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GUEST OBSERVATION
Big claims, gimmicks or huge billboards don’t mean an agent is the best in the business. You need to choose an agent who is not only a great sales person but also someone who you trust with your most expensive asset.
If it feels like you’re conducting a rigorous job interview process, you’re probably searching for an agent in the right way. Choosing the right person will not only deliver the best result for your hip pocket, but it will smooth out what has the potential to be a very stressful process.
It’s a given that agents should be professional and committed to impressing you. Before choosing your agent, make sure you dig a little deeper – investigate their reputation. Ask around to see how potential agents have been with previous clients. After all, it’s the best indicator of how they’re likely to service you. Try to get a sense of how you fit into the agent’s big picture. This will help you identify their strengths and, potentially, their limitations in selling your property. If your property seems out of step with the rest of their market, you might be better off elsewhere. Knowledge is power – Get researching At first, the abundance of information online can seem overwhelming. Approach it systematically, starting with a broad search of agencies and agents in your area. Once you have a shortlist, search their websites, blogs and client reviews. From there, you will be able to narrow it down to a manageable number of preferred real estate agents. You’ll be surprised at how a little research will go a long way to bring you up to speed, giving you the confidence to meet your chosen agents. Expect to meet with the agent at your own property. As well as meeting with you, it is a chance to for them to appraise the house. Keep in mind that this service is free and you are not obligated to engage the agent even if they have visited your home. To get the most out of these meetings, have a few questions in mind: 
<ol>
<li>Ask the agent to outline their experience – years in the business - specifically how long they have worked in the area, how many properties they sold last year – similar ones, and what are their best skills? In this industry, experience definitely counts – but that doesn’t mean that the agent who has been around the longest is best for you. You are looking for someone who has had enough experience to handle all aspects of the sale and who is motivated to find a buyer. </li>
<li>How many properties do you currently have listed? What properties have you recently sold? How many prospective buyers approach you each month?   Agents will often have a type of property that they are best at selling, due to their location, experience and personal preferences. Let the agent do the work for you, draw on their experience and networks by selecting someone who specialises in your type of property. It is logical to have an agent who has sold a good number of properties similar to yours in the past year. </li>
<li>Do you have any buyers that missed out who might be interested in my property? Real estate is about relationships. Ask your agent if they have a database of clients who have missed out on previous sales. They might already have a few clients in mind who may be interested in your property. </li>
<li>What do you think my property is worth? How did you arrive at that figure? Avoid the trap of choosing an agent who suggests an unrealistically high value. Ask the agent to support their estimates with evidence of recent sales of similar properties in your area. 
</li>
<li>How much will I need to spend on advertising? What will I get for it? Advertising must be targeted and tailored to suit each individual. Ask the agent to explain their advertising recommendations. Have a look at how similar properties are marketed in your area. Online advertising is important but other forms such as print media are also useful. Traditional advertising such as signboards and newspapers can sometimes be appropriate and add value. Good advertising attracts more enquires from buyers about a property. This can both speed up the sale process and create greater competition, ultimately driving a higher price for the vendor. </li>
<li>How long will it take to sell my property? While you aren't expecting the exact number of days it will take to sell your property, you are looking for their insight into the current market and the factors impacting the selling process. </li>
<li>How much do you charge?   The deregulation of agents’ fees means they are negotiable. In discussing charges, you aren't necessarily looking for the cheapest agent, but finding out what is included in their fees and what is the norm. Fee structures vary from set percentages to incentive based formulas. You are seeking a skilled negotiator and value for money. A good agent will confidently justify their price and will be well worth it! Commission levels vary widely depending on location and state. Keep in mind that there are other ways to negotiate the fee structures.</li>
</ol>
Lastly, contact some of the agent's past clients. A good real estate agent will happily supply you with a list of references. Be sure to ask references what they liked about the agent and if they secured the desired sale price.
Campbell Cooney is director of Hodges Real Estate
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Finding the right agent to sell your home

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According to SEEK co-founder and Square Peg chief executive Paul Bassat, payments are the “holy grail of innovation”.
He made the comment at The Australian Financial Review and Macquarie Future Forum on Tuesday, where some of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs declared the <a href="https://www.afr.com/p/futureforums/banks_face_losing_market_share_to_VKIE4VHCEgXEz8USZp9tXJ" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">industry ripe for disruption.</a>
Despite banks in Australia being protected by complicated regulations, entrepreneurs are placing the industry under increasing pressure. Adding to banking woes are the likes of Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook eyeing entry to the payments market.
Here are the top four Australian disruptive financial services startups to watch:
<ol>
<li>
<a href="https://www.societyone.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Society One </a>Society One is Australia's leading peer-to-peer lending platform, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/financing-a-business/in-a-world-first-australian-bank-invests-in-peer-to-peer-lending-startup/2014040812072" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">with a $5 million investment</a> from Westpac’s <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/financing-a-business/westpac-aims-to-get-disruptive-with-launch-of-50-million-venture-capital-fund/2014030311796" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Reinventure</a> Group, a $50 million fund set up to back early stage startups. It’s rumored to be on the investment radar of both James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch. Borrowers list loan requirements and investors decide which loans they choose, how much to invest in each loan, and the rate at which you want to earn their interest. Its personal loan rate for a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/societyone-steals-the-march-on-competitors-with-lowest-rate-for-personal-loans/2014060412443" style="line-height: 1.3em;">prime borrower is 9.80% per annum, 5%</a> lower than the average rate from the major banks. 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://tyro.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Tyro Payments </a>Tyro provides credit, debit and EFTPOS card acquiring services and does not take money on deposit. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/finance/cash-flow/independent-eftpos-provider-tyro-surpasses-35-billion-in-transactions/201301298748" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">It was founded in 2003</a> by ex-Cisco employees Peter Haig, Andrew Rothwell and Paul Wood as MoneySwitch Ltd. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/growth/start-up-profiles/i-lost-a-very-dear-friend-but-i-think-it-was-the-right-decision-for-the-company-tyro-in-start-ups-are-scary/2014031311865" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">Eleven-year-old Tyro is in its second year of profitable business operations</a>. Disrupting the Australian banking industry was never going to be easy, and it took the team over $30 million in capital and a founder break-up to get there. At launch it was the first new entrant into the eftpos space in 15 years. 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://pin.net.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pin Payments </a>Pin Payments is an Australian-based startup operating from Melbourne and Perth that offers onsite payments and a developer API without the need for a merchant account.<a href="https://pin.net.au/" rel="nofollow"> </a>It received a grant from Commercialisation Australia and partnered with some of the Australian banks to make its offering possible. Both overseas-based Braintree and Stripe operate in the same space, but Pin has a solid local focus. Getting access to a payment system has previously been a juggle for companies, especially early stage ones. Pin Payments is aimed at developers who can easily integrate its service through their API. 
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.coinjar.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="line-height: 1.3em;">CoinJar</a></li>
</ol>
CoinJar, a Melbourne-based bitcoin exchange and payment system<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.startupsmart.com.au/financing-a-business/venture-capital/coinjar-raises-500000-dollars-for-global-growth/2013120311294" target="_blank">, which has raised $500,000 in</a> seed funding from a range of individual investors and the Blackbird Ventures seed fund.
Launched in February by Asher Tan and Ryan Zhou, CoinJar has over 10,000 active users in Australia. The company charges a low single-digit percentage fee for each transaction.
CoinJar was the first company to get its Bitcoin app re-listed in the iPhone App Store, after Apple revised its app guidelines to include virtual currency apps that it previously excluded.
This article originally appeared at <a href="https://www.startupsmart.com.au/">StartupSmart</a>.
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Four Australian disruptive financial services startups to watch

