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Booms, busts, cycles and risk appetite: RBA's Luci Ellis

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The celebrity personal trainer Shannan Ponton, who made his name in Channel 10's The Biggest Loser show, has bought at North Curl Curl.
Ponton sold at Freshwater for $1.59 million last year and will anyday now be moving into a $2.5 million home.
It's a four bedroom, three bathroom house constructed in 2012. The master bedroom comes with sea views.
It was marketed as having a resort style, solar heated swimming pool by Ray White agent Graham Bennett who secured the sale pre-auction. There's 355 sqm living space on the 570 sqm block. 
From 2007 Ponton was the blue team leader on the Channel 10 weight-loss program who competed against the Steve "Commando" Willis and Michelle Bridges.
Ponton and his wife Kylie had paid $1.09 million in 2010 for their two storey four bedroom, two bathroom Freshwater home soon after they married.
It had 200 sqm internal space with decking rather than garden on the 310 sqm block.
They especially wanted a pool and garden.
Shannan was never going to stray far from the northern beaches where he trains the Harbord Valley Spartans rugby team in strength and conditioning.
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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Celebrity personal trainer Shannan Ponton buys in North Curl Curl

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Bondi Rescue's Dean ‘Deano’ Gladstone has moved closer to work, selling in Randwick and buying at Bondi Junction.
Gladstone is a regular cast member of the long running award winning Channel 10 reality television show which takes place on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach.
The celebrity lifesaver and his wife Lilli sold for $2.1 million and paid $2.25 million for their unrenovated 1920s four bedroom purchase with rear pool.
They had bought the Randwick semi in 2008 for $1.04 million and have lived in the home with their two children Lucy and Gus.
The three bedroom King St semi sold through McGrath agent Mark McPherson who said the couple had renovated the home, giving it an open-plan kitchen and dining room that flows out to a courtyard.
The summer saw tensions break out on the sandy workplace when leaked documents showed malcontent over the reality TV sponsorship arrangements. 
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph.
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Bondi Rescue's Dean ‘Deano’ Gladstone buys in Bondi Junction

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It's a wonder they are putting anything to air, as Channel 7 network staff seem to all be busy trading up their homes.
It's from the top down too.
The Seven chief executive Tim Worner and his wife, Katrina have spent a near record $9.5 million on Juan Les Pins, an oceanfront reserve Shelley Beach, Manly residence across the road from their Fairy Bower home of 15 years.
It was bought from Oroton director Ross Lane and wife Sara who had paid around $8 million in 2010. They have paid just shy of the $9.6 million Fairy Bower record price.
Meanwhile Sunrise newsreader Natalie Barr and TV editor husband Andrew Thompson have listed their Mosman home in quick time after securing a $3.2 million home nearby.
The family home has four bedrooms with harbour and city views from its master suite.
Surrounded by a towering hedge wall, the property features a rear private terrace with stone bar.
They paid $1.28 million in 2002, the year she became the Sunrise newsreader.
LJ Hooker Mosman agents Geoff Smith and Richard Harding are expecting between $2.5 million and $2.75 million at its March 23 auction.
The house open for inspection was packed when I breezed past Thursday morning given its mild pricing for most Mosman offerings.
Originally from Western Australia, Barr moved to Los Angeles won an Emmy for her work in O.J Simpon's famous car chase.
She joined Seven News in 1994.  
Her Sunrise colleague Mark Berretta similiarly upgraded Mosman homes in 2012 selling for $1.9 million and buying for $2.8 million. 
Of course Natalie will no doubt run into Channel 9 rival morning host Sonia Kruger who's just settled on her $6.475 million Balmoral Slopes acquisition with her partner, Channel 7 television executive Craig McPherson having sold in Warrawee.
The purchase marks Sonia's triumphant return to Mosman as she once had a two bedroom Musgrave Street apartment which was her first home when bought in 1999 for $490,000.
This article was first published in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.
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Channel 7 personalities busy upgrading homes

