According to the "Bjelke-Petersen measure of economic activity" - that is, cranes on the city skyline, Queensland is in a "massive new boom era", Premier Peter Beattie says. "Today there are 44 cranes in Brisbane, 42 on the Gold Coast, 26 between Redcliffe and the Sunshine Coast and eight elsewhere - mainly in north Queensland. It does not matter what index is used, we are leading Australia," he told state Parliament today. In comparison, Beattie says that in February 2002 there were 29 tower cranes up in Brisbane - and a further 16 between Maroochydore and Burleigh, making a total of 45 in the south-east corner. "Today that south-east corner total is 112 - that is more than all of Sydney. "I said in 2002 that by our best information that the best of the Joh days was 29 in Brisbane and a total of 40 in the south-east corner. "While Joh and I might have had our differences I have always given him credit for his efforts with development; but by his simple scale this moment in time is certainly unprecedented. "It's all jobs, jobs and more jobs. We truly are on the cusp of something very special," says Beattie, noting that Queensland's trend unemployment rate is now 5.4%, below the national rate of 5.6% for the first time in almost 10 years.