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As COVID-19 pandemic measures see corporate travel grinding to a halt, directly wreaking havoc on the business accommodation sector, national corporate accommodation provider, Urban Rest Apartments, has responded with a nation-wide temporary 14 day COVID-19 self-isolation package.
Aimed at corporate travellers returning from overseas, as well as local families seeking a more comfortable self-isolation experience, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/urbanrest.com.au." target="_blank">the package</a>’s nightly rates equate to less than half the company’s standard rates. 
 
Available under the temporary offer, alongside their existing nationwide portfolio, is a brand new five-star luxury hotel in Sydney’s inner suburbs, which was recently added to Urban Rest’s accommodation range, and features 90 serviced apartment-style suites offering indulgent living spaces and standout hotel experiences. 
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/4/1/image%204.jpg" alt="">
All of the properties offered include full kitchens, internal laundries and large living spaces as standard, with food hampers and additional sanitising and cleaning equipment available for those in self-isolation.
Under the COVID-19 self-isolation package, properties available in Urban Rest’s portfolio start from prices as low as $120 per night.
Urban Rest’s founder and Managing Director, David Whelan, said: “Many corporates are accommodating their returning international business travellers in standard hotel rooms, which sees them holed up in tiny spaces where they are having to live and try to work productively in really challenging environments, during their self-isolation.  
“In contrast, we’re offering larger and more comfortable apartments and houses at a heavily reduced rate, at a time when health and wellbeing is paramount. 
“We feel it’s imperative for accommodation providers to step up to the mark and do what we can for people during these unprecedented times – and that goes for everyone in the community.  
“Whilst we hope to see business travel, which is our normal target market, rebound over the coming months, the focus for us at Urban Rest, for the immediate future anyway, is to assist the community during this pandemic. We all need to play our part.” 
Launched in 2017 by Mr Whelan, who brought his investment management experience to the start-up enterprise, Urban Rest has rapidly grown its portfolio of high-quality serviced apartments and houses to five cities in Australia, with apartments in Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, as well as an expansion to New Zealand on the horizon. 
Urban Rest’s impressive collection of residences in central locations include The Arc by Crown and York &amp; George in Sydney’s CBD. Its clients include blue-chip giants such as McKinsey &amp; Co, Boston Consulting Group, KPMG, Amazon and Canva, all using the service for their long-stay accommodation needs.
“Our properties are either new or recently renovated to ensure high quality consistency throughout our portfolio, so it’s pleasing to offer these premium properties to the broader community to make their self-isolation periods a far more comfortable experience,” added Mr Whelan.
“This is incredibly important at the moment when the lines between the workplace and home have become increasingly blurred with so many of us having to work from home. These apartments provide bigger liveable spaces to offset this inconvenience at this most challenging time.” 
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Urban Rest offers COVID-19 pandemic self-isolation packages

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Hidden within the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/04/australian-hotels-face-ruin-if-coronavirus-impact-on-tourism-worsens-industry-chiefs-say?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Outlook" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">coronavirus-devastated tourism market</a> is a related impact: the loss of customers could be financially devastating for <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/room-to-grow-seniors-incomes-as-retirees-become-entrepreneurs/news-story/1477d2497a7a5844151aed2c47de5a89" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">small investors who dominate</a> short-term letting platforms such as Airbnb. After a decade of high returns, they may now wonder whether a return to the secure, if slightly less lucrative, long-term residential tenancy market is a safer bet. If investors shift from short-term letting to long-term rentals in search of greater security, this would benefit the <a href="https://theconversation.com/retiree-home-ownership-is-about-to-plummet-soon-little-more-than-half-will-own-where-they-live-115255" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">growing numbers of Australians in rental housing</a>.
With the coronavirus pandemic there are signs this is already happening. In Dublin, for example, a <a href="https://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/rise-of-64pc-in-rental-properties-across-dublin-in-midst-of-coronavirus-crisis-daft-report-39061809" target="_blank">64% rise in long-term rental properties</a> has been reported this month. It’s thought landlords are withdrawing from short-term listing sites and offering properties on the rental market.
Until now, rising property prices have forced more Australians into long-term renting even as short-term letting has <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-wins-and-who-loses-when-platforms-like-airbnb-disrupt-housing-and-how-do-you-regulate-it-106234" target="_blank">eaten into the supply</a> of properties. Young adults once dominated the rental market. It’s fast becoming a more permanent solution for families and even for <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-in-ageing-australians-home-ownership-rates-looms-as-seismic-shock-for-housing-policy-120651" target="_blank">older Australians</a>. <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/88BF225497426920CA257F5C000989A8?Opendocument" target="_blank">One in three households</a> now rent their homes.
So, with almost <a href="https://theconversation.com/ever-wondered-how-many-airbnbs-australia-has-and-where-they-all-are-we-have-the-answers-129003" target="_blank">350,000 Australian properties having been listed on Airbnb</a>, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45083954" target="_blank">impact on local communities</a> can be significant. The increase in short-term lettings has been linked to <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/airbnb-we-are-putting-tourists-into-houses-and-homeless-people-in-hotels-4041501-Jun2018/" target="_blank">increasing homelessness</a>.
<h2>Why landlords will look for security</h2>
Beyond the immediate impact of coronavirus on tourism in Australia, it’s possible the increased risks in the holiday lettings market may provide the impetus to align the interests of landlords and tenants around longer-term tenure.
Despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison <a href="https://www.accomnews.com.au/2020/02/travel-platforms-blamed-for-forcing-operators-to-pay-refunds/" target="_blank">urging vacationers not to ask for refunds</a> from struggling operators, the tourism downturn has introduced a new level of risk for hosts. Airbnb has enacted a policy of <a href="https://www.accomnews.com.au/2020/02/travel-platforms-blamed-for-forcing-operators-to-pay-refunds/" target="_blank">full refunds for cancellations</a>, which is <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/business/small-business/incredibly-challenging-travel-shutdown-uncertainty-for-airbnb-20200323-p54cx0" target="_blank">reported to be</a> “completely obliterating smaller hosts”.
Other platforms are advising hosts to manage COVID-19 risk themselves. This leaves many investor-landlords <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-02-19/airbnb-hosts-try-navigate-coronavirus-challenges" target="_blank">navigating a complex, public health crisis largely on their own</a>.
With some of our most popular destinations <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-18/gold-coast-tourism-industry-declares-coronavirus-crisis/11977278" target="_blank">facing an existential crisis</a>, the impacts on small business, working families and low-income Australians may be both obscured but far-reaching, as the Airbnb example shows. Big players in the tourism industry can <a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/thebriefing/max-opray/2020/03/06/tourism-ministers-seek-virus-help" target="_blank">lobby federal government</a> for support. Individual agents in the share economy are largely unprotected.
