in the 1840s, squatters and pioneering families established cattle stations up until the 1870s, as far north as the Gulf Country. [28] The early settlers of Queensland faced many problems, including a lack of labour, a lack of transport facilities to markets, attacks by Aboriginals, a climate that was too wet, drought and falling commodity-prices. [28] An Australia-wide trend towards recession hit Queensland particularly hard from July 1866. [57] Immigration faltered, unemployment rose and business activity contracted. It was not long before gold discoveries signaled a turnaround in Queensland's economic activity.
Gold was discovered[ by whom? ] in the state in 1861 at Peak Downs near Clermont and in 1867 at Gympie. Many gold miners left the Victorian goldfields in the 1870s - surface gold had become scarce in that state - and moved to Queensland to try their luck. [58] During the American Civil War (1861-1865) a shortage of cotton in Europe caused a cotton boom in Queensland. [28] Copper was discovered at Cloncurry in 1869.
In 1863 the first sugar-cane plantation was established and the first South Sea Islanders, referred to as kanakas, arrived, providing cheap labour [28] - compare blackbirding. The sugar-cane industry expanded northwards along the coast with a plantation and mill operating at Innisfail in 1881 [28] and in the following year a mill opened in Bundaberg. [59] By 1890 developments in refrigeration technologies had opened new markets for types of produce which would previously have spoiled on the two-month-long journey to England. [58]
During the early 1880s the Dingo Fence was constructed[ by whom? ] to protect livestock in south-east Australia. It protected southern Queensland, aiming to stop attacks on sheep from Australia's native dog. The fence was maintained up until the 1970s. [60] As of 2009 [update] experts estimated that $60 million in losses occurs annually in Queensland due to dingoes that have penetrated the barrier. [61] In 1886 the introduced rabbit crossed into southern Queensland, [62] [ failed verification ] causing yields from pasture production to decrease. The rabbit also contributed to soil erosion through overgrazing. [62]
A drought in 1902 drastically reduced agricultural productivity. [57] By 1906, maize covered 25%, sugar cane 23.8% and wheat 20.5% of cropping land in the state. [63] In 1908, 700 bores were supplying artesian basin water to western Queensland, transforming an otherwise mostly arid landscape into a more productive area. [64] Refrigeration and regular steamer services between Brisbane and London allowed Queensland to become Australia's largest exporter of meat in the same year. The Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 was a good opportunity for Queensland to promote itself, particularly the desirable climate and expanses of fertile land. Tourism was promoted under the banner of "the Winter Paradise of the Southern Hemisphere". [64] A souvenir guide from the show boasted that Queensland cultivated the richest of fruits including pineapples, bananas, mangoes, grapes and citrus fruit. [64]
Australia's largest airline, Qantas was founded as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services in Winton in 1920. [65] Silver, copper and lead were being mined from Mount Isa by 1925. [58] Wool became an important export for Queensland during the early 20th century, contributing to half of the state's total exports by 1930. [66] The 1950s saw a resurgence of whaling in Australia. A new whaling station was set up at Tangalooma on Moreton Island to process slaughtered whales. [58] In 1963 the world's richest deposit of bauxite was discovered at Weipa. [58] Dairying, once an important local industry in the state, declined towards the end of the 20th century. The Queensland economy last contracted during the 1990-91 financial year at a rate of -0.7%. [67]
In 2004, a citrus canker outbreak forced farmers to destroy every citrus tree in the Emerald region. This amounted to half a million commercial trees being destroyed during an eradication program that lasted five years. [68] The banana industry was devastated in 2006 from the flooding and crop destruction left in the wake of Cyclone Larry. 90% of the country's banana crop was destroyed. The price of bananas doubled to A$6 a kilogram as a result. [69] In the 2006-07 financial year, the nominal value of the Queensland economy surpassed A$200 billion for the first time. [33] In early 2009, Queensland's credit rating was downgraded by rating agency Standard & Poor's to AA+ after the state's budget deficit increased to more than A$1.5 billion. [70]
The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest in Latin America as measured by gross domestic product and the third-largest economy in South America. Colombia has experienced a historic economic boom over the last decade. Throughout most of the 20th century, Colombia was Latin America's 4th and 3rd largest economy when measured by nominal GDP, real GDP, GDP (PPP), and real GDP at chained PPPs. Between 2012 and 2014, it became the third largest in Latin America by nominal GDP. As of 2024, the GDP (PPP) per capita has increased to over US$19,000, and real gross domestic product at chained PPPs increased from US$250 billion in 1990 to nearly US$800 billion. Poverty levels were as high as 65% in 1990, but decreased to under 30% by 2014, and 27% by 2018. They decreased by an average of 1.35% per year since 1990.