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The clifftop concrete sculpture, Mystere, over looking Pittwater from Bayview Heights, has returned to the market.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-bayview-122159046" target="_blank">The noteworthy four-bedroom house</a> - which would not be out of place in a James Bond movie - was built in the early 1960s to a design by the architect Stan Symonds. 
Symonds is known for his six futurist designs, including the Schuchard House in Seaforth, with this organic modernist design the first of his landmark designs.
The starkly white house is easily spotted from Pittwater but the Ilya Ave neighbours don't get a peek given its set on a 4182 sqm holding.
The residence was initially nicknamed The Egg And I, after it was built for Carl and Irene Jobson.
It has 540 sqm internal space, with Noel Nicholson at LJ Hooker Palm Beach seeking $10 million. There has been an extensive renovation since it was listed with $6 million hopes unsuccessfully in 2009.
Vendors Lloyd and Jane Anglicas bought it from the seminar co-ordinator Ross Marlow with it last trading in 1993 for $925,000.
This article was first published in the Sunday Telegraph. 
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Clifftop Pittwater trophy Mystere listed

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GUEST OBSERVER
Significant urban policy and planning efforts have been directed at the problem of rising heat in cities.
“Smart” cities create new relationships and interdependencies between people, technology and urban environments. The concept rests on the efficient, responsive and adaptive capacities of urban infrastructure. But how well does the smart city respond to the devastating scale and impact of urban heat threats such as bushfires and heatwaves?
The Australian Medical Association has warned heat is a “silent killer”. It notes that more Australians die each year due to heat than on the roads. Heatwaves have contributed to more deaths in Australia than any other natural disaster.
Bushfires are also expected to increase, with significant impacts on Australian cities and urban communities such as the greater Melbourne region.
This is a pressing issue for Australian cities and urban regions, at a time when Australian climatologists are warning of the increasing frequency, severity and duration of heatwaves and bushfires.
Smart urban infrastructure
New digital technology is entering cities, homes and workplaces. These are performing complex tasks. Self-driving cars and cashless payment systems are examples of significant change. But they also increase a city’s vulnerability in the event of a system breakdown or failure.
The ways that these dependencies make cities highly vulnerable during a crisis are poorly understood. For example, smartphone-enabled bushfire and heatwave warning systems are one of the key policy responses proposed and trialled as part of the smart city. But, the benefits and challenges of such responses are still largely unknown.
While the invisibility of smart city technology and infrastructure may rise to the surface and become exposed in the face of urban heat-related threats and crises, an array of important considerations lurk in the shadows.
These include financial arrangements, decision-making processes and discussions about security that are often imbued with statutory power, force and intent that work to inform and structure the experience of everyday urban life.
System resilience or collapse?
Smart systems are far from resilient. Outside their design range they are prone to sudden collapse. Any failure in energy or IT systems can lead to cascading crisis in the capacity for smart city responses to heat threats and disasters.
In a heatwave, as demand increases for cooling mechanisms such as air conditioning and refrigeration, an overloaded system may break down.
The rapid expansion of mobile and computer warning and alert systems could keep people more aware of risks. But, it also creates dependencies and a reliance on external agents for tasks we currently manage. The relationship between emergency communication processes and protocols is a key area whereby vertical, authorised and often-slow communications must interact with horizontal, real-time, networked and participatory processes.
The royal commission into Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires recommended that more efficient and effective use of technology was needed in key areas such as fire risk assessment, tracking and monitoring – particularly when different, incompatible systems were in use.
The commission highlighted widespread problems with communication technology, use and access due to system incompatibility, poor coverage, radio black spots and channel congestion. Under-investment in new technology was exacerbated when fire damaged or destroyed critical radio and telecommunications infrastructure.
An urgent cities agenda
Urban heat threats and disasters have an impact on the critical infrastructure that undergird the smart city response to such disasters and their associated technology, infrastructures and networked systems – namely in the areas of energy, water, ICT and transport.
The impacts are felt predominantly by those most vulnerable in the community: children, the elderly, the poor and people with existing health conditions.
Understanding the dynamism and tension of new technologies, networks and infrastructure is critical, particularly when urban systems are threatened or break down. Despite recognition of the complexity in smart city debates, policy and industry commentary places clear demarcations between the social and the technical.
There is an urgent need to develop new understandings and ways of implementing the potentials and possibilities the smart city presents in order to better tackle urban heat threats and disasters in Australia.
 