To date, the home-share concept has been a winner for property investors. Holiday letting has largely moved on from the original Airbnb model of sharing one’s primary residence. Letting through digital platforms with access to a global market of tourists has brought high-rent, low-risk dividends for people with investment properties.
The coronavirus pandemic, however, is revealing cracks in the foundations of the holiday-letting model.
<h2>What has happened to renters?</h2>
<a href="https://hbr.org/2019/04/research-when-airbnb-listings-in-a-city-increase-so-do-rent-prices" target="_blank">Research</a> suggests the digital disruption of the holiday accommodation sector has had significant impacts on local renters. There is little doubt tourist demand through online letting platforms has reduced the supply and increased prices of long-term rental housing in Australia, particularly <a href="https://theconversation.com/airbnb-whos-in-whos-out-and-what-this-tells-us-about-rental-impacts-in-sydney-and-melbourne-95865" target="_blank">in parts of our capital cities</a>.
Likewise in Europe, where <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/20/ten-cities-ask-eu-for-help-to-fight-airbnb-expansion" target="_blank">one in four rental properties</a> in some tourist destinations is now a holiday property. This has led some governments <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/083115/top-cities-where-airbnb-legal-or-illegal.asp" target="_blank">to introduce strict regulation</a>. It includes licensing, fines and limits on the number of days a property can be let each year.
Australia has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-governments-are-treading-lightly-around-airbnb-76389" target="_blank">slower to respond</a>, despite <a href="https://jamesons.com.au/blog/australias-new-subletting-legislation-will-affect-airbnb/" target="_blank">observations</a> that Airbnb is “impacting the rental market and … bringing the cost of housing up”. Even in Tasmania, which has the <a href="https://www.planningreform.tas.gov.au/updates/short-stay-accommodation-act-2019" target="_blank">strongest market regulation</a>, <a href="https://jamesons.com.au/blog/australias-new-subletting-legislation-will-affect-airbnb/" target="_blank">one in every 27</a> Hobart homes remains listed for short-term lease. Similarly, in Sydney and Melbourne, growth in the sector has <a href="https://theconversation.com/airbnb-whos-in-whos-out-and-what-this-tells-us-about-rental-impacts-in-sydney-and-melbourne-95865" target="_blank">driven up rental housing costs</a>.
In New South Wales, <a href="https://picagroup.com.au/end-short-term-letting/" target="_blank">fines for unregistered holiday lets have increased by 500%</a>. But councils struggle to enforce laws that landlords are either unaware of or <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-26/airbnb-faces-new-clampdown-in-push-to-regulate-accommodation/11551652" target="_blank">actively avoid</a> complying with.
Home ownership has become a privilege in Australia, one <a href="https://theconversation.com/rising-inequality-in-australia-isnt-about-incomes-its-almost-all-about-housing-119872" target="_blank">driving disadvantage</a> among those who are locked out. For a single age pensioner, for example <a href="https://www.anglicare.asn.au/research-advocacy/the-rental-affordability-snapshot/docs/default-source/default-document-library/final---rental-affordability-snapshot9d02da309d6962baacc1ff0000899bca" target="_blank">less than 1% of rental housing is affordable</a>. And long-term rental housing stock is <a href="https://theconversation.com/dangerous-to-human-health-thats-a-housing-problem-much-bigger-than-a-few-high-profile-apartment-blocks-120656" target="_blank">often of poor quality</a>.
<h2>Time for a rethink</h2>
Australia’s rental housing system <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-housing-system-needs-a-big-shake-up-heres-how-we-can-crack-this-130291" target="_blank">undeniably needs a rethink</a>. The sector presents a growing problem for state and territory governments, in terms of both the <a href="https://theconversation.com/growing-numbers-of-renters-are-trapped-for-years-in-homes-they-cant-afford-125216" target="_blank">supply of affordable rental properties</a> and finding the right <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-open-letter-on-rental-housing-reform-103825" target="_blank">balance between landlord and tenant rights</a>.
Government measures to increase the availability of rental housing through tax incentives, such as negative gearing, are unfortunately not restricted to landlords who offer longer-term tenure. To date there has been little financial incentive to eschew the higher returns of the Airbnb model for the relative stability of residential tenancies.
In times of crisis, Australians pull together. During the summer bushfires, we saw Airbnb hosts offer <a href="https://mashable.com/article/airbnb-australia-bushfire-accommodation/" target="_blank">emergency housing</a> to displaced families. They recognised the critical importance of a safe and secure home – a sanctuary. We need to recognise this critical function of home beyond times of crisis, to ensure every Australian has a <a href="https://percapita.org.au/our_work/home-for-good/" target="_blank">home for good</a>.
Per Capita’s Centre for Applied Policy in Positive Ageing is launching its Home for Good project in collaboration with The Australian Centre for Social Innovation today. You can read their policy brief on Australia’s private rental housing market <a href="https://bit.ly/homeforgood_prb" target="_blank">here</a>.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134036/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/myfan-jordan-902873" target="_blank">Myfan Jordan</a>, Associate, Health Ageing Research Group (HARG), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842" target="_blank">La Trobe University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-coronavirus-hits-holiday-lettings-a-shift-to-longer-rentals-could-help-many-of-us-134036" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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As coronavirus hits holiday lettings, a shift to longer rentals could help many of us

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In modern cities, our public spaces represent our shared values. They are our common assets, owned, maintained and used by all members of our society. The outbreak of coronavirus and its immediate impacts, such as social distancing, have raised many questions about the role of public space in such times.
Since the World Health Organisation declared the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51839944" target="_blank">COVID-19 pandemic</a>, countries had been forced to adopt social isolation measures very quickly. <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/no-handshakes-1-5m-distances-new-social-rules-for-australians-20200315-p54a96" target="_blank">Australia</a> has progressively increased enforceable <a href="https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-entertainment-venues-closed-in-draconian-measures-to-fight-the-virus-134360" target="_blank">social distancing measures</a>. India’s nearly 1.4 billion people have been <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/india-imposes-world-s-largest-lockdown-to-prevent-spread-of-virus-20200325-p54dkf" target="_blank">ordered not to leave their homes</a>. In Europe, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/spain-imposes-italy-style-lockdown-bid-coronavirus-200314233749980" target="_blank">first Italy</a>, then <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-which-countries-are-under-lockdown-and-who-s-next" target="_blank">Spain, France, Belgium</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/boris-johnson-orders-uk-lockdown-to-be-enforced-by-police" target="_blank">the UK</a> have entered periods of total lockdown. It’s happening closer to home in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/kiwis-go-home-new-zealand-to-go-into-month-long-lockdown-to-fight-coronavirus" target="_blank">New Zealand</a>.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/4/1/5_Cities3.jpg" alt="">
Instead of the usual crowds, the view from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy, is of a deserted street and square. Maurizzio Brambatti/EPA/AAP
While the <a href="https://theconversation.com/itd-be-a-mistake-to-shut-financial-markets-more-than-ever-we-need-them-to-work-134387" target="_blank">economic impacts</a> of the pandemic are becoming obvious, the influence upon public space still remains uncertain.