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Ice cream retail chain Baskin-Robbins plans to open 20 new stores across Australia over the next year, with the first five to open in coming months.
The new stores will be a combination of company-owned and franchise stores, adding to the Palm Oasis Ventures-owned brand’s stable of 78 stores in Australia.
Baskin-Robbins announced in 2013 <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/franchising/30732-we-scream-for-ice-cream-baskin-robbins-and-ben-jerry-s-plan-another-230-stores">plans to open another 200 outlets in Australia</a>, following the signing of a new master franchise joint agreement with Galadari Brothers.
The first of the new stores will be located in Forest Lake, West End, Townsville, and Bayside in Queensland, and Nedlands in Western Australia, with more to come in New South Wales and Victoria.
Baskin-Robbins Australia general manager David Jordan told SmartCompany the 25% increase in the chain’s network is part of its “aggressive growth strategy”.
“We’ve been consolidating our brand over the past two years and we are now in the position to grow our stores at a rate that is both sustainable and meeting consumer demands,” says Jordan.
Jordan says ice cream is especially popular in Australia and Baskin-Robbins is looking to extend its store network to better meet the demand.
”The Australian market has one of the highest per capita rates on spending of ice cream – we’re the third,” says Jordan.
“Australians can’t seem to get enough of ice cream. We believe the marketplace can hold and warrant a far greater amount of ice cream stores,” he says.
While the first handful of new stores will be located in the brand’s Queensland and Western Australia homeland, Jordan says Baskin-Robbins will be focusing on new stores in Victoria and New South Wales between October and December—with a view to opening even more stores further down the track.
“We believe the dessert industry in Australia is strong,” says Jordan. “We could open another 50 over Victoria, most definitely,” he says.
Despite <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/42155-consumer-confidence-hits-gfc-lows-450-jobs-to-go-at-qantas-midday-roundup">cooling consumer confidence</a> and the <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/franchising/42244-wow-cow-frozen-yoghurt-chain-milked-dry-as-only-bondi-store-left-standing">recent decline of Australia’s first frozen yoghurt chain Wow Cow</a>, Jordan says the Baskin-Robbins brand is strong enough to weather the storm.
 “The brands that are able to build strong loyalty and get passionate will always be able to ride the ebbs and flows of consumer confidence,” says Jordan.
“As long as you stay true to values as a brand and build on your values,” he says.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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Baskin-Robbins planning a sweet future, despite cool consumer sentiment

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It has been another eventful week for Kathmandu founder Jan Cameron, with reports her Discount Superstores Group is in the process of closing down numerous stores across its Retail Adventures chain.
<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/jan-cameron-closing-50-more-stores-20140611-39wrc" target="_blank">Fairfax reports</a> 50 Sam’s Warehouse and Crazy Clark’s outlets across the group are expected to close, with Cameron allegedly negotiating a third party investment or sale of the business.
SmartCompany contacted Discount Superstores Group, but the company declined to comment
Cameron was in the news last week following the <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/42247-rich-lister-jan-cameron-s-fall-from-grace-continues-with-postie-plus-going-into-administration" target="_blank">collapse of Postie Plus</a>, a New Zealand clothing chain the former Rich Lister held a 19% stake in.
The Australian reports Cameron is also the major shareholder in baby food company Bellamy’s Organic, which is heading towards a $100 million initial public offering on the ASX next month.
Cameron bought the troubled Retail Adventures chain <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/leadership/professional-development/40730-rich-tales-how-jan-cameron-lost-nearly-90-of-her-quarter-billion-fortune-in-four-years" target="_blank">out of receivership</a> in 2009 for $85 million, intending to use profits from the business to fund her environmental philanthropy and animal activism, which had become her sole focus following the sale of Kathmandu to a private equity firm in 2006.
While the Kathmandu sale netted Cameron $247 million, she spent the majority of that money just keeping Retail Adventures afloat.
In 2012, Retail Adventures again went into administration with $200 million worth of debt, but <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/30298-jan-cameron-buys-back-retail-adventures-for--58-9-million-but-may-face-legal-battle-with-creditors" target="_blank">Cameron bought it back the following year</a> after striking a $5.5 million deal with creditors, keeping the chain from liquidation.
Administrators Deloitte were not impressed, arguing creditors had more to gain from rejecting the offer, and making allegations to ASIC that Cameron’s company had traded while insolvent.
Brian Walker, chief executive of the Retail Doctor Group, says that the continued troubles at Retail Adventures are part of broader market forces affecting discount retail outlets.
“There are no surprises there – we had the Reject Shop <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/42336-pacific-brands-and-the-reject-shop-in-a-sweat-over-cool-consumer-confidence" target="_blank">downgrading profits yesterday</a>. Discount department stores are struggling to cope with the rise of online, where you can get similar goods for even cheaper,” he says.
Walker says it would not be surprising if many of the closed stores are metropolitan-based, considering the strong competition in those areas from larger department chains.
“These stores are under pressure from stores like Kmart – the most profitable department store in the country – because their prices are low too,” he says.
“A lot of the problems discount stores are experiencing have to do with locational factors – there might be a future for these stores in deep, regional Australia, but maybe not for very long,” says Walker.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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More trouble for Jan Cameron with 50 Retail Adventures stores set to close

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GUEST OBSERVATION
It is often <a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-does-building-hospitals-schools-and-airports-cost-more-in-australia-than-in-the-us-16540" target="_blank">argued</a> that Australia’s construction sector productivity is lower than most other developed countries, such as the US.
While there are many factors involved, Australia’s overall productivity growth is declining, something that is not economically sustainable.
A 2010 Australian government-funded <a href="https://www.acilallen.com.au/cms_files/acgbuildingsproductivity2010.pdf">report</a> concluded that accelerating the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the building sector could improve productivity by between 6 to 9%. It also found that concerted government support for the use of BIM by architects, engineers, builders, contractors, owners and facility managers involved in a building’s life cycle would increase BIM adoption in 2025 by 6 to 16% and produce an economic benefit equivalent to A$5 billion added to Australia’s GDP.
More recently the Productivity Commission, in its draft <a href="/news">report</a> on public infrastructure, recommended government clients look to BIM to help lower bid costs, and require tender designs to be submitted using BIM to reduce overall costs.
What is BIM?
Building Information Modelling has a wide range of definitions depending on its application, but one <a href="https://www.canbim.com/about-canbim-0/faq-1">agreed</a> definition is: "a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. BIM is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life-cycle; defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition."
<img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/50213/width668/zpsnqtf2-1401858403.jpg" alt="">
A Building Information Model linking 3D with the project schedule leads to 4D. 5D consists of 4D together with cost modelling. More dimensions such as facility management, safety and environmental impacts can be added to create nD. Xiangyu Wang
BIM offers a shared platform where people can collaborate with each other horizontally and vertically along the different stages of the project lifecycle. It allows all members of a construction team to generate the characteristics and functionalities of their building, plant or road network virtually, so as to pinpoint errors before they happen on the real construction site.
The construction process at some level can be regarded as an information flow process. This is especially true for mega-construction, such as hospitals, highways, and LNG facilities.
In Australia, there has been successful use of BIM for <a href="https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-royal-adelaide-hospital-will-help-to-build-south-australias-future/story-fni6uo1m-1226828337517">hospitals</a>, tunnels, highways, airports, petrochemical plants, and office and residential buildings. But there is an identified industry need for BIM guidelines and case studies in the infrastructure sector in Australia, and these are currently being developed by the Australasian Joint Research Centre on BIM.
BIM has the potential to become more innovative and powerful by being integrated with other technologies such as RFID, barcode, laser scanning, augmented and virtual reality, energy and structural analysis tools, GIS/GPS, and mobile and cloud computing, Big Data analysis, and so on.
Article continues on the next page. Please click below.
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How is BIM being used in Australia?
Australia is a laggard in terms of using BIM in the building and infrastructure sector, but we are catching up quickly. For oil and gas, we are leaders, as the oil and gas sector adopted 3D engineering and modelling decades ago, and has been continually improving its understanding and use of BIM over time.
A good example is Project Echo.
Initiated by Woodside Energy, Project Echo is a collaboration between Curtin University, Woodside and about 20 other partners representing government, clients, contractors, consultants and technology providers, with the aim of enhancing technology-enabled productivity for the entire (LNG) industry.
Through the research and innovation, it is envisaged a productivity improvement of 30% is very achievable. While Project Echo is focused on the energy sector, the research will also provide flow-on benefits to mining and infrastructure construction.
<img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/50204/width237/f5fzyx5v-1401857603.jpg" alt="">
Woodside Smart Tag. Xiangyu Wang
One example of how Project Echo is making an impact right now is the Woodside Smart Tag project. The new Smart Tag is not just an ordinary RFID tag, but a tag that can be integrated with other technologies including augmented and virtual reality technologies, allowing a user to communicate with equipment for the first time. The technology displays a 3D model of the component and where it fits in the construction path.
It also allows the user to locate any item, obtain background information about that item, how to assemble it, inspect it, or if necessary order a new item on the spot. This is break-through technology, because by interacting with an intelligent tag the user can communicate with each component. Each component can speak for itself, so to speak, thereby creating a smart work site.
Xiangyu Wang is professor, Woodside Chair at Curtin University.
Xiangyu Wang received funding from Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant (2013-2016): "Transforming liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant construction productivity through mobile computing technologies." Chief Investigators: Xiangyu Wang, Kok Lay Teo, Ryan Loxton, Martijn Truijens, awarded amount $500,000.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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What is BIM and is it the future of construction?

