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GUEST OBSERVATION
In a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, philosopher Franz Kafka lamented, “time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle manoeuvres.” Modern workers may well empathise with Kafka’s description of his workplace. Much attention has been focussed recently on the current state of office design.
The huge response to a recent <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-open-office-trap">article</a> on the trap of open offices suggests increasing numbers of workers might be inclined to agree with Kafka’s sentiments. It seems that being productive at work is becoming harder.
According to a <a href="https://www.gensler.com/uploads/documents/2013_US_Workplace_Survey_07_15_2013.pdf">Gensler</a> report in 2013, just getting work done at all is difficult, with over half of employees noting they found it hard to concentrate at work. Being able to concentrate is a vital precursor to cognition in the workplace. <a href="https://jom.sagepub.com/content/early/2010/04/08/0149206310367948.abstract">Studies</a> have shown that if we can’t think clearly, our performance, strategic decision making and responses to both internal and external events are compromised.
We seem to be getting it back to front. In many modern workplaces, the trend to open-plan collaborative spaces is almost an epidemic. Not participating in the drive for collaboration is seen as almost anti-corporate behaviour.
Workplaces that are born out of design briefs full of corporate jargon such as space optimisation, utilisation efficiency or brand alignment tend to, unsurprisingly, leave us cold. As employees we need to be both physically and psychologically comfortable. Usually, physical comfort is a central part of the design of workplaces. Unfortunately, psychological comfort is often not. If people aren’t both psychologically, as well as physically comfortable at work, they have less cognitive resources available to them. They are less productive, less creative and more stressed.
The cost and time involved to make large scale change to offices can seem overwhelming. However, new research has shown that even small changes to the workspace can have dramatic effects on the way people work. It will come as no surprise to many to discover that control over our environments makes a difference to how we feel. Personal control makes us feel more confident. Research has shown that employees who can personalise their space are 32% more productive. Two areas showing promising results are stand-up desks and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/nyregion/as-office-space-shrinks-so-does-privacy-for-workers?_r=0">retreat spaces</a> within the workplace.
The idea of retreating to spaces that restore us is not new. The sixteenth century philosopher Montaigne famously worked in a tower replete with vaulted ceilings, a library and even a bedroom. Seinfeld’s George Costanza stored a blanket, pillow and alarm clock under his desk so that he could take naps. Indeed, research shows that our need for prospect (or a view) and refuge remains biologically hardwired. <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=hoRooqUJwVsC&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR9&amp;dq=sally+augustin&amp;ots=uDaGqQl1RF&amp;sig=ah1vogGgrH8B7DTYh2JOLs4j5-M#v=onepage&amp;q=sally%20augustin&amp;f=false">Environmental psychologist Sally Augustin</a> notes this need for refuge helps us to restore our attention and feel psychologically safe. Indeed, Augustin notes this as a reason why booths in a restaurant fill up faster, perhaps reinforcing Mafia folklore that it’s a good idea to sit with your back to a wall.
Susan Cain, author of the New York Times bestseller Quiet, writes that solitude is an essential ingredient in innovation. Cain has recently been involved in a project to create <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/an-office-for-introverts/372130/#disqus_thread">retreat spaces</a> for introverts within the workplace. Refuge spaces allow employees to access a place where they can retreat from distraction to restore mentally and physically. These types of spaces, as well as different furniture configurations, are becoming increasingly important for employees to undertake focussed work.
Stand-up desks are now a more prevalent feature in offices following studies finding workers spend up to 80,000 seated during their working life, leading to numerous <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/cprc/docs/Reducing_Sitting_Workplace_Full.pdf">health issues</a>. New research however by Andrew Knight and Markus Baer at Washington University, has shown the benefits of stand-up desks go far beyond health. In an empirical study of 54 teams engaged in a creative task, Knight and Baer found that the use of stand-up desks, rather than traditional, sedentary office furniture, increased excitement around creative processes, decreased the tendency for people to defend their turf, leading to better information sharing, ideas and ultimately improved team performance.
A <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Rituals-How-Artists-Work/dp/0307273601">compilation</a> by Mason Currey on the workspaces and work habits of some of history’s most profilic thinkers highlights the vast (and often amusing) differences in how we work. There is no one size fits all, so whether we like to sit, stand, lie down, or decorate our desks with our gnome collection, the ability to alter our workspace and take refuge from it, are important to us all.
Libby Sander is a PhD Candidate at Griffith University.
Libby Sander advises organisations based on findings of her research. She has previously received research funding for a project from BeneAG.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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Why you should get up, stand up and even lie down at work: Libby Sander

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Sydney's south-west had 2014's highest housing capital growth, according to recent research by Knight Frank/Residex.
It put the region's annual growth at 15.6%, which was higher than the over all 12.9% Sydney metropolitan growth.
The next strongest was the north-west at 14.9% annual growth.
The city and south was the weakest growth region at 10.5% annual growth.
<img src="/images/2015/03/23/syd-mar-23-one.jpg" alt="">
 
<img src="/images/2015/03/23/syd-mar-23-two.jpg" alt="">
 
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Sydney's south-west records highest 2014 housing capital growth: Knight Frank/Residex