With businesses being forced to close and whole sectors urged to work from home, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-photos-of-impact-in-places-around-the-world/" target="_blank">streetlife is grinding to a halt</a> across the world. As fear of infection has increased, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/13/21179032/public-transportation-coronavirus-covid19-ridership-nyc-sf-la-dc" target="_blank">public transport use has plummeted</a>.
Australia is among the increasing numbers of countries to close “non-essential” public space, including restaurants, cafes and cinemas. Around the world, major sporting events, music concerts and comedy festivals have all been cancelled. Any <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-13/australians-urged-to-reconsider-non-essential-travel/12054484" target="_blank">non-essential travel</a> and meetings are being discouraged or banned.
These measures are significant: they could uproot the very foundations of how people interact in public.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/4/1/5_Cities%202.jpg" alt="">
Despite being made free to reduce infection risks, public transport in Portugal is almost deserted. Manuel de Almeida/EPA/AAP
While this intense monitoring of public space is a temporary control, it raises questions about the future. Will we return to our normal habits once it’s all over? Will coughing on the subway be forever taboo?
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/4/1/5_Cities1.jpg" alt="">
Sporting grounds are one of the great public meeting places for Australians, but games were being played in empty stadiums before competitions shut down altogether. Darren Pateman/AAP
<h2>Collectivism or individualism?</h2>
The coronavirus pandemic has had immediate impacts – both negative and positive – on how people interact with each other in public. <a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2020/3/14/21179019/xenophophia-chinese-community-sunset-park" target="_blank">Xenophobia</a> and racial stereotyping have led to <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/coronavirus-racism-australia/" target="_blank">antisocial public behaviour</a>. And supermarkets have become stages for public <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/13/21179032/public-transportation-coronavirus-covid19-ridership-nyc-sf-la-dc" target="_blank">fights over toilet paper</a> and hand sanitiser.
In spite of this, we have also seen instances of collectivism and urban resilience. In Italy, the national lockdown has forced people to create a new type of public space. Citizens are taking to their balconies and windows to enjoy music together, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/13/21179032/public-transportation-coronavirus-covid19-ridership-nyc-sf-la-dc" target="_blank">sharing songs across buildings and above streets</a>.
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nNxhSe4TiOQ" frameborder="0" width="425" height="350"></iframe>
People play music and interact from their balconies, as Italy continues its lockdown.
It’s a reminder that connection and interaction are integral to our society even in times of crisis. But is this particular type of collectivism a product of urban density? These scenes may not be so easily replicated in Australia’s sprawling suburbs. However, we are seeing other <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/kindness-outbreak-keeping-people-occupied-and-entertained-20200316-p54and?fbclid=IwAR3RiXvSw29EUBNzE79CwMbBtZKvU-V_p9SaGBWFkt2QTrHX_wg7OjZMs34" target="_blank">displays of community</a>.
<h2>What will fill the void?</h2>
The practice of self-isolation raises many uncertainties about public space. Daily human contact is ingrained in the ways people interact in public spaces. Will social isolation lead to a more individualistic approach to public spaces?
In 2020, perhaps this type of physical isolation will not feel so foreign as it might once have. Email, social media and the sharing economy already provide the necessary digital infrastructure.
The role of technology will be heightened as digital space becomes even more prominent as a platform for sharing information and enabling human interaction. Events like these also highlight the shortfalls of our digital infrastructure, in particular the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-telcos-are-picking-up-where-the-nbn-is-failing-heres-what-it-means-for-you-133905" target="_blank">need to improve our national broadband network</a> (NBN).
Coronavirus will change the ways we work and study. But it won’t remove our desire for human connection.
Our trust in public spaces will need to be rebuilt if we are to rebuild our economy and our society. In the face of generational issues such as climate change and homelessness, there is hope coronavirus might actually offer us an opportunity to radically reassess our communal values.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133763/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tahj-rosmarin-667275" target="_blank">Tahj Rosmarin</a>, Research Officer, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/public-spaces-bind-cities-together-what-happens-when-coronavirus-forces-us-apart-133763" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Public spaces bind cities together. What happens when coronavirus forces us apart?

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On Sunday, the government announced a <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">second</a> coronavirus economic package.
In addition to further one-off payments, the package includes some of the most significant changes to social security payments Australia has ever seen, even if only on a temporary basis.
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/AlboMP/status/1242242080400793600" target="_blank">amendments</a> passed by parliament on Monday night expand them further.
The package effectively doubles rates of JobSeeker Payment for most people without children.
The maximum rate for a single recipient without dependants is currently A$565.70 per fortnight. Lone parents and those over 60 who have been on benefit for nine months or more currently get more, while members of couples each get somewhat less.
For the six months from April 27 the government will boost it by A$550 per fortnight through a special time-limited <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet-Income_Support_for_Individuals.pdf" target="_blank">Coronavirus Supplement</a>.
Importantly, the extra $550 will go to all current recipients, including those who get less than $565.70 because they have assets or are in part-time work.
It will also go to both existing and new recipients of the Youth Allowance JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit.
Thanks to Monday night’s <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/federal-parliament-passes-coronavirus-economic-stimulus-package-20200323-p54d73" target="_blank">amendments</a>, it will now also go to <a href="https://www.anneruston.com.au/supporting_students_through_the_effects_of_coronavirus" target="_blank">full-time students receiving Abstudy, Austudy and Youth Allowance for Students</a>.
There are also <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coronavirus-stranded-visa-hold%20ers-thrown-welfare-lifeline-and-extended-stay/news-story/5697ef9768c61255afa9330adcb10994" target="_blank">reports</a> that special payments (and the Coronavirus Supplement) will be made available to temporary visa holders who lose their jobs or suffer significant financial hardship because of the coronavirus.
In addition, the government will no longer need legislation to make further changes to settings, giving the Social Services minister unprecedented powers.
This will give the government the ability to respond flexibly as circumstances change.
<h2>One million now, an extra million soon</h2>
Roughly 1.3 million existing recipients will receive the supplement, including the 200,000 or so students added on Monday.
To them will be added as many as <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/bead2837-76c9-4ce9-952b-eafe8e2d614f/&amp;sid=0045" target="_blank">one million more</a>, who are not currently receiving the JobSeeker or any other payment.
Among them will be permanent employees who are stood down or lose their jobs, sole traders, the self-employed, casual workers and contract workers who find themselves meeting the benefit income tests as a result of the coronavirus.
Included are people required to care for people who are affected by the coronavirus.