Wendy Steele is associate professor (urban policy and planning), RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wendy-steele-4698" target="_blank">here</a>.
Ian McShane, senior research fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-mcshane-101456" target="_blank">here</a>.
John Handmer is leader, Centre for Risk and Community Safety, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-handmer-116367" target="_blank">here</a>.
Sarah Pink is professor of Social Sciences, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-pink-109198" target="_blank">here</a>.
Yolande Strengers is senior research fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yolande-strengers-15350" target="_blank">here</a>.
All are authors for The Conversation.
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Hot cities: the ‘smart’ response to urban heat threats

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GUEST OBSERVER
All swashbuckling pirates (and movie producers) know that if you want to find the treasure buried beneath the elusive X you first need a map. A charred fragment is no good: fortune only comes to those who hold enough pieces to follow the trail.
The National Library of Australia’s Trove service is that map for anyone wanting to navigate the high seas of information abundance. (You don’t even need to be a pirate.)
But our information plundering days may soon be over. Recently announced “efficiency dividends” mean that aspects of the Trove service will be scratched.
The news that Trove will face cuts has led to an outpouring of support on social media, with several thousand tweets using the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fundtrove?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Ehashtag" target="_blank">#fundTrove</a> hashtag.
<img src="/images/2016/03/14/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-14%20at%202.48.56%20PM.png" alt="">
So what exactly will we lose?
Trove pulls together metadata and content from multiple sources into one platform to make finding what you are looking for an efficient and successful experience.
As of February 25 2016, this includes information on over 374,419,217 books, articles, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives, datasets and more, expressing the extraordinarily rich history of Australian culture.
If, as someone interested in museums, I am looking for information on Sir Frederick McCoy, inaugural director of the National Museum of Victoria, a single Trove search reveals not just books and articles.
I’ll find information on archival collections at the State Library of Victoria and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, biographical entries from the Australian Dictionary of Biography and the Encyclopedia of Australian Science, digital photographs, transcribed newspaper obituaries and images of documents such as a Geological Survey of Victoria map to which McCoy contributed.
Distributed content is available within seconds. The benefits to researchers, local and family historians, and the Australian community as a whole, is immense, resulting in over 70,000 unique visitors a day. <img src="/images/2016/03/14/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-14%20at%202.50.22%20PM.png" alt="" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
 
Yet, as The Sydney Morning Herald reported, staff have been told the federal government’s “efficiency dividend” will have a “grave impact” on the National Library. Aside from inevitable staff cuts, "The library will also cease aggregating content in Trove from museums and universities unless it is fully funded to do so".
This is the information equivalent to leaving money, or treasure, on the table.
Making Australia’s existing investment in information resources freely and efficiently available is not just a self-evident public good in terms of equality of access. The democratisation of information has clear benefits for innovation and the Turnbull government’s “ideas boom”.
Trove is a key piece of information infrastructure for many professionals, and this wealth of material isn’t behind a paywall or subscription service. There’s no requirement that users prove they are “bona fide” researchers (whatever that may mean).<img src="/images/2016/03/14/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-14%20at%202.51.24%20PM.png" alt="" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
It’s accessible to anyone with an internet connection; and the sources it draws on include more than the usual suspects. There’s content from small institutions and large, community collections as well as state-funded libraries, museums and archives.
In a sense Trove has been a revolutionary experience for those of us who rely professionally on access to high-quality information. Once our problem was that there was just too little to go on. Now there’s far too much.
Contrary to the myth of the lone researcher who loves spending hours scouring paper archives and libraries to discover “buried” or “lost” knowledge, humanities research isn’t primarily about the hunt for content. It’s about analysing, processing, interpreting, relating and synthesising useful content that has been found.
By dramatically reducing the time spent on the trail of content, Trove users spend less time hunting for the booty and more time working with the spoils.
Trove not only aggregates content, it provides sophisticated search capability to help narrow down thousands of results. It’s a focal point for the diverse community who help organise, correct and improve the information it contains.
 <img src="/images/2016/03/14/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-14%20at%202.52.18%20PM.png" alt="">
For people and organisations with some coding skills there are also opportunities to harvest and process content via an API (application programming interface) to reveal new ways of looking at our shared heritage.
The Trove platform supports 21st-century innovation and agile practice. As a result, it has become essential and internationally renowned infrastructure for distributed, collaborative and responsive research into Australian society and culture. <img src="/images/2016/03/14/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-14%20at%202.53.11%20PM.png" alt="" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
As a past manager of Trove, Tim Sherratt, pointed out, "Trove is not going to be suddenly turned off."
But its relevance relies on constantly growing the knowledge and content it contains.
If the National Library puts Trove to the sword as a result of the government’s swashbuckling cuts, this innovative stash of content may end up dispersed and buried again, taking Australia off the map. That would definitely leave us poorer, an information desert island in an increasingly interconnected world.
Mike Jones is consultant research archivist, University of Melbourne and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-jones-231464" target="_blank">here</a>. Deb Verhoeven is professor and chair of Media and Communication, Deakin University and can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deb-verhoeven-103643" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Treasure Trove: why defunding Trove leaves Australia poorer