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/australias-largest-private-landholder-s-kidman--co-puts-business-up-for-sale-20150410-1mhz3a" target="_blank">announcement</a> of <a href="https://www.kidman.com.au/" target="_blank">S. Kidman &amp; Co</a>’s intention to sell their pastoral business and 11 leases marks a new waypoint in South Australia’s progress towards a post-colonial world. From the time when Sidney Kidman first cohabitated the bush with <a href="https://teq.queensland.com/~/media/185E91B3D97A4D08B60F585237250381.ashx?la=en-ME">Billy the Aboriginal</a> to the <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/apy-inquiries-still-under-wraps-no-action-taken-on-recommendations/story-fn9hm1pm-1227188926313?login=1">adjistment of stock</a> in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara-Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in 2014, Kidman’s history has been interwoven with Indigenous Australia. Not surprisingly the announcement has sparked interest across Indigenous social networks.
The company’s success has generated spectacular interest ever since Kidman’s first Kapunda horse sale in 1900. Kidman’s biographers <a href="https://www.idriess.com.au/thecattleking.htm">Idriess</a> (1936) and <a href="https://browseinside.harpercollins.com.au/index.aspx?isbn13=9780732286101">Bowen</a> (1987) provide fairly romantic pictures of the man and his early colonial success, which can be collaborated in Aboriginal accounts.
Kidman relied on good judgement of people, animals and land. At a time when others in industry were struggling to affirm terra nullius and Social Darwinism as necessities in the settler legal fiction, Kidman was recruiting indigenous “boundary riders” in places with no boundaries, branding cleanskin cattle and ensuring flows of cattle were heading to market.
Land-holding was secondary to maintaining flows and relationships. At his retirement dinner in 1927, Kidman <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/40773564" target="_blank">quoted a reputable authority</a>: “he never saw blacks happier or better cared for than at Macumba”.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/78694/area14mp/image-20150421-12015-bewyfy.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/78694/width237/image-20150421-12015-bewyfy.jpg" alt=""></a>
 ‘Cattle King’ Sidney Kidman built his company on good relations with the Indigenous inhabitants of the land. <a class="source" href="https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/06750/B6749.htm" target="_blank">State Library of South Australia</a>
Under successive Kidman managers, the station went on to devise strategies preventing a Macumba stolen generation. Multi-racial communities survived at Macumba until the late 1950s and at Anna Creek till 1979. Rain-makers were paid on productivity bonuses and aspects of customary law were easily maintained on Kidman stations.
Kidman stations became havens for those fleeing poor treatment elsewhere. In 1980, when I first arrived at Oodnadatta, I soon learned of stockman finding skulls with bullet holes in the dune country north-east of the Macumba. Not until 2014 did I learn that some of the same men were actually descended from <a href="https://archive.org/stream/RecordsSouthAus25Sout/RecordsSouthAus25Sout_djvu.txt" target="_blank">Wangkangurru survivors</a> who fled the killings in the Kalakoopah around 1884.
A long struggle for land rights
The passing of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anangu_Pitjantjatjara_Yankunytjatjara_Land_Rights_Act_1981" target="_blank">Pitjantjatjara Lands Act</a> in 1981 generated a sense of betrayal in Oodnadatta. Senior Yankunytjatjara men living at Oodnadatta had supported the bill, knowing that under customary law their own interests to the north-west would eventually be recognised. Those of Lower Southern Aranda and Wangkangurru descent had missed out.
My employers at the time, the men called me to a meeting: "How come that mob get their land back first? We work hard on stations and speak English. They don’t speak English and sit down all day and they get their land back first!"
It was a question I could not really answer, but I knew that somehow black, spear-carrying Pitjantjatjara symbolised “real Aborigines”, empowering a politic within the settler mythology. A month later, in April 1981, the men confronted the land minister, Peter Arnold, at the Oodnadatta airport. According to one department official, “the minister was sorely embarrassed”.
About the same time, Labor MLC Frank Blevins and the future deputy premier, Don Hopgood, met the Oodnadatta Aboriginal Housing Society chairperson, Aboriginal lawman and former Kidman employee, Sidney Stewart, on the police station lawn. (Two-and-a-half years later, in custody again, Stewart would die pushing the lawnmower.) Blevins and Hopgood looked out on streets paved with broken glass and vowed to do something about it.
Once in government, they did; Mt Dare station was purchased to become a national park. The pastoral leases that would have terminated around 2000 were converted into rolling 28-year leases, the closest thing to perpetuity for Kidmans. As early as 1983, the government began informal recognition of native title on non-indigenous pastoral leases, with the first attempts at mining industry “site clearances” to protect Aboriginal heritage in the Arckaringa basin.
In 2012, after a 14-year claim process, the Arabana were <a href="https://www.nntt.gov.au/News-and-Publications/latest-news/Pages/ArabananativetitleclaimresolvedinSouthAustralia.aspx" target="_blank">granted native title</a> to almost a fifth of South Australia. The determination remains controversial, with a lack of clarity as to who is really represented.
<a href="https://www.nntt.gov.au/ILUAs/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Indigenous land use agreements</a> (ILUAs) signed by the claimants and other parties transfer most future rights to the State of South Australia and other persons. The <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/un-declaration-rights-indigenous-peoples-1" target="_blank">United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a> (UNDRIP) provides for future economic development by Indigenous people, something expressly ruled out in the Arabana consent determination.
The <a href="https://nativetitle.org.au/profiles/profile_sa_arabana">Arabana Aboriginal Corporation</a> (RNTB) reported assets of around $3.3 million in 2014, a paltry sum compared to what may be realised in the Kidman sale and the “future acts” of the colonising government. As a result of native title, Kidman leases gained additional certainty.
While Western Australia’s <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-04/ningaloo-station-negotiations-western-australia/6279262">resumption of pastoral leases</a> for tourism and closure of Indigenous communities as a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-28/calls-for-apology-over-27lifestyle-choices27-comment/6298084" target="_blank">“lifestyle" change</a> make news, the 2013 <a href="https://www.nccarf.edu.au/publications/community-based-adaptation-arabana" target="_blank">Arabana Climate Change Adaptation Project</a> found Arabana people already living in cities and co-management with mining companies as two manifestations of climate-change adaptation.
‘How do we get the land back?’
When I returned to the north of South Australia last year, I discovered people still putting the same question: “How do we get the land back?” They are still sharing a vision of a post-colonial world that has yet to arrive. Despite the <a href="https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/dicc/dicc">outlawing of colonisation</a> by the United Nations in 1960, a second wave of colonisation has proceeded with increasing land enclosure masked by native title.
Coming as it does in a boom market, Kidman’s deserve to get a good price for the business; however, what will Central Australia’s future be like under new, less-related owners? While South Australia continues to be supported by <a href="https://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/landtitle.htm">settler legal fictions</a>, whose country is really up for sale?
Any sale is more likely to involve the Foreign Investment Review Board than the Indigenous Land Corporation. I cannot help wonder when the bones of Wangkangurru ancestors will stop surfacing east of the Macumba.
Paul Reader is senior research fellow at University of New England.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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Kidman’s sale marks second wave of South Australian colonisation: Paul Reader