<h2>Accelerated processing</h2>
The assets test for JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance Jobseeker and Parenting Payment will be waived for the duration of the Coronavirus Supplement.
In addition, the normal one week waiting period will be waived, as will the liquid assets test waiting period (which can be up to 13 weeks).
People already in this waiting period will be given immediate access to payments.
It is also important that the Coronavirus Supplement will be paid automatically. Current recipients will receive the full $550 on top of their regular payment without asking for it.
Services Australia is putting on an extra 5,000 staff to deal with the inflow of new claimants and <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Fact_sheet-Income_Support_for_Individuals.pdf" target="_blank">accelerating claim process</a>.
<h2>Australia moves up the ranks</h2>
These changes will significantly boost the adequacy of working age social security payments in Australia – at least temporarily.
This chart shows where Australia sat in 2019 compared to other members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on replacement rates – the percentage of previous after-tax earnings that an unemployment payment provided to a single unemployed worker who had previously been on two-thirds of the average wage.
Australia is coloured red, and is at the bottom of the pack.
OECD 2019 unemployment income replacement rates
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322510/original/file-20200324-155652-pmiepm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322510/original/file-20200324-155652-pmiepm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Replacement rate during the second month of unemployment for single worker earning two-thirds of average wage, including housing assistance. <a class="source" href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=NRR" target="_blank">Source: OECD, Net replacement rates in unemployment</a>
A <a href="https://insidestory.org.au/social-protection-and-the-viral-recession/" target="_blank">number of countries</a> have boosted their payments, at least temporarily, in response to the coronavirus.
The chart below shows where Australia and New Zealand and France sit now, compared to the 2019 replacement rates of other countries.
Australia is again coloured red, but has climbed toward the middle of the pack.
OECD unemployment replacement rates and announced increases
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322509/original/file-20200324-155658-qitd77.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322509/original/file-20200324-155658-qitd77.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Replacement rate during the second month of unemployment for single worker earning two-thirds of average wage, including housing assistance. <a class="source" href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=NRR" target="_blank">Source: OECD, Net replacement rates in unemployment, government announcements</a>
The charts show that Australia’ short-term earnings replacement rate climbs from 38 per cent to 68 per cent, because the base rate nearly doubles while rent assistance stays the same.
Replacement rates will be lower for higher income workers who lose their jobs and higher for part-time workers and casuals.
It is worth noting that other countries are adopting approaches that differ in where support is being targeted. Denmark, for example, is providing a direct wage supplement to employers of 75 per cent of wages up to a ceiling, on the condition that they do not lay off workers.
This is actually less than the current replacement rate of 84 per cent in Denmark, but if it is successful it would effectively mean that Danish workers would continue to receive their normal salary (a 100 per cent “replacement rate”).
It remains to be seen whether that strategy works.
<h2>Improvements on delivery</h2>
The government has indicated that the stimulus package is “scalable”, meaning that it is possible to increase the amounts even further and to extend their duration.
And the government has already fixed some gaps in its initial plan relating to students and newly arrived residents and temporary visa holders. Permanent residents will be eligible for assistance immediately and not subject to current waiting periods - which can be up to four years.
Without extending benefits to temporary visa holders we would have had what academics <a href="https://insidestory.org.au/of-visas-and-viruses/" target="_blank">Henry Sherrell and Peter Mares</a> warned would be hundreds of thousands of people who are suddenly unemployed, without access to welfare, and without a method to return to their country of citizenship.
The provisions of the special benefit that will be available to temporary visa holders <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/special-benefit/who-can-get-it#a1" target="_blank">define</a> severe financial hardship as earning less than the highest special benefit fortnightly payment, being unable to improve that financial position and having limited savings.
There is another group whose status should be clarified urgently - that is people who have applied for permanent residence and are still in that application process. There is a case for treating them as if they had already become permanent residents rather than temporary workers.
<h2>The ‘benefit cliff’ remains</h2>
A remaining downside with potentially big unintended consequences is the legislated proposal doesn’t yet adjust the spouse income test, excluding many couples where one earner loses their job and leading to a perverse and undesirable “benefit cliff”.
If the recipient’s spouse is working and not receiving a Jobseeker or equivalent payment, then the JobSeeker payment will be reduced by <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/topics/income-test-jobseeker-payment-partner-allowance-and-widow-allowance/29411" target="_blank">60 cents for every dollar the partner earns over $994 per fortnight</a>.
This means that the recipient can receive some JobSeekers Payment – and hence the full $550 per fortnight Coronavirus supplement - until the working partner’s income reaches $1,844 per fortnight. At that point they face the <a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-poorer-while-working-harder-the-cliff-effect-113422" target="_blank">“benefit cliff”</a>.
If the working partner has an income of $1840 per fortnight, the recipient gets the full supplement of $550 per fortnight, but if the worker has an income of $1850 a fortnight, the recipient gets nothing. The same cliff faces single people, as well.
But this partner income threshold of $1850 per fortnight ($925/week) is right in the middle of the Australian income distribution.
We calculate that, among two-earner couples aged 25-54, of the primary earners who lose their job, about half will get the Coronavirus Supplement, while of the secondary earners, only somewhere between a quarter and a third will get it.
(These are rough estimates based on Bureau of Statistics income survey estimates of the personal income distributions).
Given that in most couples the secondary earner is female, the different treatment has the potential to discriminate against women.
One way to eliminate the cliff would be to integrate the Coronavirus Supplement more properly into the income support system, so that people with spouse income above these cutoffs would continue to receive a reduced payment.
The government has asked for power to fix this issue via regulation, but has not yet announced how it will address it.
<h2>The scale of the challenge</h2>
An extra <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/bead2837-76c9-4ce9-952b-eafe8e2d614f/&amp;sid=0045" target="_blank">one million</a> recipients (the treasurer’s estimate) would mean that the share of the working age population receiving income support climbed from 14.2 per cent to 18.7 per cent, an increase of 4.5 percentage points, which is bigger than the 3.5 and 3.8 percentage point increases during Australia’s two previous post-war recessions in the early 1980s and early 1990s.
In both of these earlier recessions, the unemployment rate shot up from under 7 per cent to near 10 per cent or higher within a year. The current increase will take place in the next six months, rather than over a full year.
Not all the effect will directly be in the unemployment rate. Some will be in the non-participation rate as people decide to neither work nor look for work.
The best measure to watch to track the labour market will be the reduction in hours worked.
International experience also suggests that it will be substantial. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-20/canada-sees-500-000-employment-insurance-applications-this-week" target="_blank">Service Canada</a> is reported to have received more than 500,000 applications for Employment Insurance in the past week, 20 times the number recorded in the same week a year ago and equivalent to about 2.5 per cent of the labour force. Similar trends have appeared in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2020/mar/24/when-it-comes-to-unemployment-in-australia-definitions-have-been-broken" target="_blank">United States</a>.