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GUEST OBSERVER
Today's jobs numbers were weaker than expected, with broadly flat jobs in February (market had +14k).
However, at the same time, the unemployment rate outperformed by falling to 5.8 percent (market had 6.0 percent), due to an unexpected sharp decline in the participation rate. Measurement issues have pervaded this survey making it difficult to get a clear reading. This is the third consecutive month of weak jobs growth, but this partly reflects pay-back for very strong numbers late last year.
Cutting through the noise, the trend measures show the unemployment rate is still below its peak, suggesting gradual labour market improvement. However, unemployment is still well above its full employment level, which is likely to continue to weigh on wages growth and domestic inflation, leaving the RBA with scope to cut further.
<a href="/images/2016/03/17/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-17%20at%202.58.35%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/03/17/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-17%20at%202.58.35%20PM.png" alt="">
   Facts   Employment was broadly flat (up by just 300 jobs) in February (market expected +13.5k, HSBC expected +10k). Over the past six months, employment growth has averaged +20k a month. Annual employment growth has eased to 2.1 percent, down from a peak of 2.9 percent in November.   The participation rate fell by 0.3ppts to 64.9 percent, the lowest rate since June 2015.   Because of the drop in participation, the unemployment rate fell from 6.0 percent to 5.8 percent (the market and HSBC expected 6.0 percent).   - The employment-to-population ratio fell from 61.2 percent to 61.1 percent, the lowest level since October 2015.   Total hours worked fell by 0.1 percent m-o-m in seasonally-adjusted terms, and were up 2.2 percent y-o-y. Trend growth in hours worked slowed from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent y-o-y.   Implications   Australia's official labour force survey is still suffering from measurement issues that make it complicated to interpret the results. Jobs were broadly flat in February, following falls in the previous two months, but this was after very strong growth in employment in October and November last year. A large part of the recent weakness appears to be 'payback' for the over-stated strength last year. However, it is not easy to separate the signal from the noise.   One way to do this is to look at the trend measures within the official survey. These are showing gradual improvement in the labour market. The trend measure of the unemployment rate is at 5.8 percent, down from a peak of 6.3 percent in late 2014.
Another way to do this is to look at the collection of other indicators of the labour market, including job advertisements, job vacancies and hiring intentions in the business surveys. These are showing a more modest improvement in the labour market than is implied by the official numbers (see Figure 4 below).   The other key issue is that although the range of indicators suggests that there has been a trend improvement in the labour market, the pick-up has not been enough to absorb sufficient spare capacity to put upward pressure on wages growth and domestic inflation.
Combine this with underlying inflation that is already at the bottom edge of the target band, weak global inflation and a climbing AUD, and it is likely that inflation will remain low. We expect underlying inflation to fall below the bottom edge of the RBA's 2-3 percent target band in H1 2016. Our central case has the RBA easing by a further 25bps around the middle of this year.
<a href="/images/2016/03/17/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-17%20at%203.00.14%20PM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/03/17/Screen%20Shot%202016-03-17%20at%203.00.14%20PM.png" alt="" width="1256" height="562">
Paul Bloxham is chief economist (ANZ) for HSBC . Daniel Smith is economist. They can be contacted <a href="https://www.about.hsbc.com.au/hsbc-in-australia/management-team" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Jobs numbers were weaker than expected: HSBC's Paul Bloxham

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The Australia and New Zealand Bank has a list of more than 50 postcodes, concentrated around Western Australia, Queensland and NSW mining towns, that it describes as "not acceptable" for providing lenders mortgage insurance.
The number of postcodes has increased from 30 in 2013. 
Last year June it emerged ANZ required a deposit of at least 30 percent for mortgages in 44 postcodes, including to reflect the “localised downturn in a small number of towns dependent on the mining sector”.
"We regularly review lending policies to ensure we are operating within our risk appetite and practising responsible lending for our customers," a spokesman told The Australian Financial Review this week.
 "There are no designated 'blackspots'," he added. The AFR published a selection of the 50 postcodes. 
 