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No longer the buoyant property market, quarterly rental data released recently by CoreLogic RP Data, show Perth rents for houses and units are down 5% plus over the past year.
The research analyst and report author Cameron Kusher noted the region with the toughest conditions for landlords was central metropolitan Perth rentals - down 10%.   <img src="/images/2015/04/10/perth-april-13-one.jpg" alt="" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
<a href="/images/2015/04/10/perth-april-13-two.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/04/10/perth-april-13-two.jpg" alt=""></a>
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Central metropolitan Perth rentals down 10%: CoreLogic RP Data

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Darwin gross rental yields range from 5.62% at Fannie Bay to 6.47% within the tightly held Darwin hub, according to recent Knight Frank/Residex research.
Darwin's overall gross rental apartment yield was 5.87%.
<img src="/images/2015/03/23/darwin-mar-23-one.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/images/2015/03/23/darwin-mar-23-two.jpg" alt="">
<a href="/images/2015/03/23/darwin-mar-23-three.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/03/23/darwin-mar-23-three.jpg" alt=""></a>
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Darwin's 5.87% gross rental apartment yield: Knight Frank/Residex

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Confidence in the real estate and construction sectors remains high, the latest ANZ/Property Council sentiment survey showed.
There was a weakening in some states, especially WA on the transition of the economy from the resources boom, the chief executive of the Property Council Ken Morrison said.
But property - expressly housing - was now the source of economic growth.
 <img src="/images/2015/04/23/anz-april-23-four.jpg" alt="" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
<img src="/images/2015/04/23/anz-april-23-five.jpg" alt="">
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Housing the source of economic growth: ANZ/Property Council

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Recent research shows there is only a $5 difference between median rents in regional Geelong and Melbourne, according to Knight Frank/Residex research.
Click to open in new windows:
<a href="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-one.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-one.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-two.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-two.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-three.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/03/23/melb-mar-23-three.jpg" alt=""></a>
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Only $5 difference between Geelong and Melbourne apartment rentals: Knight Frank

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The Property Council of Australia refutes claims made today that average Australian workers are not the main beneficiaries of negative gearing.
The latest available data from the Australian Taxation Office is indisputable and it shows that some of Australia’s most valued, but lower paid workers are the primary beneficiaries of negative gearing.
This includes the 42,000 nurses, midwives and aged care workers, 62,000 teachers and child carers, 12,300 emergency service workers and 83,000 clerical staff, who all earned around or under $80,000 p.a. and negatively geared a property in the 2012 Financial Year.
It is misleading to claim that these people only earn under $80,000 per annum because they substantially reduce their gross taxable income.
A detailed analysis of the ATO Tax Statistics shows, for example, that 8,885 registered nurses, 3,120 primary school teachers, 2,880 secondary school teachers, 3,350 education aides, and 2,945 child care workers all declared a net rental loss and had a taxable income of between $6,001 and $37,000 per annum.
Selected key professions from ATO Taxation Statistics 2011-12
<table style="width: 460px;" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Occupation[i][i]
(Taxable income less than $80,000 p.a.)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
No. declaring a net rental loss
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Emergency services workers
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
12,315
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Teachers and child carers
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
61,500
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Nurses, midwives and aged care workers
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
41,980
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Cleaners and housekeepers
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
6,940
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Clerical staff
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
83,280
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Hospitality trades
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
21,555
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Hairdressers
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
1,645
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Sales assistants
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
46,450
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Transport workers (truck, bus, rail and delivery drivers)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
15,525
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="395">
Tradies (carpenters, plumbers, garners, electricians, motor mechanics)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="213">
34,395
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
The data clearly shows that negative gearing is something middle Australia uses to help build their household wealth, build for their future, and provide security for their families.
Negative gearing provides an opportunity for average working Australians to save to get ahead.
Demonising negative gearing, or disregarding its substantial benefits - in terms of household and retirement savings, stimulating housing supply and rental affordability - willfully disadvantages some of the hardest working, lowest paid people in the country.
Negative gearing is predominantly used by young people and 91% of people who declare a net rental loss own only one or two properties.
These people aren’t the rich and famous, nor are they property barons, but they do deserve a fair go and that’s why negative gearing must remain.
Ken Morrison is the chief executive of the Property Council of Australia.
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Lower paid workers are the primary beneficiaries of negative gearing: PCA's Ken Morrison