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Some 33 kilometres outside of Paris, in the town of Poissy, sits a true “design classic”, Villa Savoye. The work of seminal Swiss architect Le Corbusier, Villa Savoye is a constructed experiment, a manifesto to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-modernism-24534" target="_blank">modernism</a>.
Designed and built between 1929 and 1931, the house represents one of the first constructions of modern architecture, redefining classical elements to respond to technological advances and the changing needs of the 20th century. It was a complete departure from the traditional architecture of the time.
This house is more than simply a modern take on a French country house – it was an opportunity to apply a standardised design system which would ultimately produce what Le Corbusier defined as a “Machine for Living”. Like a car and its parts, where each component is necessary to its function, the house would work as efficiently as possible.
In 1926, Le Corbusier published a manifesto entitled <a href="https://www.learn.columbia.edu/courses/arch20/pdf/art_hum_reading_52.pdf" target="_blank">Five Points Towards a New Architecture</a> in which he defined a set of universal principles that could standardise an architectural approach, allowing for a model of architecture that could be reformulated to respond to different requirements such as location and climate.
Villa Savoye became the first test site for these principles.
Le Corbusier’s five points of architecture
The first principle, a grid of “pilotis”, French for a post or column, replaced the typical load-bearing wall which produced a “free plan”; the second principle, allowing for flexibility in wall placement. A “free façade,” the third principle, separated the structure (the pilotis) from the façade of the building, allowing for a continuous, uninterrupted horizontal “ribbon window,” principle four. The fifth principle, a “roof garden” enclosed by a screen, framed the landscape while allowing light to enter the house.
These five principles, which have since become part of a universal architectural language, were reinterpreted and defined by the context. In the case of Villa Savoye, this included a meadow enclosed by trees with views orientating north and west.
A white cubic volume, stripped of any unnecessary ornamentation, is elevated over the centre of the meadow as if an alien ship is about to land. The domestic activities are literally lifted off the ground, separated from the outside world.
The ground level is organised with machine precision, determined by the turning capability of a car, which carves out the ground’s interior volume. This space is arranged to control the sequence of movements through the house; a stair that creates direct vertical connections and a ramp generating a gradual unfolding procession into the house which synthesises the three levels of the villa and produces direct relationships between inside and outside.
Ribbon windows frame views, almost like a camera obscura, bringing the outside context of the house inside. A roof garden, which replaces the exterior space taken over by the mass of the building, allows light to penetrate all spaces of the house.
Article continues on next page. Please click. below.
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A trailblazer
Distinctly ahead of its time, Villa Savoye has become great inspiration for architects and designers and many of the ideas and concepts have evolved and been imitated by others. Le Corbusier foresaw material innovation with the introduction of industrial materials. Previously, houses were perceived as solid and heavy structures where stone, timber and bricks were commonly used.
Conversely, Le Corbusier drew influence from the machine age, inspired by his fascination with steamships. He introduced steel, glass and reinforced concrete, a shift away from what he saw as impractical materials and methods of the time. Villa Savoye is constructed from reinforced concrete and masonry units. White plaster unifies the house and hides the fact that individual pre-fabricated parts were used to construct the villa.
The assembly of standard components saw a progressive rise for pre-fabrication in architecture, which still has major influence on the practice today. The move towards a more standardised process of forming and making has been further informed by current technological advances, including laser cutters, 3D printers and robots.
These technologies have facilitated the evolution of pre-fabrication, from furniture to building scale. Le Corbusier’s ideas have endured, still influencing efficiency and innovation in the 21st century.
Villa Savoye represents one of the most significant architectural projects constructed. The people at LEGO, one of the world’s most successful brands agree, adding it to their “<a href="https://theconversation.com/block-party-how-architecture-helped-rebuild-lego-18604" target="_blank">architecture series</a>”, in good company with the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water and 14 other iconic buildings around the world.
Villa Savoye’s basic principles transcend time and scale. They have been incorporated into a single family home, as demonstrated by the villa, but have been just as easily applied to large-scale residential buildings such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit%C3%A9_d'Habitation" target="_blank">Unité d'Habitation</a> in Marseille, France.
Even after 85 years, this timeless icon of architecture is a model that is still central to architectural and spatial thinking.
William Feuerman is course director (B Des Arch), senior lecturer, school of architecture at University of Technology, Sydney.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">The Conversation</a>. 
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
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Sublime design: Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye

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GUEST OBSERVATION
When should a young person start getting paid as an adult?
It depends on where the money is coming from, according to current government policy - policy that is sending conflicting messages about the true value of young people to Australia’s economy.
In March, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) decided to alter the General Retail Industry Award so that 20 year olds would receive the “adult” rate of pay instead of the current rate of 90%. They will now be eligible for the full adult rate once they have been in the job for six months. This means that 20-year-olds will be treated virtually the same as those aged 21.
And yet in May, the federal budget proposed that unemployed people under the age of 25 would no longer qualify for the Newstart allowance of $510 a fortnight, currently available to people after they turn 22. People under 25 will have to apply for the lower Youth Allowance of $414 a fortnight at the full rate.
Currently, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/business-push-on-sunday-penalties/story-fn59noo3-1226940798835#mm-premium" target="_blank">leading a campaign</a> to lower Sunday penalty rates, arguing that it will create jobs for young people.
These measures send contradictory messages about when young people officially join the mainstream “adult” workforce. Let’s look at each in turn.
First the FWC decision. The Australian Retailers Association has argued that changes to the system of junior rates could discourage employers from appointing young people. But as Damian Oliver from the University of Sydney has <a href="https://theconversation.com/adults-in-all-but-pay-the-case-for-increasing-youth-wages-16030" target="_blank">pointed out</a>, some employers already pay young people in this age group at the adult rate.
Parts of the manufacturing and construction industries - significant employers of young males - have already removed junior rates for many categories of workers aged 18 to 20. Coles and Woolworths, the two largest employers of young people in the retail sector, have already removed junior rates for 20 year olds from their enterprise agreements.
Casual work is on the rise
At the same time, young people face an increasingly casualised workforce, with access to full-time secure work happening later in life. The steady decline of full-time job opportunities over the last 20 years has meant that many teenagers must make do with part-time and casual work, in which associated entitlements such as access to flexible holidays are not available. Combine this with the ever-increasing challenges of entering the housing market and young people find that the secure markers of “adulthood” enjoyed by previous generations are often out of reach. Recognition of a fair level of pay commensurate with “adults” is one of the few concessions available in a fluid job market.
Recent surveys of business show concern that young people lack loyalty to their employers. Loyalty is a two-way street. Recognition of the value of young people’s labour through wage levels, with the expectation that in return young people will stay with employers, is one way of addressing this concern, so the FWC decision is potentially positive in this regard.
The Australian Industry Group has suggested: “The emphasis should be on preserving employment in the industry, not on imposing higher costs,“ but a more sophisticated response is required that both ensures fairness as well as providing youth employment and training opportunities. Arguably, wage rates could be traded off against traineeships with a qualification at the end or other benefits.
A less sophisticated approach is to lower penalty rates. ACCI Chief executive, Kate Carnell, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/small-business/trends/acci-prioritises-youth-unemployment-20140521-38naz#ixzz33XBhZTkq" target="_blank">recently suggested</a> that “With youth unemployment rates going up, and the policies announced in the budget… you could get more jobs, especially with the young market, very quickly with movement on weekend penalty rates”.
With major employers of young people such as retailers joining the campaign, there is some justification to potentially opening up job opportunities. But again, the value of young people’s work (and rest) is ambivalent. While it may create jobs, it may also inadvertently contribute to the broader lack of security that permeates the youth labour force. And the argument that these jobs will lead to secure employment becomes problematic given that teenagers in part-time work are only <a href="https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/FYA_HYPAF_Full_Report_PDF.pdf" target="_blank">slightly more likely</a> to move into full-time employment than those who are unemployed.
Earning or learning
Under the government’s new earning or learning regime, jobseekers under the age of 30 will have to wait six months before receiving unemployment benefits, depending on their work history. In one stroke, this policy effectively extends the age of transition from school to work by five years. It does this by treating young people under 30 as one category, consisting of those who apparently need economically punitive motivation to seek work. Advocates of this policy may characterise this as an “incentive”, but the outcome is the same: if you’re young and not earning or learning, you will not be supported by government support derived from societal taxation.
What this does is to extend the economic definition of unemployed youth to the age of 30. It stands in contrast to the FWC’s implied judgement that 20 year-olds should be treated the same as those aged 21. The latter decision affords entitlements to a fair wage to younger Australians, the former denies entitlements to later in life. One step forward, two steps back.
At the heart of the FWR decision is that “the discounted rate for all 20-year-old retail employees is not a fair and relevant minimum safety net”.
Beneath these decisions is a social question: “When does a young person become an adult?” Prior to this decision, 18 year-olds working in retail are paid 70% of the full adult rate (i.e. the wage applied to those over the age of 21). 19-year-olds are paid at 80% of the wage, and so on until at age 21 they are recognised as “adults”.
What changes between the ages of 20 and 21? Based on the evidence, the Commission found there to be “little difference in the duties and responsibilities assigned to 20 and 21-year-old retail employees”. And what changes between the age of 21 and the age of 30?
A consistent message needs to be sent to young people about their economic status as “adults”. Recognising their work through providing the adult wage level is one small way of doing this, while addressing the discrimination evident in the way young people are paid.
The FWC described the decision to change the retail award as a special case and that this would not necessarily lead to similar findings for other awards. The federal government’s policy to alter conditions for receiving Newstart Allowance has yet to make its way through the Senate.
When viewed in combination, these approaches to youth employment suggest we are some way off from sending a consistent message to young people about the value of their work to the economy.
Lucas Walsh is associate professor and associate dean (Berwick), faculty of education at Monash University.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. 
Photo courtesy of Flickr/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a>.
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Earning, learning or confused: Mixed signals on jobs for young

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Business meetings via hologram, suburban ‘coworking hubs’ and the possibility of working in Joondalup one day and Auckland the next are just some of the predictions outlined in the Intel Security <a href="https://intelsecurityapac.com/2025/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2014/05/FR5289b_McAfee_14Q2_ISEC_SSO_32pp_A4_Reportv_LR.pdf">Safeguarding the Future of Digital Australia in 2025</a>report published yesterday.
While 50% of the 1230 Australians surveyed in the report feel comfortable with the current rate of technological change, with only 17% feeling concerned, it is worth looking at what trends could be on the way that your business may need to adapt to.
1. Fully globalised work
According to the report, it’s not just knowledge work that forms the globalised economy: “We are seeing everything from surgery to mining machinery operation being routinely completed by people far away.”
As such, in the future it will become even more crucial for businesses to focus on high-quality customer service in a challenging environment where every industry can foreseeably go global, exposing businesses to many challenges but also unprecedented opportunities.
“Almost all work can be done anywhere now,” futurist, entrepreneur and author of the report <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/3217-">Ross Dawson</a> told SmartCompany. “This will drive down the prices of what people are prepared to pay for this work.”
Likewise, marketing will take on a whole new importance, enabling companies to compete on a global scale and differentiate themselves from competitors the world over. According to the report, this will require companies to acquire more and more personal information from prospective customers in order to discover better ways to target them directly – and with 51% of Australians not reading online privacy policies, as well as the confluence of online activity, this information will be produced in incredibly high volumes.
Dawson says Australian businesses which have “the global perspective”, including strong links to Asia, will be able to take advantage of the opportunities posed by a fully globalised economy, but points out that such an environment would “place pressure on the availability of work and the wages paid for workers who do not have distinctive capabilities”.
2. Rise of the machines
The report says by 2025, machines will have risen against the humans – in a sense. While the advent of advanced robotics will make many jobs obsolete, they may allow for the creation of more jobs in the knowledge industry. These jobs will fill in the blanks with regards to what the machines are not likely to be capable of, such as creativity and relationship skills.
However, the report warns this will create inequalities in the job market that will be challenging to navigate. While specialist knowledge will be in demand and lead to many job opportunities, the rise of the machines will lead to fewer jobs for people without such skills – and lower wages too.
“This is one of the big uncertainties, the big unknowns: the degree to which we have ‘technological unemployment’,” says Dawson. “Whatever happens, what we do know is that we need to focus on developing the distinctively human skills and capabilities of people.”
“We have actually dehumanised work, we’ve made [jobs] into processes. The more tightly we define the work that is done, the easier it is to create a machine to replace it. We now need to work on humanising work… rather than trying to create highly process-orientated work roles,” he says.
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3. Flexibility
There will be more self-employed people by 2025, with many more opportunities for flexible and freelance work.
The report predicts businesses will reshape in order to adapt to this new labour flexibility, with a new focus on extended rather than permanent workforces.
While this might sound like an ideal situation for highly paid freelance workers of the future economy, too much inequity in pay for flexible workers may create job security issues – yet another challenge for businesses to address by 2025.
“The trend is already evident that we are moving towards more and more unstructured freelance work. And as we move to a more and more fluid economy, it means there will be more opportunities for individuals to create a portfolio of work,” says Dawson.
“There will be some people who struggle… but there is a lot that we can do to guard against that. Part of it is around the sorts of social support structures that we have, as well as the education opportunities we have available to adults as well as children.”
4. Office revolution
One of the most interesting possibilities outlined in the report is the notion of creating more ‘coworking hubs’ – suburban office spaces separate from a CBD-centred central office, where employees can work collaboratively in a creative capacity.
“[Collaborative work] is absolutely fundamental… to ensuring Australia’s competitiveness and success,” says Dawson.
These hubs are envisaged as being far more attractive than today’s offices, featuring access to sophisticated technology that may have only been available in the head office.
Short of simply cutting back an employee’s morning and evening commute, these hubs will serve the purpose of boosting productivity and financial turnover by fostering creative entrepreneurship among coworkers. One American survey by Deskmag says that 71% of workers reported an increase in creativity once joining coworking spaces, with 70% also reporting feeling healthier and 62% saying their work output was better.
Better networking technologies would help facilitate these geographically separated work situations, one idea being the use of a ‘holodeck’: a multi-camera set up that could project someone’s likeness in three dimensions, allowing bosses to meet with their employees even if they do all their work at the hub.
5. Security
Of course, an increased reliance on information technologies will require a corresponding increase in network security. If the globalised economy will require more information collection to facilitate marketing, new systems will need to be put in place to protect this personal information from malicious hacking.
“The first thing is understanding what sort of information we need,” says Dawson. “There is often a gathering of data for the sake of it, when it really needs to be focused on creating value. There needs to be a strategic directive,” he says.
Dawson says apart from a focus on plain IT security protocols, which are likely to include more shifts towards point-to-point security, the online behaviour of employees will also need to be addressed by business owners, in order to avoid information leaks.
“One of the other trends is that there are more and more people working remotely, so locking down data becomes very different to what it’s been in the past. It’s also about having the right behaviours by the people inside your organisation.” 
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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Five key workplace trends of the future: Report