The economy of the Dominican Republic is the seventh largest in Latin America, and is the largest in the Caribbean and Central American region. The Dominican Republic is an upper-middle income developing country with important sectors including mining, tourism, manufacturing, energy, real estate, infrastructure, telecommunications and agriculture. The Dominican Republic is on track to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2030, and is expected to grow 79% in this decade. The country is the site of the single largest gold mine in Latin America, the Pueblo Viejo mine. Although the service sector is currently the leading employer of Dominicans, agriculture remains an important sector in terms of the domestic market and is in second place in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $7.4 billion in annual earnings in 2019. Free-trade zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. A leading growth engine in the Free-trade zone sector is the production of medical equipment for export having a value-added per employee of US$20,000, total revenue of US$1.5 billion, and a growth rate of 7.7% in 2019. The medical instrument export sector represents one of the highest-value added sectors of the country's economy, a true growth engine for the country's emerging market. Remittances are an important sector of the economy, contributing US$8.2 billion in 2020. Most of these funds are used to cover household expenses, such as housing, food, clothing, health care and education. Secondarily, remittances have financed businesses and productive activities. Thirdly, this combined effect has induced investment by the private sector and helps fund the public sector through its value-added tax. The combined import market including the free-trade-zones amounts to a market of $20 billion a year in 2019. The combined export sector had revenues totaling $11 billion in 2019. The consumer market is equivalent to $61 billion in 2019. An important indicator is the average commercial loan interest rate, which directs short-term investment and stimulates long-term investment in the economy. It is currently 8.30%, as of June 2021.
The economy of Tanzania is a lower-middle income economy that is centered around Manufacturing, Tourism, Agriculture, and financial services. Tanzania's economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a market economy since 1985. Although total GDP has increased since these reforms began, GDP per capita dropped sharply at first, and only exceeded the pre-transition figure in around 2007.
Queensland is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous of the Australian states. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south, respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean; to the state's north is the Torres Strait, separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea, and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the north-west. With an area of 1,723,030 square kilometres (665,270 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest subnational entity; it is larger than all but 16 countries. Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, and include tropical rainforests, rivers, coral reefs, mountain ranges and white sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in the semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior.
Australia is a highly developed country with a mixed economy. As of 2023, Australia was the 14th-largest national economy by nominal GDP, the 19th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP, and was the 21st-largest goods exporter and 24th-largest goods importer. Australia took the record for the longest run of uninterrupted GDP growth in the developed world with the March 2017 financial quarter. It was the 103rd quarter and the 26th year since the country had a technical recession. As of June 2021, the country's GDP was estimated at $1.98 trillion.
Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coast west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional Council southern boundary, and south to Gladstone. The region is also known as Capricornia. It is one of Australia's main coal exporting regions.
South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. The area covered by South East Queensland varies, depending on the definition of the region, though it tends to include Queensland's three largest cities: the capital city Brisbane; the Gold Coast; and the Sunshine Coast. Its most common use is for political purposes, and covers 35,248 square kilometres (13,609 sq mi) and incorporates 11 local government areas, extending 240 kilometres (150 mi) from Noosa in the north to the Gold Coast and New South Wales border in the south, and 140 kilometres (87 mi) west to Toowoomba. It is the third largest urban area in Australia by population.