<table style="height: 903px; width: 421px;" border="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td>Postcode</td>
<td>Suburb</td>
<td>State</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2835</td>
<td>Bulla</td>
<td>NSW</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2880</td>
<td>Broken Hill</td>
<td>NSW</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2898</td>
<td>Lord Howe Is</td>
<td>NSW</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2899</td>
<td>Norfolk Is</td>
<td>NSW</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 853</td>
<td> Tindal</td>
<td> NT</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 885</td>
<td> Alyangula</td>
<td> NT</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 886</td>
<td> Jabiru</td>
<td> NT</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4745</td>
<td> Dysart</td>
<td> Queensland</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4717</td>
<td> Blackwater</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4413</td>
<td> Baking Board</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4415</td>
<td> Columboola</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4702</td>
<td> Alberta</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4680</td>
<td> Barney Point</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4719</td>
<td> Camboon</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4721</td>
<td> Argyll</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4744</td>
<td> Morambah</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4801</td>
<td> Hayman Is</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4803</td>
<td> Hamilton Is</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 4804</td>
<td> Collinsvile</td>
<td> Qld</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 5725</td>
<td> Olympic Dam</td>
<td> SA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 5722</td>
<td> Andamooka</td>
<td> SA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 5731</td>
<td> Bollards Lagoon</td>
<td> SA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 7470</td>
<td> Rosebery</td>
<td> Tas</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 7467</td>
<td> Lake Margaret</td>
<td> Tas</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 7151</td>
<td> Casey</td>
<td> Tas</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 7257</td>
<td> Cape Barren Is</td>
<td> Tas</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 3852</td>
<td> East Sale</td>
<td> Victoria</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6716</td>
<td> Fortescue</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6751</td>
<td> Chichester</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6760</td>
<td> Marble Bar</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6429 </td>
<td> Coolgardie</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6718</td>
<td> Roebourne</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6161</td>
<td> Rottnest Is</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6430</td>
<td> South Kalgoorlie</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6432</td>
<td> Boulder</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6638</td>
<td> Cooladar Hill</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6639</td>
<td> Sandstone</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6710</td>
<td> Cane</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6728</td>
<td> Camballin</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> 6798</td>
<td> Christmas Is</td>
<td> WA</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td>  
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
 
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The ANZ's 50 property investor no-go postcodes

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The private investor David Kingston has his Whitsundays island listed with $20 million hopes.
Long Island Resort was originally developed by Contiki.
Kingston, a former managing director of investment bank Rothschilds, has owned it for the past two decades.
The island will be offered for sale with the Club Crocodile Airlie Beach Resort which could bring up to $9 million through Wayne Bunz and Hayley Manvell of CBRE Hotels to market the properties with Christie Leet of PRD Nationwide Airlie Beach.
The 8-hectare property has opportunities for expansion.
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David Kingston lists Long Island, in the Whitsundays

An entity directed by HSN's Rafi Assouline and Rebel Property's Allen Linz has filed plans for an impressive new precinct in Woolloomooloo.

The major mixed-use development would transform a prominent William Street site into a new residential village anchored by affordable housing and a large public park.

The proposal, submitted as a State Significant Development Application, covers 164-172 and 174-194 William Street, a 6,398 sqm site between Forbes Street and Dowling Street on the southern edge of Woolloomooloo.

Designed by fjcstudio in collaboration with Bangawarra, Studio Bright and Tribe Studio Architects, the scheme would deliver 227 apartments across four residential buildings ranging in height up to 18 storeys, alongside retail space, public domain improvements and a new publicly accessible park.

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It's another design scheme for Rebel, who took <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-rebel-property-group-takes-woolloomooloo-precinct-to-nsw-government">concept plans to the NSW Gov late last year</a>.

The latest plans will be a mix of 167 build-to-sell apartments and 60 affordable apartments, with the affordable housing component representing 15 per cent of the project's gross floor area. The apartment mix includes 12 one-bedroom, 53 two-bedroom, 89 three-bedroom apartments and 13 penthouses, while the affordable housing component would comprise 42 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom apartments.

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Rebel Property is seeking to take advantage of the NSW Government's infill affordable housing bonus provisions under the Housing SEPP, which provide additional floor space and height in exchange for the delivery of affordable housing for a minimum of 15 years. The planning pathway allows a 30 per cent increase in floor space ratio and building height where 15 per cent of the development is dedicated to affordable housing.