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The Pilbara has had a remarkable boom in recent years, but with the current slowdown comes questions about its long-term future. The need to diversify the local economy is obvious, but how do you do this? In our report, <a href="https://www.pilbara2050.net" target="_blank">Pilbara 2050</a>, we have explored how networked infrastructure could help in this transition.
The Pilbara’s energy generation, transmission and rail systems are operated separately by mining, petroleum and energy companies on a combination of gas and diesel with very little grid present. The result is high costs and carbon emissions. Connecting the existing power infrastructure into a grid would not only make a more resilient system, but it would enable electrifying of the railroads and mining pits which would reduce everybody’s operating costs and massively reduce carbon emissions.
Agriculture is emerging as a viable alternative to the region’s mineral resources, now that much more water has been found. But the fundamental question remains: where will power come from and how will bulk goods be transported? Renewable energy has a big future in the Pilbara as the area has the highest concentration of solar radiation on earth. Diesel could be replaced with renewable energy at a much lower cost. It would also create the pre-conditions for other more energy intensive industries to establish themselves. Without it, they will likely choose other regions to set up shop.
Attracting new businesses requires a lower cost base
A study by Regional Development Australia found the cost of doing business in the Pilbara is <a href="https://www.rdapilbara.org.au/resources/site1/General/Publication%20Reports/RDA%20Business%20in%20Pilbara_SinglePages.pdf">40% more expensive</a> than Perth and even higher when compared against other parts of Australia. Much of this cost is due to a premium placed on the price per kilowatt hour of electricity from more expensive inputs. It would seem sensible to try and find mutually beneficial solutions like the completion of power grids and shared rail systems to lower the costs of operating in the region.
These ideas are not new, but historically mining and petroleum companies prefer to just look after their own power and rail systems. This week, former Western Australian Labor MP <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/comment/larry-graham-whos-responsible-for-the-pilbaras-future-20140524-zrn60">Larry Graham</a> said “private companies that built and own the railways will not, and should not, put their vital lifelines under someone else’s control”.
This raises important philosophical questions: do governments have the requisite capabilities to manage the infrastructure issue? And to what extent is competition affected by creating integrated networks?
For answers, we have looked at other international locations that have faced a similar predicament and either through government intervention or market-based decision making, have worked to link common networks to the benefit of all.
Network options
<ul>
<li>State sharing</li>
</ul>
The <a href="https://www.mosi.org.uk/media/33871840/electricityinbritain.pdf">Central Electricity Board</a> was established in 1926 in the UK to standardise the nation’s electricity supply. Until then, the industry consisted of more than 600 electricity supply companies and different areas operated at different voltages and frequencies. The Board established the UK’s first synchronised AC grid, which by 1933 covered most of England. In 1938, this started operating as a national system called the National Grid. The Board was dismantled when the grid was nationalised in 1947.
<ul>
<li>Private integrated</li>
</ul>
In the airline industry, a <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Codeshare_agreement">codeshare agreement</a> is an arrangement where two or more airlines which compete for the same markets, form a strategic alliance to share the same network routes. A ticket can be purchased from either carrier, but the flight itself is actually operated and managed by only one of the participating airlines. Under such agreements, costs are shared between the carriers who might otherwise struggle to make the flight route economically viable on their own.
<ul>
<li>Private and government integrated</li>
</ul>
The London Underground <a href="https://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/culture-and-heritage/londons-transport-a-history/london-underground?intcmp=2777">opened in 1863</a> and was the world’s first networked train passenger system. It was originally built by private enterprise but nationalised in 1948 and since then has been run under a combination of private and public partnerships.
In the UK, various aspects of the mobile networks are shared, including with the government. In Australia, for example <a href="https://www.afr.com/p/business/companies/vodafone_forces_re_jig_of_mobile_GMUpTHI0VUgg4KpluxTLfK">Optus and Vodafone</a> share mobile towers and network coverage to provide better services at a lower cost to customers. Since 1991, cash ATMs are another example of privately shared networks.
<ul>
<li>Shared value approach</li>
</ul>
In Canada, the oil sands industry has historically operated with separate parallel entities, ignoring the cumulative environmental impacts of their activities, resisting further environmental legislation and the need to talk to one another. But an approach called <a href="https://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value">Shared Value</a> developed by Harvard professors Mark Kramer and Michael Porter, resulted in <a href="https://www.cosia.ca/">Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance</a> being established, in which major companies have <a href="https://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/07/a-joint-venture-with-capp-canadas-oil-sands-innovation-alliance-collaboration-for-the-environment/?__lsa=e6a8-390d">shared</a> more than 560 technologies worth a total of US$900 million.
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Getting the public/private balance right
The argument that private companies would - and should not - cede control over access to critical infrastructure is not borne out in these case studies. Despite often cited business concerns around the loss of control and risks to business continuity, evidence suggests that in fact integrated public planning can be extremely cost effective and everybody is a winner.
There can be big benefits for all when you get a proper network going. In the Pilbara, the private sector hasn’t been good at that. Until now, there has been a reluctance to push ahead with utilising the existing electricity transmission infrastructure to create an interconnected grid. The <a href="https://www.allens.com.au/pubs/comp/focomp21sep12.htm">outcome of legal attempts</a> for greater rail sharing has often seen the requirement for sharing lessened.
Graham also argues that governments have an “inability to operate effectively”. The Pilbara Development Commission and <a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/was-17-billion-question-can-pilbara-cities-become-reality/story-fnhocxo3-1226857364273">Pilbara Cities</a> has shown government has plugged a great deal of the infrastructure deficit in the Pilbara created from the commodities boom.
At the heart of this debate is whether the private or public sector can deliver best. Governments and business can and do work together well. The biggest functioning networks are always built by an integrated state.
With the right philosophical basis, West Australian problems could be addressed holistically. In the Pilbara, without the creation of mutual networks and benefits of scale, the economic diversification prize will remain illusive.
Jemma Green is senior research fellow at Curtin University.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/27076/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="line-height: 1.3em;"> Peter Newman is professor of sustainability at Curtin University.
Peter Newman and Jemma Green received funding from Dampier Port Authority for the Pilbara 2050 Report
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
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As slowdown looms, Pilbara will need networks to thrive