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GUEST OBSERVATION
Tax concessions for investment housing include a 50% discount off normal individual tax rates on capital gains together with so-called ‘negative gearing’ arrangements, which allow investors to deduct ‘losses’ made on rental property investments (including interest on loan re-payments) from other income (including wages).
Deductions can, of course, be claimed for losses on other kinds of investments and this would not normally be regarded as a ‘tax concession’. The unique feature of ‘negative gearing’ for investments in assets such as property, shares, and agricultural schemes is that income from these investments often comes mainly from capital gains – the increase in the value of the asset over time.
Under the Capital Gains Tax rules these are only taxed when the asset is sold, and then at half the marginal tax rate. Yet expenses associated with the investment (especially interest payments on loans) can be deducted from tax annually and often exceed rental income.The tax system treats this as a ‘loss’. These ‘losses’ can be offset against other income that would otherwise be taxed at the full marginal rate (mainly wages).
In reality, in most cases the investment is not making a ‘loss’ because it is accruing capital gains. Otherwise there would be no point investing in these assets. If the tax system properly matched income and deductions, then either capital gains would be taxed each year at normal marginal tax rates or deductions for ‘losses’ could not be offset against other income until the capital gains are taxed on sale of the asset.
Whenever deductions for investment expenses are not properly matched with income, there is always a risk that people will maximise ‘losses’ in order to avoid tax on their other income.
This is achieved by structuring debt so that interest expenses on loans to purchase the asset exceed income from the investment such as rent, for instance by using more expensive ‘interest only’ loans (often with flexible interest re-payments so that investors can ensure their costs always exceed rental income), or by borrowing more to buy second and third properties as soon as the first one turns a ‘profit’.
In recent years, since superannuation legislation was amended to allow it, investors have been encouraged to borrow to invest in rental property through self-managed Super funds. A major advantage of this strategy is that capital gains on the sale of assets in Super funds are normally free of tax. Negative gearing is mainly used for rental property investment because housing is perceived to be a safe investment to borrow against, but it is also used to invest in agriculture (for example pine plantations), and shares (‘leveraged equities’).
The large-scale use of these tax schemes not only threatens public revenue and faith in the fairness of our tax system. It also reduces the efficiency of investment by encouraging people to invest with tax avoidance in mind rather than to achieve the best return at the least risk. It destabilises the economy by encouraging people to borrow more than they otherwise would and adding fuel to booms in asset prices – which are often followed by recessions.
Given that most negatively geared investment is in rental property, these schemes impact especially on housing markets. They encourage borrowing to speculate on housing prices, rather than patient investment in housing to achieve the best long term rental yield.
How widespread is their use? In the last year for which tax statistics are available (2011) two thirds of individual rental property investors – 1.2 million people - reported deductable losses of $14 billion. When those who reported profits from rental properties are included, taxpayers still claimed $8 billion in net rental losses overall in that year. Both the overall number of rental property investors, and the proportion who are negatively geared, have risen dramatically since 2000, when tax rates on personal capital gains were halved.
<img src="/images/2015/04/22/neg-april-22-one.jpg" alt="">
Source (figures 4-6): Eslake (2014)Op.cit
What do they cost and who gains? The Grattan Institute calculated that the cost of negative gearing concessions (compared to a regime in which deductions could only be claimed against income from the same investment) was $2 billion in 2011-12. The cost of the 50% discount on Capital Gains Tax for individual investors was $5 billion.
There is a perception that negatively geared investors are mostly middle income earners – so called ‘mum and dad investors’. This claim is usually based on the Tax Statistics data on individual taxpayers produced by the ATO. These data should be used with caution as they understate the incomes of negatively-geared rental property investors for the following reasons:
<ul>
<li>Taxpayers are divided according to taxable income, which is artificially reduced by tax deductions arising from negative gearing strategies;</li>
<li>Many property investors (especially those with higher incomes) control their investments through private trusts.</li>
<li>They are listed in the tax statistics as recipients of trust income rather than direct property investors.</li>
</ul>
When the Reserve Bank compared investment in rental property by individual taxpayers at different levels of total income (rather than taxable income), they found that over half of all geared rental property investors earned over $100,000 (the top 10% of taxpayers in 2011) and 30% earned over $500,000.
<img src="/images/2015/04/22/neg-april-22-two.jpg" alt="">
Source: RBA (2014) “Financial stability review, September 2014. Box C: Households’ investment property exposures, evidence from tax and survey data.”
At the household level, the tax benefits of negative gearing and the Capital Gains Tax discount go mainly to those with high incomes.
In 2006, households in the highest income quintile (top 20%) received an average benefit of $73 per week from negative gearing and $30 per week from the capital gains tax discount. When combined ($103 per week), this was twice the benefit received by the middle quintile ($45 per week) and over 12 times what the lowest income quintile receives (a combined eight dollars per week).
<img src="/images/2015/04/22/neg-april-22-three.jpg" alt="">
Source: Yates (2010) in Stewart ‘Housing and Tax Policy’. Tax concessions by gross household income quintile, 2006.
Weekly benefit from negative gearing is averaged over only those households with negative rental income. Sourced from Melbourne Institute HILDA survey.
This is an exerpt from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) report, ‘Fuel on the fire: Negative gearing, Capital Gains Tax and housing affordability. Read the full report <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/media/release/new_report_calls_for_action_on_negative_gearing_and_capital_gains_tax" target="_blank">here</a>.
Peter Davidson is senior advisor with ACOSS.
Ro Evans is policy officer with ACOSS.
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Negative gearing and CGT discounts - how these tax breaks work: ACOSS