&nbsp;

At the centre of the development is a 1,356 sqm sunlit public park designed to become a new community gathering space at the gateway to Woolloomooloo. The park would be complemented by a network of pedestrian laneways connecting William Street with the surrounding streets, improving permeability through what is currently a largely impermeable block.

<img alt="Rebel" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="257af931-a393-4007-8c6d-7219796df58d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-06-12%20at%2011.20.51%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=KAHy94GrhaReFsWTGDKfy39EDJ8gEEv4" />

The design team says the public domain has been heavily influenced by the site's topography and Aboriginal cultural heritage, drawing on the escarpments, gullies and landscape characteristics that historically defined the area before urbanisation. The landscape design has been developed in partnership with First Nations consultancy Bangawarra.

The project would be delivered across four separate buildings. The William Street East and William Street West buildings, designed by fjcstudio, would contain the majority of the apartments. Melbourne-based Studio Bright has designed the Forbes Street building, while Tribe Studio Architects is responsible for the Dowling Street building.

Rebel had secured approval for the concept plans late last year.

Joel Robinson

First look: HSN, Rebel, advances Woolloomooloo precinct plans

A locally heritage-listed furniture showroom on Water Street is set to become the centrepiece of a new mixed-use residential development as local developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/keylin-group">Keylin</a> seeks approval for <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/lotus-on-water-street-290-water-street-fortitude-valley-qld-4006">Lotus on Water Street</a>, a 15-storey project on the Fortitude Valley side of Spring Hill.

The proposal spans 290 Water Street and 137-141 Warry Street, combining several properties into a 2,869 sqm site that sits between Fortitude Valley, Spring Hill and the rapidly evolving Victoria Park precinct. Keylin's plans would deliver 132 apartments alongside new retail, hospitality and commercial space, while retaining and repurposing the historic Brunswick Home Furnishers Showroom that fronts Water Street.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/jackson-teece">Jackson Teece</a>, Lotus on Water Street comprises a 12-storey residential tower rising above a three-storey podium and communal rooftop terrace. The development includes 76 apartments classified as multiple dwellings and a further 56 units proposed as short-term accommodation, designed to be flexibly used as either accommodation or permanent residences. The apartment mix comprises six one-bedroom, 54 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom homes.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9822bb79-6c49-49c9-95ba-319e8c8d81c3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20front.png?VersionId=ioW8zbN4UVebbLetTFuv92t.HkdgfR5e" />

Residents would have access to an extensive rooftop recreation level spanning more than 1,200 sqm of communal open space. Plans include a pool, gym, sauna, infrared sauna, yoga area, library, private dining room, barbecue facilities and landscaped entertainment spaces, making the rooftop the project's largest shared amenity offering.

At street level, the proposal focuses on the adaptive reuse of the heritage buildings along Water Street, where 518 sqm of retail and commercial space is planned across shop, office and food and drink outlet uses. A permeable residential lobby would be positioned between the retained heritage buildings, creating a pedestrian connection between the historic streetscape and the new tower behind.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="269cf3e0-7d13-48bf-a318-05a00deb5c10" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20podium.png?VersionId=DLXmTCLsp6GOcLpQ0h.0z7wKCw59EhN_" />

The heritage retention strategy is central to the scheme. The development application notes that the Brunswick Home Furnishers Showroom and adjoining heritage buildings will remain, with only non-significant structures on the site earmarked for removal under a previously issued Heritage Exemption Certificate. Levels one and two of the new podium are recessed behind the heritage façades to maintain their prominence within the streetscape.

Jackson Teece has drawn inspiration from the site's manufacturing history when designing the podium. The planning documents state that the façade incorporates perforated metal screening that references the woven and rattan furniture historically produced on the site. Cascading and climbing plants are integrated throughout the podium to soften the building's presentation and screen parking levels behind. The landscape strategy also informs the project's name, Lotus on Water Street, drawing on the historic Spring Hollow waterholes that once ran through Spring Hill and the blue water lilies associated with Meeanjin, Brisbane's traditional name.

The proposal also incorporates the neighbouring property at 141 Warry Street, currently occupied by a healthcare service. The existing building would remain, with nine dedicated parking spaces allocated within the new development to support its ongoing operation. In total, Lotus on Water Street proposes 117 car spaces, including 110 resident spaces and seven visitor bays, alongside 100 bicycle spaces.