In Australia, we are already seeing the payment system struggling under <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://twitter.com/ServicesGovAU/status/1242225599835516929?s=20" target="_blank">the load of new applications</a>.
Ultimately, the key goal of our economic response to the coronavirus must be to share the economic costs.
The government has made an excellent start in the package announced on Sunday and extended on Monday.
But we have to be prepared to ramp it up and expand support so that everyone living in Australia is adequately supported and the burden of the crisis is shared fairly.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134358/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-whiteford-2016" target="_blank">Peter Whiteford</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/crawford-school-of-public-policy-australian-national-university-3292" target="_blank">Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-bradbury-6437" target="_blank">Bruce Bradbury</a>, Associate Professor, Social Policy Research Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-supplement-your-guide-to-the-australian-payments-that-will-go-to-the-extra-million-on-welfare-134358" target="_blank">original article</a>.
<h1 class="legacy"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-whiteford-2016">Peter Whiteford</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-bradbury-6437">Bruce Bradbury</a></h1>
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Coronavirus supplement: your guide to the Australian payments that will go to the extra million on welfare

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Staying home and social distancing are now essential to control the spread of COVID-19. Suitable accommodation for quarantine and isolation are critical, but Australia’s broken housing system leaves us all exposed.
By now, almost every Australian will have thought about the coronavirus pandemic in terms of their own housing. For many home owners, this is an economic concern. They are <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/sydneysiders-mortgage-debt-30-per-cent-higher-than-national-average-20200215-p5412l" target="_blank">dangerously in debt</a> after a 20-year housing boom. Renters face <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-housing-evictions-must-be-suspended-to-defend-us-against-coronavirus-134148" target="_blank">greater uncertainty</a>.
But it’s people in overcrowded, <a href="https://theconversation.com/informal-and-illegal-housing-on-the-rise-as-our-cities-fail-to-offer-affordable-places-to-live-116065" target="_blank">informal</a> or no housing at all who are most exposed. Crowded housing conditions are bad for all occupants, largely through the increased risks of infections, as WHO <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/276001/9789241550376-eng.pdf?ua=1" target="_blank">Guidelines on Health and Housing</a> clearly identify.
<h2>Expose one, expose us all</h2>
The increased risk of COVID-19 infection will have impacts on both the residents of crammed dwellings and the rest of the community. Improving the housing conditions of the most marginalised members of our society is an important biosecurity measure.
The number of Australians who are <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/2049.0Appendix12016?opendocument&amp;tabname=Notes&amp;prodno=2049.0&amp;issue=2016&amp;num=&amp;view=" target="_blank">homeless</a> <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/2049.0Media%20Release12016" target="_blank">grew dramatically from 2011-2016</a>. The largest increase was people living in severely overcrowded dwellings.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322476/original/file-20200324-155674-1hibain.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322476/original/file-20200324-155674-1hibain.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census 2016, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
This trend includes a sharp rise in older people living in crowded or marginal housing.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322478/original/file-20200324-155683-ftqgrs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322478/original/file-20200324-155683-ftqgrs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census 2016, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
Crowding is endemic in Indigenous communities. <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/c1daa420-3547-497c-b964-17b149ceba02/17718.pdf.aspx?inline=true" target="_blank">Poorly maintained and inadequate</a> dwelling conditions make the impacts of crowding worse.
Previous experience with swine flu – <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi37suppl.htm%7E02-vpds%7E2-4-influenza" target="_blank">Influenza A (H1N1)</a> – indicates contagious disease outbreaks in Indigenous communities <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-will-devastate-aboriginal-communities-if-we-dont-act-now-133766" target="_blank">will be catastrophic</a>. After over a decade of making remote areas harder places to be – as a result of cuts to housing and infrastructure allocations and increased water insecurity – they are now expected to operate as refuges.
Tertiary students, including international students, are also likely to be living in overcrowded share houses and <a href="https://theconversation.com/tracking-the-rise-of-room-sharing-and-overcrowding-and-what-it-means-for-housing-in-australia-107265" target="_blank">room-share rentals</a>. These arrangements already breach basic health and sanitation standards.
These problems aren’t due to a shortage of housing. Census data show the <a href="https://www.sgsep.com.au/publications/insights/why-was-no-one-home-on-census-night" target="_blank">number of unoccupied dwellings</a> increased during the same period that homelessness grew.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322486/original/file-20200324-155674-227xng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322486/original/file-20200324-155674-227xng.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Data: ABS Census, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
Rather than an absolute shortage of homes, our <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-financialisation-of-housing-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-73767" target="_blank">increasingly financialised property market</a> has distorted access to decent accommodation. Housing is now treated as an asset instead of a basic right. In recent years platforms such as Airbnb have made this situation worse by <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01944363.2016.1249011" target="_blank">transforming permanent rentals</a> into short-term accommodation for tourists.
<h2>What should governments do?</h2>
Moves to <a href="https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/morrison-calls-on-landlords-to-make-sacrifices-amid-fears-renters-face-eviction--c-754870" target="_blank">prevent evictions</a> and to offer <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/mortgage-pause-coronavirus-nab-commonwealth-anz-westpac/12076690" target="_blank">mortgage relief</a> during the pandemic period are an urgent first step in what needs to be rapid national action on housing.
Securing adequate housing for those in unstable accommodation, particularly those who need to isolate, is the next phase in this public health response. Suitable housing must be made available immediately in locations near hospitals and key health services. This can be triaged.
Options might include:
<ul>
<li>
local hotels or motels – for people in metropolitan and some regional centres this seems to be an obvious option as many are likely empty of travellers
</li>
<li>
vacant holiday homes or temporary workforce housing
</li>
<li>
other health accommodation used for rehabilitation that can be repurposed
</li>
<li>
construction of temporary dwellings.
</li>
</ul>
Hotels close to major teaching (university) hospitals could be commandeered for patients with COVID-19 who need quarantined nursing care, but not intubation to help them breathe.
These hotels could also provide places of rest for health workers who might wish to isolate themselves from their families while they fight in our favour. For example, the University of Tasmania has provided one of its <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/alerts/coronavirus-update" target="_blank">hotel buildings</a>, which has been used for student housing, to the Tasmanian government for this purpose.
Access to hotels and motels for civilian isolation practices more broadly is an obvious solution across urban areas and regional centres.
To reduce the risks arising from inadequate housing, the nation’s vast holiday rental supply should also be considered for people on priority waiting lists for social housing who are in crowded accommodation. Owners of currently empty holiday accommodation could receive the equivalent of rent assistance payments from the Commonwealth for making their housing available.
A vast tourism workforce of property managers, maintenance and cleaning staff, already reeling from the bushfire crisis, is likely ready and able to repurpose residential tourist accommodation for those in need.