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Buoyant property market conditions do not always mean that all sectors of the property market are performing well according to quarterly rental data released today by CoreLogic RP Data research analyst and report author Cameron Kusher.
Kusher said: “With new housing supply increasing and investor purchasing at record highs we have seen a significant slowdown in the rate of rental growth over the past couple of years and we expect this trend to continue over the coming year."
CoreLogic RP Data's Quarterly Rental Review results show that over the first quarter of 2015 national house and unit rental rates increased by just 1.3% while advertised weekly house and unit rents have risen 1.2% at a combined capital city level over the three months to the end of March 2015.
Click to open in new window:
<a href="/images/2015/04/10/brisbane-april-13-one.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/04/10/brisbane-april-13-one.jpg" alt=""></a>
<a href="/images/2015/04/10/brisbane-april-13-two.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/images/2015/04/10/brisbane-april-13-two.jpg" alt=""></a>
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Clarebear/ <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>.
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Ipswich house rents in reverse: CoreLogic RP Data

Local developer Harridan is seeking to turn its Woolloongabba apartment project into the first stage of a broader transformation of Burke Street, using a new 16-storey mixed-use building to establish a greener pedestrian connection toward the rapidly evolving Boggo Road transport and knowledge precinct.

The South East Queensland developer has filed plans for 154 apartments on the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/4-burke-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">southern side of Burke Street</a>, where its proposal has been designed alongside a wider vision by LatStudios for the street.

That vision positions the southern side of Burke Street for buildings of 15 storeys and above, while envisaging lower-rise development of up to five storeys on the northern side to transition into Woolloongabba's existing character housing. It also proposes wider pedestrian verges, deep planting, new street trees and upgrades to the pedestrian approach to Boggo Road Station.

The Harridan development itself has been designed by Brisbane-based Arqus Design and will comprise 154 apartments across 16 storeys. The mix is weighted heavily toward two-bedroom apartments, with 121 proposed alongside 10 one-bedroom and 23 three-bedroom residences. There will typically be around 14 units per floor.

A lower-ground car park and three podium levels will accommodate 156 resident parking spaces, along with visitor and commercial parking. There will also be 154 resident bicycle spaces and 40 visitor bicycle parks.

&nbsp;

Harridan is a family-owned developer and part of the Holmwood Highgate Group, with more than three decades of development activity across South East Queensland. Its portfolio spans residential, commercial and industrial property, with current residential projects including Riverbank on Byron in Bulimba, Esperance Residences in Carina and The Precinct at Kinross Road in Thornlands.

Wooloongabba has been popular for apartment developers, particularly since the announcement of the 2032 Summer Olympics games in Brisbane.

While there have been a lot of development applications, it has failed to materialize into real supply.&nbsp;

Sarazin has been the major player in the area. They are under construction at Murcia Residences, on the fringe of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba. They have just launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-stanley-residences-woolloongabba-8-trafalgar-street-woolloongabba-qld-4102">The Stanley Residences</a>, in Woolloongabba on Trafalagar Street. They also have Nuage coming soon on the nearby <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nuage-woolloongabba-14-wellington-road-woolloongabba-qld-4102">Wellington Road</a>.

Joel Robinson

First look: Harridan plans Burke Street transformation beside Boggo Road transport hub

IN BRIEF

<ul>
	<li>
	Just three double-storey Sky Homes sit at the top of The Waterline, each with its own private marina berth and rooftop terrace.
	</li>
	<li>
	Construction on The Waterline is complete, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.
	</li>
	<li>
	Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and are priced from $3.65 million.
	</li>
</ul>

<hr />
Lewis Land has opened the first completed sky home for inspection at Harbour Shores, giving buyers their first opportunity to step inside one of just three double-storey residences crowning The Waterline.

Each sky home comes with its own private marina berth, rooftop terrace and Broadwater views, combining the scale of a larger home with direct access to the boating lifestyle that underpins the wider <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/harbour-shores-biggera-waters-564-oxley-drive-biggera-waters-qld-4216">Harbour Shores</a> masterplan.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366708]

Lewis Land Head of Development Michael Long said the inclusion of a berth with every Sky Home had become increasingly valuable as marina access across the Gold Coast tightened.