<img alt="First look: Keylin unveils heritage-led Lotus on Water Street tower in Fortitude Valley" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="70cf07bc-4fd8-4e70-92dd-be8b21c4e4f0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/fortitude%20valley%20site.png?VersionId=txlxrJImM0Sm_vTzHVKh5DDUkyL_CiiA" />

The site sits within the Spring Hill East Precinct of the Spring Hill Neighbourhood Plan and is positioned around 650 metres from both Fortitude Valley Station and Exhibition Station. It is also within walking distance of the King Street precinct, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston Quarter and Victoria Park, which is earmarked to become a major venue precinct ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Planning documents describe the location as a key gateway between Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley and highlight the area's increasing importance as new transport infrastructure and Olympic-related investment reshape Brisbane's inner north. The development team argues the project will contribute additional housing supply while activating a section of Water Street that has historically received less investment than other parts of the Valley.

Keylin has become increasingly active across Brisbane and southeast Queensland, assembling sites in strategic inner-city locations. They are currently selling and delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/oria-spring-hill-447-gregory-terrace-spring-hill-qld-4000">Oria Spring Hill</a>, just over 140 apartments due for completion in 2027.

Keylin plans heritage-led Lotus on Water Street apartment development in Fortitude Valley

Roseville is poised for a wave of new apartment development following the NSW Government's rezoning of land around Roseville Station under its Transport Oriented Development program.

The new planning controls have unlocked significant development potential within walking distance of the station, with a number of sites expected to be amalgamated and redeveloped in the coming years as developers seek to take advantage of the increased density allowances.

One of the more restrained developments in the precinct, and set among the first to be delivered having commenced well before the recent changes, is Hyecorp's Juliet. The boutique apartment project is already well under construction and remains on track to welcome residents by the end of the year, offering a markedly different proposition to many of the larger-scale developments now likely to emerge across the suburb.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278194]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/juliet-roseville-64-pacific-highway-roseville-nsw-2069">Juliet</a> will comprise just&nbsp;34 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments opposite Roseville Station. For Hyecorp, which has delivered projects across Sydney's Lower North Shore for more than three decades, Roseville presented a rare opportunity to address a growing gap in the market.

"<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/roseville-nsw-2069">Roseville</a> has long been one of the North Shore's most tightly held and desirable suburbs, offering a unique combination of village charm, established greenery, excellent transport connections, and proximity to some of Sydney's best schools and lifestyle amenities," Hyecorp said.

"We recognised a growing demand from local homeowners seeking to downsize without leaving the community they have built their lives around. The location presented a rare opportunity to create homes that cater specifically to that buyer profile."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278196]

The six-level development has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/pbd-architects">PBD Architects</a> as a collection of residences that feel more like homes than apartments. The brief centred generous floorplans, abundant natural light, quality finishes, and strong connections to outdoor space.

PBD Architects drew inspiration from Roseville's established garden suburb character, creating a building that sits comfortably within its surroundings rather than dominating them. The architecture incorporates natural materials, soft forms, layered landscaping, expansive balconies, and generous setbacks to strengthen the connection between residents and the suburb's leafy environment.

"The focus was on designing spacious, house-like residences for discerning owner-occupiers and downsizers who wanted to remain on the North Shore without compromising on comfort, privacy, or design," PBD said.&nbsp;

"Every apartment was to feel considered, timeless, and highly functional."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278195]

Inside, residences feature engineered timber flooring, stone kitchen benchtops and splashbacks, integrated Fisher &amp; Paykel appliances, ducted air conditioning, and large outdoor entertaining areas designed to take advantage of district and treetop views.

Residents will also have access to a rooftop barbecue and lounge area, alongside practical amenities including parcel lockers, EV charging capability, bicycle storage, a dog wash bay, and a basement car wash facility.

The majority of purchasers so far have been local owner-occupiers from Roseville, Lindfield, Chatswood, Killara, and the broader Upper North Shore, many of whom are transitioning from larger family homes.

"Buyers are looking for spacious, house-like apartments that allow them to downsize without feeling like they are sacrificing comfort or functionality," Hyecorp noted.