On the other side of the health crisis, it’s clear a rapid, nation-building expansion in social and affordable housing must be part of Australia’s plan. Well-designed, secure and maintained housing should be Australia’s first defence, not our weakest link, in combating health, climate and economic crises.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nicole-gurran-759" target="_blank">Nicole Gurran</a>, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-phibbs-27130" target="_blank">Peter Phibbs</a>, Director, Henry Halloran Trust, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tess-lea-445805" target="_blank">Tess Lea</a>, Associate Professor, Gender and Cultural Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/homelessness-and-overcrowding-expose-us-all-to-coronavirus-heres-what-we-can-do-to-stop-the-spread-134378" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Homelessness and overcrowding expose us all to coronavirus. Here's what we can do to stop the spread

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Native to southeastern Australia, the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) is <a href="https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/conserving-threatened-species/threatened-list" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">threatened</a> and facing the prospect of homelessness.
These birds don’t make nests – they use large hollows in old, tall trees. But humans <a href="https://doi.org/10/gc3d8n" target="_blank">have been removing</a> such trees in the bush and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0099403" target="_blank">in cities</a>, despite their ecological value.
Owls are lured into cities by abundant prey, with each bird capturing <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/possum-assassins-move-into-town-20030913-gdwc1e" target="_blank">hundreds of possums per year</a>. But with nowhere to nest, they <a href="https://www.uppercampaspelandcare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Powerful-owls-Bronwyn-Isaac-March-2015.pdf" target="_blank">struggle</a> to breed and their population is at risk of declining even further.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322261/original/file-20200323-112707-oeoljh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322261/original/file-20200323-112707-oeoljh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Existing artificial nest designs include nesting boxes and carved logs /Author provided
Conservationists tried to solve this problem by installing nesting boxes, but to no avail. A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290200038_A_powerful_Owl_disperses_into_town_and_uses_an_artificial_nest-box" target="_blank">2011 study</a> in Victoria showed a pair of owls once used such a box, but only one of their two chicks survived. This is the only recorded instance of powerful-owl breeding in an artificial structure.
So as a team of designers and ecologists we’re finding a way to make artificial nests in urban areas more appealing to powerful owls. Surprisingly, the answer lies in termite mounds, augmented reality and 3D printing.
<h2>Bring in the designers</h2>
Nesting boxes aren’t very successful for many species. For example, many boxes installed along expanded <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-plan-to-protect-wildlife-displaced-by-the-hume-highway-has-failed-78087" target="_blank">highways</a> fail to attract animals such as the squirrel glider, the superb parrot and the brown treecreeper. They also tend to disintegrate and become unusable after only a few years.
What’s more, flaws in their design can lead to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322544621_Nest_box_design_for_a_changing_climate_The_value_of_improved_insulation" target="_blank">overheating</a>, death from <a href="https://nestwatch.org/connect/news/to-paint-or-not-to-paint/" target="_blank">toxic fumes</a> such as marine-plywood vapours, or babies unable to grow.
Designers and architects often use computer modelling to mimic <a href="https://www.academia.edu/208933/Towards_Morphogenesis_in_Architecture" target="_blank">nature</a> in building designs, such as Beijing’s <a href="https://www.arup.com/-/media/arup/files/publications/t/arup_journal_1-2009.pdf" target="_blank">bird’s nest</a> stadium.
But to use these skills to help wildlife, we need to understand what they want in a home. And for powerful owls, this means thinking outside the box.
<h2>What powerful owls need</h2>
At a minimum, owl nests must provide enough space to support a mother and two chicks, shelter the inhabitants from rain and heat, and have rough internal surfaces for scratching and climbing.
Traditionally, owls would find all such comforts in large, old, hollow-bearing trees, such as swamp or manna gums at least 150 years old. But a <a href="https://www.oferlevyphotography.com/Birds-of-prey/i-j5JMnWs/A" target="_blank">picture</a> from Sydney photographer Ofer Levy, which showed an owl nesting in a tree-bound termite mound, made us realise there was another way.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322262/original/file-20200323-112688-o530b1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322262/original/file-20200323-112688-o530b1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Owls have been observed using termite mounds in trees for nesting. Blantyre, Author provided
Termite mounds in trees are oddly shaped, but they meet all necessary characteristics for successful breeding. This precedent suggests younger, healthier and more common trees can become potential nesting sites.
<h2>A high-tech home</h2>
To design and create each termite-inspired nest, we first use lasers to model the shape of the target tree. A <a href="https://www.academia.edu/40371565/Modelling_Workflows_for_More-than-Human_Design_Prosthetic_Habitats_for_the_Powerful_Owl_Ninox_strenua_" target="_blank">computer algorithm</a> generates the structure fitting the owls’ requirements. Then, we divide the structure into interlocking blocks that can be conveniently manufactured.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322263/original/file-20200323-112712-tasmfj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322263/original/file-20200323-112712-tasmfj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Trees and their surroundings can be scanned by lasers for precise fitting. Author provided
To assemble the nests, we use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality" target="_blank">augmented-reality</a> headsets, overlaying images of digital models onto physical objects. It sounds like science-fiction, but <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337915977_Holographic_Construction" target="_blank">holographic construction</a> with augmented reality has become an <a href="https://www.boeing.com/features/2018/01/augmented-reality-01-18.page" target="_blank">efficient way to create new structures</a>.
So far, we’ve used <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00107-015-0987-9" target="_blank">3D-printed wood</a> to build one nest at the University of Melbourne’s System Garden. Two more nests made from <a href="https://www.scientific.net/AMR.1041.83" target="_blank">hemp concrete</a> are on the trees in the city of Knox, near the Dandenong Ranges. And we’re exploring other materials such as <a href="https://eartharchitecture.org/" target="_blank">earth</a> or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263517300353" target="_blank">fungus</a>.
These materials can be moulded to a unique fit, and as they’re lightweight, we can easily fix them onto trees.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322264/original/file-20200323-112712-f3k3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322264/original/file-20200323-112712-f3k3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
With augmented reality, it is easy to know where to place each block. Right: Views from the augmented reality headset. Author provided
<h2>So is it working?</h2>
We are still collecting and analysing the data, but early results are promising. Our nests have important advantages over both traditional nesting boxes and carved logs.
This is, in part, because our artificial nests maintain more stable internal temperatures than nesting boxes and are considerably easier to make and install than carved logs. In other words, our designs already look like a good alternative.
And while it’s too early to say if they’ll attract owls, our nests have already been visited or occupied by other animals, such as rainbow lorikeets.