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GUEST OBSERVATION
As the demand for greener and cooler cities increases, new “green infrastructure” technologies, such as green roofs and walls, are coming to the fore. But what are they?
Put simply, green roofs and walls are landscaped building surfaces. Australia has been relatively slow on the uptake of this movement, with much of the available expertise, systems and materials based in the northern hemisphere.
Earlier this year saw the release of <a href="https://www.growinggreenguide.org/" target="_blank">Growing Green Guide</a>: a free guide to green roofs, walls and facades in Victoria – a collaborative local and state government project, which I contributed to.
And at the <a href="https://melbflowershow.com.au/" target="_blank">Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show</a> there was a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683709495010102.1073741855.230588870322169&amp;type=1" target="_blank">pop-up garden display</a> by the <a href="https://www.land-environment.unimelb.edu.au/" target="_blank">Melbourne School of Land and Environment</a> demonstrating many of the ideas and techniques behind green infrastructure.
Here’s a snapshot and some important design factors.
The impact of green infrastructure
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/43706/area14mp/cjsp4wft-1394603337.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/43706/width237/cjsp4wft-1394603337.jpg" alt=""></a>
A trellis-based facade in Copenhagen, Denmark. John Rayner
Green roofs, as mentioned already, are a landscape constructed on a roof and include a range of different types. They can be a small, container beds two metres deep supporting trees and shrubs, or lightweight configurations of only a few centimetres in depth and more than a hectare in size covered in succulent and herbaceous vegetation.
Green walls fall into two very different types. Living walls support plants through irrigated, vertical containers or felt-based structures fixed to a wall surface. Green facades use climbing plants to provide green coverage over a wall, either directly on the building surface or more commonly using a steel trellis or cable system, with plants grown in-ground or in containers that are supported across the building facade.
The evidence of benefits associated with green roofs and walls is increasing as research efforts (from the <a href="https://www.hrt.msu.edu/greenroof/" target="_blank">US</a>, <a href="https://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/" target="_blank">UK</a> and <a href="https://land-environment.unimelb.edu.au/research/research-groups/green-infrastructure-research-group/" target="_blank">Australia</a>) expand across the globe. Green roofs have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778810001453" target="_blank">been shown</a> in a number of studies to reduce building energy budgets, slightly reducing winter heating costs but providing more significant reductions to summer cooling.
A <a href="https://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/city_planning/zoning__environment/files/pdf/chapter4_2_6.pdf" target="_blank">modelling study</a> in Toronto on the implementation of green roofs across low-rise, flat roofs greater than 350 square-metres concluded that ambient air temperatures across the city could be reduced by up to 2C.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/44246/area14mp/m3tnm6h5-1395194065.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/44246/width668/m3tnm6h5-1395194065.jpg" alt=""></a>
Millenium Park, Chicago. John Rayner
The benefits of retaining stormwater on green roofs are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204605000496">well established</a> and tend to form the basis of many city <a href="https://myplantconnection.com/green-roofs-legislation.php">green roofs tax</a> or incentive schemes, particularly in North America.
Green roofs act like a sponge on a roof, absorbing and storing rainfall and allowing re-use form plants, in turn reducing urban water run-off. <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/34/3/1036">One study</a> involving a green roof with a 60mm deep substrate (soil substitute) showed rainfall retention of almost 83%.
Green roofs and walls have been shown to increase property values, partly because people like to view them, but more because they provide more recreational and amenity uses. In one <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12076-010-0046-4">New York study</a> rentals were shown to be 16% higher in buildings with green roofs compared to those without.
The <a href="https://www.greenroofs.org/index.php/resources/2012-green-roof-industry-survey">dramatic growth</a> in green roofs and walls across the US over recent years, despite generally poor economic conditions, suggests demand for these installations will continue.
Why not try this at home?
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/43707/area14mp/2rdj5fd7-1394603510.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/43707/width237/2rdj5fd7-1394603510.jpg" alt=""></a>
Chicago Cultural Centre extensive green roof. John Raynor
Naturally, green roofs and walls need to be planned and designed properly to ensure they are successful. The most significant issue to consider is weight loading. A roof or wall must have the structural capacity for the mass of a green roof, wall or facade installation – both at construction and over time.
Not all plants will succeed on the sometimes hostile and elevated environment of a roof or wall; and vegetation growth is strongly limited by the depth, available volume, air, water, nutrition and environmental conditions present at the site.
Low growing succulents, such as <a href="https://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/images/2012_05/sedum-laconicum-northeast-4.jpg">sedums</a>, and drought-tolerant perennials including many Australian plants, are widely used because of these constraints.
Waterproofing is another key issue and most structures will require additional specialised treatments to ensure the integrity of the structure is not compromised by the installation. Excess water will need to be drained away, particularly from green roofs.
Most modern systems, such as those produced by German green-roof company <a href="https://www.zinco-greenroof.com/EN/greenroof_systems/index.php">Zinco</a>, incorporate lightweight plastic drainage cells to provide this outcome.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/44344/area14mp/s34t4mbm-1395270896.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/44344/width668/s34t4mbm-1395270896.jpg" alt=""></a>
The High Line in Manhattan, New York City at West 20th Street. Wikimedia Commons
While the <a href="https://www.growinggreenguide.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/growing_green_guide_ebook_130214.pdf" target="_blank">Growing Green Guide</a> was written to increase local understanding and skills amongst architectural and design professionals in Melbourne, it is also relevant to a wider Australian audience.
Who knows? Australia might even have its own version of New York’s aerial greenway <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Line_(New_York_City">High Line</a> one day.
John Rayner is senior lecturer in urban horticulture at the University of Melbourne.
John Rayner receives funding from the Australian and Victorian governments, the City of Melbourne and Melbourne Water and is affiliated with Green Roofs Australasia. He helped to write the 'Growing Green Guide' and is involved in the green infrastrucure display at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>.
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Green roofs and walls – a growth area in urban design

Developers and apartment buyers have a narrowing window of opportunity before Brisbane's Olympic infrastructure pipeline begins competing directly with residential construction, pushing up costs, tightening labour supply and making new projects increasingly difficult to deliver.

While Brisbane's apartment market continues to benefit from strong population growth and limited housing supply, industry research suggests the years leading up to 2027 could prove to be the most important period for developers looking to secure builders and buyers hoping to purchase before the next wave of price increases.

A new Colliers report, Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Creating Solutions, highlights the scale of the challenge. While thousands of new homes are planned across South East Queensland, the Brisbane Olympic Athletes Village alone will deliver more than 10,500 beds during the Games before being converted into around 1,750 to 2,000 apartments. Equivalent to almost two years of typical inner-city apartment supply, the project will also absorb a significant share of the construction workforce and building materials.

The broader construction pipeline paints an even clearer picture.

Construction Skills Queensland's Horizon 2032 report forecasts Queensland's annual construction pipeline will average $69 billion over the coming years before peaking at $75 billion in 2027-28. Demand for construction workers is expected to increase by 17 per cent to almost 150,000 people, with the industry facing an annual shortfall of around 19,000 workers that could blow out to as many as 35,000 during the peak construction period.

The Olympic venues, athletes village and supporting infrastructure will account for billions of dollars worth of work across South East Queensland through to 2032, creating intense competition for labour at a time when Australia's residential construction sector is already under pressure.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=373834]

Colliers Queensland Residential Director Andrew Scriven said the convergence of these projects is creating a clear window of opportunity for both developers and buyers.

"From 2027 onwards, the market will shift dramatically," Scriven said.

"Labour will increasingly be locked into government-led infrastructure and Olympic projects, which means private residential developments will face higher costs and tighter margins. The developers who move now are the ones most likely to get projects off the ground."

Scriven said the same dynamic would also affect buyers, with fewer apartment projects expected to launch once construction capacity tightens.

"If you're looking to change your lifestyle over the next five years, now is your window of opportunity to buy."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150713 project_image_fid=373827]

Developers are already positioning themselves ahead of that window.