"They value large kitchens, generous living areas, ample storage, quality finishes, secure parking, lift access, and low-maintenance living."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7395 project_image_fid=278204]

Juliet sits directly opposite Roseville Train Station and within walking distance of Roseville Village, while Chatswood's retail and dining precinct is only minutes away. The development is also surrounded by some of Sydney's most established schools, including Roseville College, Ravenswood, Pymble Ladies' College, and Knox Grammar, as well as nearby parklands and golf courses.

Juliet is currently more than 75 per cent sold ahead of its anticipated completion in late 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=7395]

Juliet to sit quietly amid Roseville apartment boom

Sherpa Property Group has unveiled the third instalment of its Flourish series, securing full approval for the two-tower, $500 million Flourish Soleira development in Palm Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flourish-soleira-1150-1154-gold-coast-highway-palm-beach-qld-4221">Flourish Soleira</a> will rise from a prominent site in the commercial heart of Palm Beach, the long-time home of Cash Converters and a range of local retailers.

The project will introduce a new retail and dining precinct at ground level, beneath 286 apartments.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=370959]

“We’re very committed to not only providing affordable residential offerings that are much needed in Palm Beach, but also delivering a vibrant new commercial heart that complements the extraordinary growth of the southern Gold Coast,” Sherpa Property Group founder Christie Leet said.

The development will sit under Sherpa's Flourish brand, which is aimed at providing a pathway into the beachside suburb for locals, first-home buyers and downsizers. In a move designed to assist first-home buyers entering the market, Sherpa has reserved all one and two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments exclusively for eligible first-home buyers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=370964]

“Our vision through Flourish is to create a vibrant retail and lifestyle focal point within the Palm Beach centre zone, delivering thriving communities underpinned by lifestyle-rich locations,” Leet said.

“So far, Flourish has been an incredible success, and we hope to carry this momentum as we progress the next two Flourish projects in Palm Beach.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150017 project_image_fid=371430]

Located across 1150-1164 Gold Coast Highway and 3 Sixth Avenue, the development will comprise two towers. The northern tower will deliver 154 apartments, while the southern tower will add a further 132 residences, helping address ongoing demand for new apartments in the tightly held coastal suburb.

Flourish Soleira will also feature the most extensive rooftop amenity offering ever delivered in Palm Beach.

The two towers will be connected by a skybridge, with residents gaining access to a rooftop recreation deck featuring a full-width swimming pool, hot and cold plunge pools, wellness spaces, a gymnasium, private dining facilities, massage treatment rooms, barbecue areas, a basketball court, golf simulator, indoor and outdoor dining spaces, sun lounges and extensive landscaping.

LPS Group is expected to start construction later this year.

Sherpa is already well advanced on construction of its debut Flourish project, Flourish Amargo, located just around the corner from Soleira. Meanwhile, Flourish Oasis, positioned opposite Amargo, recently commenced construction and has nearly sold out its collection of 47 apartments.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150017]

Sherpa unveils $500m mixed-use Palm Beach precinct, Flourish Soleira

Are mortgage holders set to get a reprieve from the RBA in 2026?

Big Four bank NAB believes so. They are now expecting the next move from the RBA to be a cut, rather than a hike, which they had pencilled in for August. They are unsure of the timing of the cut however, they note in their latest&nbsp;NAB Economics RBA Watch.

NAB Chief Economist, Dr Sally Auld, said recent data suggests the economy has lost momentum and the outlook for rates has shifted, noting that the broader economic backdrop has changed since earlier in the year.

“The next move in the cash rate is likely to be down, but the timing is uncertain," Dr Auld said.

"In February, growth was above trend, the economy was operating above capacity and there was uncertainty over the restrictiveness of rates. None of these conditions exist today,” she outlined.

Dr Auld said recent data pointed to softer momentum across the economy while acknowledging that at the same time, uncertainty remains a key feature of the outlook.

“Both Q1 GDP data and the NAB business survey suggest momentum in the economy has slowed, meaning that growth has likely peaked for the cycle. That said, we are cognisant there is still considerable uncertainty around the outlook, both with respect to activity and inflation.”

Dr Auld said inflation risks and labour market outcomes would be important to watch.

“On the prices side, we are still forecasting above target core inflation through to mid-2027. Margins will compress and weaker labour market outcomes are a risk.”

She said tighter financial conditions are expected to weigh on housing and activity.

“Tighter financial conditions will be reflected in a slowing in house price growth and housing credit growth. In summary, we have greater conviction that the next move in rates is down, but less conviction on the timing.”

Jonathan Chancellor

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