The economy of Scotland is an open mixed economy, mainly services based, which is the second largest economy amongst the countries of the United Kingdom. It had an estimated nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of £218.0 billion in 2023, including oil and gas extraction in the country's continental shelf region. Since the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland's economy has been closely aligned with the economy of the rest of the United Kingdom (UK), and England has historically been its main trading partner. Scotland conducts the majority of its trade within the UK: in 2017, Scotland's exports totalled £81.4 billion, of which £48.9 billion (60%) was within the UK, £14.9 billion with the European Union (EU), and £17.6 billion with other parts of the world. Scotland's imports meanwhile totalled £94.4 billion including intra-UK trade leaving Scotland with a trade deficit of £10.4 billion in 2017.
The Regions of Queensland refer to the geographic areas of the Australian state of Queensland. Due to its large size and decentralised population, the state is often divided into regions for statistical and administrative purposes. Each region varies somewhat in terms of its economy, population, climate, geography, flora and fauna. Cultural and official perceptions and definitions of the various regions differ somewhat depending on the government agency or popular group by which they are being applied.
Mining in Australia has long been a significant primary sector industry and contributor to the Australian economy by providing export income, royalty payments and employment. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged population growth via immigration to Australia, particularly the gold rushes of the 1850s. Many different ores, gems and minerals have been mined in the past and a wide variety are still mined throughout the country.
The Western Australian economy is a state economy dominated by its resources and services sector and largely driven by the export of iron-ore, gold, liquefied natural gas and agricultural commodities such as wheat. Covering an area of 2.5 million km2, the state is Australia's largest, accounting for almost one-third of the continent. Western Australia is the nation's fourth most populous state, with 2.6 million inhabitants.
The Bowen Basin contains the largest coal reserves in Australia. This major coal-producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal. The Basin contains much of the known Permian coal resources in Queensland including virtually all of the known mineable prime coking coal. It was named for the Bowen River, itself named after Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Bowen.
Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity generation. In 2019-20 Australia exported 390 Mt of coal and was the world's largest exporter of metallurgical coal and second largest exporter of thermal coal. While only employing 50,000 mining jobs nationally coal provides a rich revenue stream for governments.
Queensland's energy policy is based on the year 2000 document called the Queensland Energy Policy: A Cleaner Energy Strategy. The Queensland Government assists energy development through the Department of Energy and Water Supply. The state is noted for its significant contribution to coal mining in Australia. The primary fuel for electricity generation in the state is coal with coal seam gas becoming a significant fuel source. Queensland has 98% of Australia's reserves of coal seam gas. An expansion of energy-intensive industries such as mining, economic growth and population growth have created increased demand for energy in Queensland.
In 2010, the Queensland Government split the government owned rail operator Queensland Rail into two companies: the government owned passenger operator Queensland Rail and the freight operator QR National, the latter to be floated in late 2010.
The economy of the Western Cape in South Africa is dominated by the city of Cape Town, which accounted for 72% of the Western Cape's economic activity in 2016. The single largest contributor to the region's economy is the financial and business services sector, followed by manufacturing. Close to 30% of the gross regional product comes from foreign trade with agricultural products and wine dominating exports. High-tech industries, international call centres, fashion design, advertising and TV production are niche industries rapidly gaining in importance.
Shell's QGC is one of the largest of several Australian coalbed methane companies developing methane reserves within the Bowen and Surat Basins of Queensland. The company has an estimated value of around A$13 billion.
GVK Industries Limited is an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Hyderabad with interests in several sectors, including energy, airports, hospitality, transportation, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and technology. After acquiring Australian coal mines in Queensland for US$1.26 billion, GVK forecasts an investment of US$10 billion in mine, rail, and port projects. Its flagship company, GVK Power & Infrastructure Limited, is listed on both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) as.
The Bowen Basin Coalfields contains the largest coal reserves in Australia. This major coal-producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal. The Basin contains much of the known Permian coal resources in Queensland including virtually all of the known mineable prime coking coal. It was named for the Bowen River, itself named after Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Bowen.
The economy of Brisbane consists mainly of several industries, including health care, professional services and retail trade. It holds a population of over 2.4 million people in broader urban centres and localities, with a mean age of 35 years. Brisbane's Gross Domestic Product was $170.5 billion in 2017–18, contributing to around half of Queensland's overall economy and 9.4% of national gross domestic product.
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missing title (help)[...] experts are warning that there are significant and growing numbers of dogs within the barrier fence, causing more than 60 million dollars in losses just in Queensland every year.