<h2>Future homes for animal clients</h2>
Imagine an ecologist, a park manager or even a local resident who wants to <a href="https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/nature-in-the-city-strategy.pdf" target="_blank">boost local biodiversity</a>. In the not-too-distant future, they might select a target species and a suitable tree from an online database. An algorithm could customise their choice of an artificial-nest design to fit the target tree. Remote machines would manufacture the parts and the end user would put the structure together.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322265/original/file-20200323-112694-1i3vv8e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322265/original/file-20200323-112694-1i3vv8e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Nests from 3D printed wood are easy to install. Author provided
Such workflows are already being used in a variety of fields, such as the custom <a href="https://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/" target="_blank">jewellery</a> production and the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2015.914" target="_blank">preparation of dental crowns</a>. It allows informed and automated reuse of scientific and technical knowledge, making advanced designs significantly more accessible.
Our techniques could be used to ease the housing crisis for a wide range of other sites and species, from fire-affected animals to critically endangered wildlife such as the swift parrot or Leadbeater’s possum.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133626/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dan-parker-970005" target="_blank">Dan Parker</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bronwyn-isaac-1002025" target="_blank">Bronwyn Isaac</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank">Monash University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kylie-soanes-17023" target="_blank">Kylie Soanes</a>, Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nick-bradsworth-1002021" target="_blank">Nick Bradsworth</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757" target="_blank">Deakin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stanislav-roudavski-197787" target="_blank">Stanislav Roudavski</a>, Senior Lecturer in Digital Architectural Design, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-jones-127463" target="_blank">Therésa Jones</a>, Associate Professor in Evolution and Behaviour, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722" target="_blank">University of Melbourne</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-owls-are-losing-their-homes-so-were-3d-printing-them-new-ones-133626" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Urban owls are losing their homes. So we're 3D printing them new ones

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The extreme volatility and losses seen in stock markets in recent weeks has seen calls for <a href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/should-financial-markets-be-closed-over-the-coronavirus-51584735453" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">financial markets to be closed</a> and <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shortselling.asp" target="_blank" style="font-family: Tahoma, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.15999984741211px;">short selling</a> restricted.
But shutting them down would be a mistake.
Amid the volatility, financial market prices convey much needed information.
S&amp;P/ASX 200 share index over the past year
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322223/original/file-20200323-22627-1bx5112.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322223/original/file-20200323-22627-1bx5112.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
<a class="source" href="https://au.finance.yahoo.com/quote/%5EAXJO/" target="_blank">Source: Yahoo Finance</a>
In an early morning meeting at the White House the day after the 1987 stock market crash, then US Treasury Secretary Jim Baker floated the idea of closing the stock market.
The Chair of President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers, the Chicago-trained monetarist <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-08-28-0908270729-story" target="_blank">Beryl Sprinkel</a>, was having none of it.
According to several second and <a href="https://streetwiseprofessor.com/when-monkeys-fly/" target="_blank">third-hand accounts</a>, when his opinion was sought, Sprinkel said “we will close the markets when monkeys come flying out of my ass.”
When Reagan asked Fed Chair Alan Greenspan for his opinion, Greenspan declared, “I go with the monkeys”.
The US stock market stayed open that day and rallied late in the afternoon, injecting a note of much-needed confidence.
<h2>Prices tell us truths</h2>
The Fed’s operations to maintain liquidity (the ability to buy and sell) remain a textbook case of how to respond to severe financial market stress.
The US economy was spared recession on that occasion.
Today’s situation is different in important respects. Policymakers are choosing to shut down the economy, and financial markets are pricing shares accordingly. Bond markets have been shaken as investors sell bonds to raise cash and prepare for governments to issue a flood of new bonds.
The US dollar has rallied as the world scrambles for US dollars, sending exchange rates against the US dollar dramatically lower.
As my previous <a href="https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/the-reserve-currency-myth-the-us-dollars-current-and-future-role-in-the-world-economy/" target="_blank">research</a> shows, the US dollar often climbs when the economic outlook is most dire, explaining why the Australian dollar is at its lowest in nearly two decades.
US cents per Australian dollar
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322225/original/file-20200323-22590-10kj7be.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322225/original/file-20200323-22590-10kj7be.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
<a class="source" href="https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/#exchange-rates" target="_blank">Source: Reserve Bank of Australia</a>
Amid such extreme volatility, it would be tempting to close financial markets, in particular, stock exchanges.
There is no reason to close markets for reasons of public health. Financial markets are now traded almost entirely electronically. The US has been forced to close its trading floors in <a href="https://qz.com/1822981/new-york-stock-exchange-shuts-floor-as-coronavirus-spreads/" target="_blank">New York</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/cme-group-will-close-chicago-trading-floor-as-a-precaution-over-coronavirus" target="_blank">Chicago</a>, but these trading floors were already legacies of an earlier era, largely ornamental adornments to digital trading.
Stock markets have their own circuit breakers that kick in during extreme volatility, but to do more than that would be to deprive traders and policymakers of the insights they offer.
Price movements function as alerts. It is noteworthy that financial markets sold off days before the World Health Organisation finally declared a pandemic.
They can also inform policymakers about what to do. When share markets begin a sustained recovery, it will be a sign the worst of the pandemic might be behind us.
We need prices for financial products in the same way we need prices for goods and services. Without them, decision-making becomes difficult, if not impossible.
Preventing investors from selling stocks to raise cash (which is what a stock market shutdown would do) could cause severe hardship.
With share market prices falling sharply, it’s tempting to think closing them will stem the losses, but it could trigger even more painful adjustments elsewhere.
<h2>Even short sellers have a place</h2>
Other countries have imposed bans on short selling, which is the sale of a share the seller does not yet own.
Short sellers profit by buying back shares at a lower price after they have sold them. They do it by borrowing rather than owning stocks. Their actions help the owners of stocks who want to protect their financial positions from further declines in price.
If owners can’t protect themselves in this way, they can be forced to liquidate shares, making the downturn even worse.
The global financial crisis gave us a wealth of experience with bans on short-selling, <a href="http://www.institutional-economics.com/images/uploads/pf19_-_Shooting_the_Messenger_The_Ban_on_Short_Selling.pdf" target="_blank">including in Australia</a>. The evidence from that experience overwhelmingly suggests short-selling bans were counter-productive.
Keeping markets open will be a painful experience for many, but closing them is the equivalent of shooting the messenger.
Eventually, they will signal better times ahead and give business the confidence to move forward with the recovery.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134387/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-kirchner-1726" target="_blank">Stephen Kirchner</a>, Program Director, Trade and Investment, United States Studies Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/itd-be-a-mistake-to-shut-financial-markets-more-than-ever-we-need-them-to-work-134387" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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It'd be a mistake to shut financial markets: more than ever, we need them to work

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Expert Observation
The COVID-19 pandemic is a double crisis affecting public health and the economy. And both aspects are playing out in our housing system – in our homes.