Following the success of Monarch at Toowong, Consolidated Properties is preparing to launch two new Brisbane apartment projects in the second half of 2026. They include <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/gloriette-30-bedivere-street-yeerongpilly-qld-4105">Gloriette</a> at Yeerongpilly Green, a 25-storey tower within one of Brisbane's key Olympic precincts, and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/castile-47-skyring-terrace-newstead-qld-4006">Castile</a>, a recently approved 25-storey riverfront development at 47 Skyring Terrace in Newstead.

Hutchinson Builders will deliver both projects, with early works already underway at Yeerongpilly and Newstead expected to commence later this year.

The timing comes as Brisbane's fundamentals continue to strengthen, with strong interstate migration, population growth and vacancy rates remaining below 1.5 per cent.

Colliers Queensland researcher Pragya Sharma said Greater Brisbane is forecast to require around 40,000 new apartments between 2021 and 2031.

"There's a real mismatch emerging between when housing is needed and when it will be feasible to build," Sharma said.

"As a result, the period leading up to 2027 presents a key window of opportunity for developers to secure approvals, funding and construction capacity, while buyers will have greater choice before supply constraints intensify."

Colliers research outlines a critical pre-2027 window to start residential projects before labour squeeze: now is the time to buy

Joel Robinson

Developers, buyers on watch in South East Queensland ahead of construction crunch: Colliers

It's taken less than nine months for developer Sherpa Property Group to sell out all 51 apartments in its <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-oasis-palm-beach-7-9-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Oasis</a> development in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/palm-beach-qld-4221">Palm Beach</a>, over a year before its anticipated completion.

&nbsp;

Located at 7-9 Sixth Avenue, the $67 million development has resonated strongly with both local owner-occupiers and downsizers seeking high-quality apartments within walking distance of the beach, dining precincts and everyday amenities.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151449 project_image_fid=357458]

Christie Leet, Founder of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Group</a>, said the sell-out reflected both the strength of the Palm Beach market and the success of Sherpa's community-first approach to development.

"The sell-out of Oasis is a fantastic outcome and reinforces the strong demand we're seeing for thoughtfully designed apartments in lifestyle locations," Leet said.

"From the outset, our vision was to create a development that genuinely enhanced the Palm Beach community while providing residents with exceptional homes and wellness-focused amenities.

"We've been incredibly encouraged by the level of local support throughout the campaign, 72.5 per cent of buyers are locals, with a significant proportion of purchasers choosing Oasis as their future home rather than an investment."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=151449 project_image_fid=357463]

Construction is now progressing following development approval, with trusted builder LPS Group delivering the project and completion anticipated in Q3 2027.

Oasis forms part of Sherpa Group's successful Flourish collection, which has become recognised for its focus on wellness, community and elevated coastal living.

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Residents will have private access to a rooftop amenity space featuring a pool, gym, sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, spa and barbecue facilities.

"The success of Oasis demonstrates that buyers continue to prioritise quality, location and lifestyle," Leet said.

"We are proud to have delivered a project that has resonated so strongly with the market and look forward to bringing Oasis to life for our future residents."

Sherpa recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-palm-beach-1150-1160-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a>, its third instalment of the Flourish brand in Palm Beach following Flourish Oasis and <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/amargo-6-12-sixth-avenue-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Amargo</a>.

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Sherpa sells out Flourish Oasis in booming Palm Beach

Urban Property Group's <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/la-vera-macquarie-park-94-talavera-road-macquarie-park-nsw-2113">La Vera</a> is leading the next phase of Macquarie Park's residential evolution, with the new apartment development set to become the first of several new apartment projects in the precinct to complete.

The 169-apartment building has now topped out ahead of its scheduled completion in the third quarter of 2026, as new residential investment continues to reshape one of Sydney's largest employment hubs into a true mixed-use precinct.

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Cox Architecture has designed La Vera to capture the best of its unique positioning on Talavera Road, orienting the building towards Lane Cove National Park.&nbsp;The building features a sculpted northern façade with flowing curves inspired by the surrounding landscape, while its city-facing elevation adopts a more structured architectural expression to maximise skyline views.

"The vision for the project was to conceive a building that adopted an organic and curvilinear form to the northern portion that faces the Lane Cove National Park," <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">Cox Architecture</a> Director Felipe Miranda said.

"The residents that reside in the northern portion of the building benefit by having beautifully crafted curved balconies that speak to the natural context and heighten the relationship of their internal living spaces to the external balconies."

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La Vera offers a diverse mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom configurations, with prices currently starting from $740,000. Buyers so far have been a mix of Sydney-based investors,&nbsp;metro commuters, owner-occupiers and downsizers from surrounding North Shore suburbs.

Both investors and owner-occupiers have been drawn to La Vera's proximity to Macquarie University, Macquarie University Hospital, Macquarie Centre and the Sydney Metro, infrastructure that supports both strong rental demand and a convenient lifestyle for residents.

The apartments feature full-height glazing, timber flooring throughout living areas, stone kitchen benchtops, SMEG appliances, floor-to-ceiling bathroom tiling and ducted air conditioning.

Residents will have access to a rooftop recreation level featuring a swimming pool, sauna, barbecue facilities and landscaped relaxation areas, complemented by additional communal space at ground level. Many apartments enjoy uninterrupted views across Lane Cove National Park, reinforcing the project's connection to its natural setting.

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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a>, a family-owned developer and builder with nearly four decades of experience, holds a 4.5-star iCIRT rating and was Australia's first developer to introduce 10-Year Latent Defects Insurance (LDI). La Vera is the first apartment development in <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/macquarie-park-nsw-2113">Macquarie Park</a> approved to offer the additional insurance protection, alongside a five-year warranty on SMEG appliances.

Urban Property Group CEO Patrick Elias said the additional protection reflects changing buyer expectations in the off the plan market.

"Consumers are a lot more weary and a lot more concerned in buying off the plan than they ever have been. Having LDI is a tool to portray the confidence that we have in our product, and a confidence we want buyers to share," Elias said.

Following completion of the building later this year, buyers will move into their apartments well before Christmas.

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La Vera closes in on completion as Macquarie Park continues residential transformation

Brisbane developer Red &amp; Co's decision to include dual key apartments in its debut Gold Coast apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/como-varsity-lakes-22-lake-street-varsity-lakes-qld-4227">COMO Varsity Lakes</a>, is proving to be one of the project's biggest drawcards, with buyers quickly snapping up the flexible residences.

More than half of the project's 36 dual key apartments have already sold, helping drive COMO beyond the 50 per cent sold mark within the first month of launch.

The strong response highlights growing demand for apartment designs that can adapt to changing lifestyles, with buyers increasingly looking for homes that accommodate multi-generational living, provide rental income opportunities or simply offer greater flexibility over time.

Located on the shores of Lake Orr, COMO will deliver 156 apartments across 16 levels, with the dual-key residences forming a limited release within the broader development.

Each combines a primary two-bedroom apartment with a fully self-contained studio on a single title, connected by a shared foyer and lockable internal door. The design allows owners to house ageing parents, adult children or guests while maintaining privacy, or lease the secondary residence to generate additional income.

Just 17 of the original 36 dual key apartments remain available.

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The innovative configuration combines two fully self-contained residences on a single title, typically comprising a primary two-bedroom apartment alongside a separate studio residence, connected via a shared foyer and lockable internal door.&nbsp;

The model is proving particularly attractive to owner occupiers navigating changing family dynamics and the realities of the current housing crisis.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/npa">NPA</a>&nbsp;CEO Andrew Erwin said dual key living was resonating strongly with modern buyers because it delivered both financial flexibility and practical lifestyle benefits.&nbsp;

“The housing crisis and rising cost of living are fundamentally changing how Australians think about home ownership,” Erwin said.&nbsp;

“Dual key apartments provide a genuine solution for families who want to stay connected while maintaining independence. Parents can help adult children save for a future home, ageing parents can remain nearby without moving into aged care, and owners still retain privacy and flexibility.