“Marina berths are becoming increasingly difficult to secure across the Gold Coast, so including one with every Sky Home makes this a genuinely rare offering,” Long said.

“The private 70-berth marina will accommodate boats up to 12 metres in length and is positioned just 2.5 kilometres from the Broadwater, placing the open ocean only 15 minutes away.

“Being able to step out of your home onto your boat is a rare luxury, and it’s something residents here can look forward to when it opens later this year.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=113271 project_image_fid=366709]

The display opening comes as construction completes on The Waterline, with the first residents expected to move in from mid-October.

The three Sky Homes range from 282 sqm to 367 sqm and each feature three bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive kitchens with butler's pantries and large balconies taking in the Broadwater outlook.

Each residence also has three secure basement car spaces and additional storage.

“This is the first opportunity the Gold Coast has had to step into Harbour Shores and see, touch and feel what we’re bringing to life here,” Long said.

“There are only three Sky Homes within The Waterline, ranging in size from 282sqm to 367sqm, with each residence featuring three large bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones, expansive custom-built kitchens with butler’s pantry, and large balconies capturing Broadwater views.”

<img alt="Harbour Shores" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bab65e10-4fab-45e1-92d8-fc56e2ab98ff" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-25%20at%202.00.16%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=XT8q76LsPkw3cYTsvN3JfFDaPLud90PN" />

Residents of The Waterline will have access to a private pool, along with Harbour Shores' wider collection of amenity including a lagoon pool, social clubhouse, tennis court, gym, yoga facilities and sauna.

Lewis Land partnered with Studio Collective to furnish the completed display, with the interiors designed to demonstrate how the residences could function as permanent homes rather than simply as show apartments.

Studio Collective Director Melissa Park said the surrounding waterways informed the interiors, but in a more restrained way than a traditional coastal scheme.

“We drew inspiration from the canals and coastal surrounds, but our approach was to interpret that subtly through layered materials and a grounded palette of earthy tones, rather than literal coastal references,” Park said.

“We introduced hero moments of green and teal to reference the surrounding waterways, while mirrored elements help reflect natural light.

“The result is a residence that feels elevated yet comfortable, somewhere buyers can genuinely imagine themselves living, entertaining and unwinding.”

Sky Homes are priced from $3.65 million.

Lewis Land is also offering private marina berths with The Residences, its limited collection of three and four-bedroom villas positioned directly along the Harbour Shores waterfront boardwalk.

Three-bedroom villas are priced from $2.99 million, while four-bedroom residences start from $3.19 million.

Harbour Shores is being marketed by Colliers International.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=113271]

Lewis Land opens sky home display as The Waterline completes at Harbour Shores

St Vincent de Paul Society Housing Australia has filed plans for a major mixed-use housing precinct on the southern edge of the North Sydney CBD, adding another significant proposal to a pocket around North Sydn​ey Station that is quickly becoming one of the LGA's busiest development zones.

The State Significant Development Application covers a 5,990 sqm site at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/1-19-mackenzie-street-lavender-bay-nsw-2060">1-19 MacKenzie Street and 211 Blues Point Road in Lavender Bay</a>, immediately south of Nor​th Sydney Station and between the commercial core and the lower-rise Lavender Bay Heritage Conservation Area.

Designed by Wardle, the proposal would deliver a new residential tower comprising 88 build-to-sell apartments and 19 affordable apartments, alongside a separate co-living building with 57 rooms and a building manager's studio.

It would also see the significant restoration and upgrade of St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, the adaptive reuse of the former school building, new parish facilities, retail, a new public square and around 1,000 sqm of publicly accessible open space.

<img alt="Vinnies North Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d5dd7f87-a617-463e-b577-17541e01f0e9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.13%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=4R8TsFN3P_LrrXO2HswTOIrx2blil8lh" />

The project is seeking a concurrent rezoning of the site to R4 High Density Residential and an increase in the maximum building height to allow a tower reaching RL120, or up to 20 storeys. The proposal was progressed through the NSW Government's Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The build-to-sell component will be weighted toward larger apartments, with just six one-bedroom apartments compared with 31 two-beds, 43 three-beds and eight four-bedroom residences.

The 19 affordable apartments will comprise two studios, 15 one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments, taking the total apartment component to 107 residences before the 58 co-living rooms are included.

<img alt="Vnnies" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7d568ca5-cb90-4e18-96c6-d9795dba0c56" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.10.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=GY2R5M9VtQh0EKy1vajaea19PSLOPuRD" />

Wardle's design for the Vinnies site has sought to negotiate that emerging high-rise context while retaining the lower-scale character of MacKenzie Street and the adjoining heritage conservation area.

The main building adopts a three-storey podium and tower arrangement, with the podium aligned to the ridgeline and front setback of St Francis Xavier Church.&nbsp;Wardle has designed the podium with colonnades, seating, recessed entries and active ground-floor frontages, with sandstone-toned precast concrete and face brick referencing the materiality of the existing church.

The tower then steps back eight metres to the south and six metres to the north before rising in a sculpted form comprising four interlocking quadrants. Wardle has also introduced rounded forms and chamfered corners to reduce the tower's perceived bulk and improve view sharing with neighbouring development sites.

Resident facilities and outdoor areas are planned at the separation between the podium and tower at Level 3, oriented toward Sydney Harbour and the CBD skyline.