“Importantly, buyers are also recognising the financial advantages. It creates the opportunity to generate additional income from part of the home without the holding costs associated with owning a separate investment property.”&nbsp;

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Unlike traditional dual occupancy arrangements, the residences operate under a single title, meaning owners only incur one set of body corporate fees, council rates and holding costs.&nbsp;

The secondary residence can also evolve over time - functioning as guest accommodation, a home office, creative studio or private retreat before later becoming an income-producing asset.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/red-co">Red &amp; Co</a>&nbsp;Director and Co-Founder David Laverty said the strong early sales reflected growing buyer urgency and changing priorities within the market.&nbsp;

“Securing more than half of COMO’s residences within such a short timeframe is an outstanding result and a clear endorsement of both the design and location,” Laverty said.&nbsp;

“Buyers are responding to the combination of location, connectivity and amenity, but ultimately it’s value relative to other East Coast markets that is driving enquiry.”&nbsp;

“We’re also seeing strong interest from owner occupiers looking for homes that can adapt with them over time. Flexibility has become one of the most important considerations for buyers in today’s market.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=135546 project_image_fid=363515]

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/bda-architecture">BDA Architecture</a>, COMO features a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom residences with 2.7-metre ceilings and larger-format floorplans aimed at owner occupiers, downsizers and lifestyle-focused buyers.&nbsp;

The development will feature an extensive rooftop recreation and wellness offering including a 25-metre lap pool, sundeck, barbecue and dining areas, gym, sauna, plunge baths, landscaped gardens, wellness spaces and rooftop pickleball and paddleball courts.

The remaining dual key apartments range from 137 sqm to 167 sqm and include generous three-bedroom layouts with separate self-contained studio accommodation and dual parking.&nbsp;

Erwin said the dual key concept represented a broader shift in how Australians would live in the future.

“People want homes that can evolve with their lives,” he said.&nbsp;

“A dual key apartment can suit a family today, support an ageing parent tomorrow, and potentially generate income later on. That adaptability is becoming incredibly valuable in the current environment.”

Prices currently range from $2,115,750 to $2,583,000.&nbsp;

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Inter-generational living drives demand for COMO’s dual key apartments as housing pressures reshape buyer priorities 

Builder-developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/ceerose">Ceerose</a> has doubled down on its Leichhardt ambitions, lodging its second State Significant Development Application (SSDA) in the suburb in the last six months.

Their newest proposal seeks to transform a former industrial precinct into a new residential community centred around the adaptive reuse of one of the site's heritage warehouse buildings.

The new project, on a 6,930 sqm block at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/40-76-william-street-leichhardt-nsw-2040">40–76 William Street</a>, will bring more than 200 apartments to a suburb that has seen little to no new supply in recent years. It follows Ceerose's late 2025 SSDA for a mixed-use apartment project on nearby Parramatta Road, signalling the developer's growing investment in Sydney's Inner West.

Ceerose Founder Edward Doueihi told Apartments.com.au the developer’s long-standing presence in Leichhardt and the Inner West had given it a strong understanding of how the area has evolved and where its future opportunities lie.

“Ceerose has had a long-standing presence in Leichhardt and the Inner West, giving us a unique understanding of the area’s evolution and future potential,” Doueihi said.

“Having delivered projects throughout the region, we have witnessed the suburb’s transformation first-hand and understand the opportunities for its continued growth.”

Doueihi said that understanding also informed the planning process, with a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Outcomes Report prepared before the application was lodged.

The report identified the key issues and concerns raised by neighbouring residents and other stakeholders, allowing those matters to be considered and incorporated into the design where appropriate.

He said the delivery of additional housing would also play an important role in supporting the revitalisation of Norton Street and the Italian Forum.

“By increasing the local residential population, the development is expected to strengthen demand for local businesses, encourage further investment, and help restore the vibrancy that made the precinct a thriving destination in the early 2000s.”

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7258c54c-8167-479e-8361-2d5fca9915b4" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010B%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%202.jpg?VersionId=S9DQfxu_jpcB5LrAEYFUbyMzg5odW6i5" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a>, the redevelopment would involve the demolition of four existing industrial buildings while retaining and adaptively reusing the site's most significant warehouse. The retained structure would anchor a new residential precinct comprising five interconnected buildings arranged around a large central landscaped courtyard, with heights stepping from five storeys along the surrounding residential streets to 11 storeys at the William Street corner.

According to the Architecture Design Report by Woods Bagot, the proposal "seeks to create a residential village centred around a generous green heart while celebrating the site's industrial heritage through the adaptive reuse of the existing warehouse building."

The development would comprise 203 apartments, with 188 proposed as build-to-sell residences, alongside 15 affordable housing apartments.

Rather than treating the retained warehouse as a standalone heritage object, Woods Bagot has sought to weave the site's industrial history throughout the masterplan. The proposal retains the north and west facades of the landmark corner warehouse, while new buildings reinterpret the site's brick-and-steel industrial language through their material palette and architectural expression.

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e8c64c2-881b-49e1-8c90-6b6acaaa45b6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010C%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%203.jpg?VersionId=Qm8_8H_Xrg_sc4Mdjc59vlAcKF_5wRTb" />

The design is organised around what Woods Bagot describes as a "green heart", a landscaped communal open space that reinstates the leafy character removed when the site became an industrial storage facility. A new pedestrian laneway running through the site would improve permeability between William, North and Francis streets, linking residents through landscaped public spaces while activating the ground plane.

Residents would have access to communal gardens and shared recreation areas distributed throughout the development. Sustainability has also been prioritised, with the project targeting an average 7.9-star NatHERS rating. Proposed initiatives include rooftop solar generation, rainwater harvesting, passive solar design, naturally ventilated lobbies, extensive cross-ventilation and the reuse of existing building fabric to reduce embodied carbon.

The adaptive reuse strategy became a defining feature of the application after heritage investigations found only one of the site's industrial buildings could feasibly be retained. The Heritage Impact Statement concludes that preserving the key warehouse façades while referencing the site's industrial character throughout the new development provides an appropriate balance between renewal and conservation.

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="efffafdb-594f-4e2b-a067-921fd51c05e1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010D%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%204.jpg?VersionId=DPmE4.k16YRt0i27hEZVtJAffarpvUfx" />

"Retention and adaptation of the site buildings has been explored but found not to be feasible except for the tallest building, whose street facades will be retained," the heritage report states.

"The proposed building will interpret the brick and steel character of the subject site, including reuse of some components and construction of a large 'sawtooth' structure in the proposed open space."

<img alt="First look: Ceerose returns to Leichhardt with 203-apartment adaptive reuse proposal at former warehouse site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3bfef2b5-83f5-40cd-9cab-767092f34266" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Appendix%2010E%20-%20CGI%20-%20View%205.jpg?VersionId=7asb3i_ql4ybbuJOUb5UHBEIy0Q9t.DF" />

The William Street site is located around 300 metres from Leichhardt North Light Rail station and a short walk to Norton Street's retail, dining and hospitality precinct. The surrounding area has increasingly become a focus for urban renewal given its proximity to public transport and the Parramatta Road corridor.

Doueihi founded Ceerose in 1998 and has grown the business to become one of Sydney's more active apartment developers in recent years, with completed projects including The Alex Collective in Alexandria, Abbie's Lane in Annandale, and the award-winning Munro House in Elizabeth Bay. They are currently delivering Belgravia, 17 luxury apartments in Potts Point.

Jacob Robinson

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