The tower itself will feature a glass reinforced concrete facade, with recessed balconies and deep reveals used both to provide shading and privacy and frame views toward the harbour and city. The lower levels take a different architectural approach, using brick and sandstone-toned finishes intended to establish a stronger relationship with St Francis Xavier Church. The Church itself will be conserved and upgraded for its continued use, while the former school building will be adaptively reused as part of the co-living component.

<img alt="Lavendar Bay" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d4418ad-90aa-4d49-af93-c80b140aea80" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%209.09.47%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=Kv4gzbsACaGvZSRuaqcfGC54jEJRXIDJ" />

&nbsp;

The proposal adds to an increasingly concentrated pipeline of residential development around Blue Street, MacKenzie Street and Lavender Bay.

Just west of the site, Central Element lodged plans earlier this year for one of the most significant residential developments proposed in Lavender Bay in recent years.

Central Element's SJB-designed scheme at 64-66 Lavender Street and 3-7 Middlemiss Street would deliver 163 apartments across two towers rising 23 and 32 storeys, replacing five existing apartment buildings containing 32 homes. The project also forms part of the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-central-element-reveals-lavender-bay-apartment-plans?utm_source=chatgpt.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">First look: Central Element reveals Lavender Bay apartment plans</a>

Immediately around North Sy​dney Station, another two significant proposals have emerged at 5 and 15 Blue Street.

Zurich Australian Insurance Properties is seeking to adaptively reuse its longstanding commercial building at 5 Blue Street, directly above North Sydney Station, rather than demolishing the structure.

Its SSDA proposes converting the building into a 14-storey mixed-use development with 62 apartments and 86 co-living rooms, together with ground-floor retail and a major refurbishment of Blue Street Plaza. The application is currently at the Response to Submissions stage.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-zurich-targets-north-sydney-office-conversion-with-148-unit-proposal-above-metro-station">First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station</a>

&nbsp;

First look: Vinnies files for 20-storey Lavender Bay apartment tower as North Sydney housing pocket heats up

When the opportunity arose for South Australian developer Palumbo to return to Kent Town, where it had previously delivered East Park Apartments and the East 
Rundle Apartments, it wasn't one the longstanding developer-builder was going to pass up.

The decision was quickly vindicated, with more than 30 apartments sold within the first month of launching <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/royal-apartments-kent-town-2-8-north-terrace-kent-town-sa-5067">Royal Apartments</a> to the market.

The 206-apartment development, which will bring significant new supply to Adelaide's tightly held eastern city fringe, also gives <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/palumbo">Palumbo</a> the opportunity to bring new life to one of Kent Town's most recognisable watering holes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376073]

Royal Apartments incorporates the historic Royal Hotel, a venue Palumbo Managing Director Daniel Palumbo said has a longstanding connection with the local community.

"Everyone in the area has history with the Royal Hotel," Palumbo told Apartments.com.au.

"It was quite an active pub and social gathering place for locals. We want to bring it back to its former glory."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376072]

The wider development will comprise two residential towers alongside the restored hotel, sitting on North Terrace opposite the Adelaide Park Lands.

For Palumbo, the project also marks a return to familiar territory.

The developer completed East Park Apartments next door more than a decade ago and jumped at the opportunity to develop in Kent Town again when the Royal Hotel site became available.

"The opportunity emerged, and we moved to secure the site," Palumbo said.

"We were approached by the previous landowner, who said they had extensive commitments in Sydney and weren't in a position to deliver the project.

"We took over the site and within six months recut the design scheme to be more in keeping with the type of development we want to bring to Adelaide.

"Now we're on the market and those changes have really resonated with local buyers."

That has translated into a strong start to sales, with 33 apartments transacting in the project's first 35 days.

Palumbo said the early purchaser profile had been consistent with the group's traditional focus on owner-occupiers rather than investor-led apartment stock.

"Local owner-occupiers have always been our market," he said.

"There are always some investors, but we've never developed what would be called traditional development stock. Owner-occupiers are very much our market."

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376068]

The buyer mix has been diverse so far, with downsizers and younger professionals both accounting for a significant portion of early sales.

South Australia's current stamp duty settings, which allow&nbsp;eligible homeowners in South Australia aged 60 savings of up to $103,830 on stamp duty when they downsize to a new property valued at up to $2 million,&nbsp;have helped encourage downsizer activity, while younger buyers in their late 20s and early 30s have been attracted to the opportunity to live immediately outside the CBD while still being able to walk into the city.



Location has been a major part of the proposition for both buyer cohorts.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376075]

Royal Apartments sits on North Terrace directly opposite the Adelaide Park Lands, with residents able to walk through the parklands toward the East End, Rundle Street and Rundle Mall.

Apartments have been positioned to capture views across the parklands, Adelaide skyline, Botanic Gardens and Adelaide Hills.

Palumbo believes the scarcity of developable land along this section of the Park Lands makes the site particularly difficult to replicate.

"There's very few allotments on that side that can be developed," he said.

"If this location was in New York and you were sitting on Central Park, you'd be talking about a $60 million apartments."

Royal Apartments will offer a broad mix of residences, ranging from one-bedroom apartments through to four-bedroom sub-penthouses and penthouses.

Current listings include one-bedroom apartments from $680,000, while larger three and four-bedroom residences are priced around $2.5 million.

Residents will have access to a swimming pool, gym, barbecue and recreation areas, residents' lounge and dining space, and a communal deck.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=6109 project_image_fid=376067]

The apartments will feature generous balconies, while secure parking, bicycle storage and storage cages will also be provided.

A porte-cochère-style arrival and drop-off area has also resonated with buyers, particularly those attracted to being able to walk into the CBD during the day while retaining secure vehicle access at home.

Palumbo is acting as developer, architect and builder on Royal Apartments, continuing the vertically integrated model it has used across its South Australian portfolio.

The group was also behind the $150 million Sofitel Adelaide, the 251-room five-star hotel and residential tower which opened in 2021.

Palumbo said Royal's launch had come at an interesting time for the broader Adelaide apartment market.

Buyer confidence had initially been impacted by uncertainty surrounding the Federal Budget and broader economic conditions, but Palumbo believes sentiment is beginning to improve against a backdrop of significant investment flowing into South Australia.

He pointed to increased activity across defence and resources, including Olympic Dam, as potential long-term drivers of the state's economy and housing market.

"Money is starting to flow into Adeliade, significant amounts as Adelaide bucks the trend of the rest of the country.," Palumbo said.

"There's a lot of activity in the economy over the next decade. I think more investment will come into this market."

Early works on Royal Apartments are expected to commence this year, with major construction activity and cranes anticipated on site from early next year.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=6109]

Palumbo's return to Kent Town strikes early chord with buyers

Go-to builder-developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/graya">GRAYA</a> is continuing to bulk out its already impressive and diverse apartment portfolio across South East Queensland. Their latest milestone is securing development approval for Silk, its boutique riverfront apartment development in St Lucia.

The approval clears&nbsp;the way for the team to begin construction planning for the 22-residence project.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/silk-st-lucia-16-18-sandford-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">Silk</a> will rise 15 levels from an 810 sqm site at 16-18 Sandford Street, occupying a prominent bend of the Brisbane River with a prized northern aspect across Orleigh Park toward the Brisbane CBD.

The approved scheme will comprise 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences, continuing GRAYA's move into larger-format apartment developments targeting Brisbane's prestige owner-occupier market.

The project has been designed around the site's broad river frontage and dual-direction views, with GRAYA prioritising larger residences, privacy and outlook over apartment yield.

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa5c2349-f96c-4914-a812-1f2cd6827af8" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=WY0vEU_7vYjeRJKQHiCwFdMxu8PvFh52" />

GRAYA Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Rob Gray said the project had been shaped around local homeowners wanting to remain in St Lucia without maintaining a traditional family home.

"St Lucia is one of those suburbs people do not want to leave," Gray said.

"They know the river, the trees, UQ, the golf course, Toowong and Indooroopilly, and that familiarity is hard to replace.

"True riverfront opportunities here are exceptionally scarce. What we have designed at Silk is a way to stay in the suburb people love, with the scale and privacy of a private home and far less to maintain.

"This is not typical apartment product. It is a proper home on the river, and that is exactly what this market has been missing."

The approval comes as new apartment development continues to increase across the St Lucia and neighbouring Toowong corridor, although direct riverfront sites remain considerably more tightly held.

GRAYA Co-founder and Managing Director Andrew Gray said securing the approval had removed a significant element of development risk from Silk.

"Genuine riverfront sites of this quality in St Lucia are not something that comes up regularly," Gray said.

"The approval removes a substantial layer of execution risk, and the location underwrites demand in a way very few inner-city sites can.

"The fundamentals here are as strong as anything we have assessed in Brisbane."

<img alt="Silk St Lucia" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d0f3d734-65e1-48e8-8ed3-2e0715ffcdd9" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-26%20at%208.25.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=sOLSs_jdHkXLWbBKzRyayf5BfTb2vPsD" />

Silk will see GRAYA return to a stretch of the Brisbane River where it already has recent construction experience. The vertically integrated group recently completed ARC in neighbouring Toowong as builder for developer Spyre, delivering the riverfront project on a constrained site.

GRAYA will take a different role at Silk, controlling the project from design and development through construction and aftercare under its vertically integrated model.

The development will include a gym and resident leisure areas at ground level, integrated with the river's edge.

Silk joins a growing pipeline for GRAYA across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which includes Enclave, The Gallery, Coral and Ripple.

The developer-builder has also recently lodged plans for its largest project to date, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-silo-19-chester-street-newstead-qld-4006">The Silo</a>, a proposed <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/qld/graya-buys-frasers-newstead-site-plans-the-silo-between-james-street-and-gasworks-precincts">$700 million mixed-use development</a> in Brisbane's James Street precinct.

Silk is expected to predominantly target local owner-occupiers and prestige buyers seeking a permanent riverfront home in Brisbane's inner west.

Registrations of interest are now open, with further details on the project and construction program to be released as it progresses.

<hr />
<h2>SILK PROJECT FACTS</h2>

Developer-builder: GRAYA

Project: Silk

Location: 16-18 Sandford Street, St Lucia

Apartments: 22

Built form: 15 levels

Site: 810 sqm riverfront holding

Mix: 16 split-floor and six full-floor residences

Status: Development approved

Next step: Construction planning underway

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152168]

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