More and more of us are being directed to stay home, to work from home, or to socially isolate at home. Our homes are the “first line of defence against the COVID-19 outbreak”, as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Housing <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25727&amp;LangID=E" target="_blank">puts it</a>. But, depending on how our housing system responds, it could make the double crisis worse.
More and more workers are <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-puts-casual-workers-at-risk-of-homelessness-unless-they-get-more-support-133782" target="_blank">losing shifts</a>, or <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6687586/coronavirus-australia-preparing-for-significant-rise-in-unemployment/" target="_blank">losing jobs</a> altogether, as well as the incomes they use to pay for their homes – whether it’s the rent or the mortgage. On Friday, the prime minister announced that states would work on model rules to provide relief to tenants in “hardship conditions”. On Sunday, the federal government moved to replace some of the income households have lost, <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/supporting-australian-workers-and-business" target="_blank">temporarily doubling some social security payments and making cash grants to businesses</a>.
The risk of people becoming homeless during the pandemic is still high. Some more specific actions are needed to shore up our first line of defence. Governments must implement a moratorium on evictions as long as the crisis lasts. Similar changes have already been made overseas.
<h2>Evictions can happen quickly</h2>
A sudden loss of wages puts renters at risk of arrears and owner-occupiers at risk of mortgage default. This may result in legal proceedings to terminate the tenancy or give possession to the bank or other lender, and ultimately eviction. Tenants are vulnerable to termination and eviction for a host of other reasons, too.
Renters are at particular risk because rent arrears termination proceedings are quick. You can go from a missed payment to termination orders in about eight weeks in New South Wales. Other states and territories are similar.
Many renters’ finances are <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-puts-casual-workers-at-risk-of-homelessness-unless-they-get-more-support-133782" target="_blank">already precarious</a>. About <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/one-in-five-households-facing-mortgage-stress-despite-low-rates-20191223-p53mfn" target="_blank">one-third</a> of private renters are low-income households in housing stress (in the bottom 40% of household incomes paying more than 30% of income in rent). And 30% <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/renters" target="_blank">don’t have $500 saved</a> for an emergency.
Homeowners with a mortgage are also at risk of default due to loss of income. About <a href="https://digitalfinanceanalytics.com/blog/mortgage-stress-still-climbed-in-february" target="_blank">20% of mortgagees</a> are already in mortgage stress. This rate has <a href="https://digitalfinanceanalytics.com/blog/mortgage-stress-still-climbed-in-february" target="_blank">grown over the last year</a> despite rate cuts.
Now workers are facing sudden income and job losses. We see widespread evidence of an economic downturn across many sectors, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-global-travel-as-we-know-it-an-opportunity-for-sustainable-tourism-133783" target="_blank">tourism</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/theyre-going-to-go-under-australias-coronavirus-hit-restaurants-bars-and-caterers-seek-bailout" target="_blank">hospitality</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-australian-arts-need-a-stimulus-package-here-is-what-it-should-look-like-133803" target="_blank">arts</a>. Casual workers are at particular risk of reduced income if required to <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/contacts-and-travellers.aspx" target="_blank">self-isolate</a> for long periods or care for unwell family members.
<h2>A breach of our defences</h2>
An eviction is a breach in the first line of defence that housing provides against COVID-19. In fact, the risk of arrears and eviction might drive an infected person to keep working and transmitting the virus.
An evicted household might pile in with family or friends, disrupting social isolation and contributing to unsanitary overcrowding. It’s a challenge people already living in share housing will have to manage. Across Australia, 81,000 dwellings are already overcrowded, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2049.0Main+Features12016?OpenDocument" target="_blank">51,000 of these “severely overcrowded”</a>.
People who have been evicted might move through temporary accommodation, and through real estate offices, social services and doctors’ rooms making urgent applications. Or they may be shut out of assistance, and sleeping rough. With limited space and facilities to wash hands and personal effects, the risk of transmission will grow.
<h2>How would a moratorium work?</h2>
These risks justify a government-imposed moratorium on evictions for the duration of the crisis. This could be done through legislation, or through an emergency executive direction to authorised officers to stop evictions. Other countries have already taken such steps.
In the United States, many states and cities have <a href="https://www.antievictionmap.com/blog/2020/3/19/covid-19-emergency-tenant-protections-map" target="_blank">suspended eviction proceedings against tenants</a>. Federal housing finance agencies have implemented <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/18/hud-orders-60-day-foreclosure-moratorium-homeowners-affected-by-coronavirus/" target="_blank">a 60-day moratorium to protect some families from mortgage default</a>.
Ireland has also suspended evictions and <a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0319/1124168-evictions-ban-coronavirus/" target="_blank">temporarily frozen rent increases</a>. In the United Kingdom, renters in the private or social sector are <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters" target="_blank">to be protected from eviction</a>.
A moratorium on evictions is an obvious triage measure. That’s why in Australia a <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/protect-our-communities-no-evictions-during-a-health-crisis" target="_blank">community coalition</a> has come together to advocate for no evictions during this crisis. You can show your support by <a href="https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/protect-our-communities-no-evictions-during-a-health-crisis" target="_blank">signing the petition</a>.
The <a href="https://www.smartpropertyinvestment.com.au/management/20864-federal-opposition-leads-eviction-moratorium-call" target="_blank">federal opposition is urging</a> the government and financial institutions to consider similar measures.
<h2>What about the mounting debts?</h2>
By itself, an eviction moratorium doesn’t affect the legal liability to pay rent or mortgage instalments. Without anything more, those liabilities would continue.
The federal government’s increased social security payments and business grants will go some way to replacing the income households are losing. But even as the government tips money into households, money is drained away by rents and mortgage payments.
About A$40 billion is due to flow out of Australia’s 2.5 million private renter households and into 1.3 million landlord households. Landlord households have, on average, much <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2019.1644297" target="_blank">higher incomes and wealth</a> than other households.
Billions more are due to flow, as principal and interest payments, from 3.4 million owner-occupier mortgagees to the banks. Australia’s big four banks last week announced borrowers could <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-21/mortgage-pause-coronavirus-nab-commonwealth-anz-westpac/12076690" target="_blank">“pause” their payments</a> as a pandemic hardship measure. But mortgagees should be aware interest not paid is capitalised into the debt, so they will have more to pay off after the “pause” ends.
Both to prevent the accumulation of arrears, and to make the government’s income-replacement measures more effective, governments should consider implementing reductions or waivers of rent and interest liabilities for as long as the crisis lasts.
The double crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic needs a dual response that aims to keep households in their homes and to keep income in households.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134148/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sophia-maalsen-376520" target="_blank">Sophia Maalsen</a>, ARC DECRA Fellow and Lecturer in Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chris-martin-203935" target="_blank">Chris Martin</a>, Senior Research Fellow, City Futures Research Centre, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dallas-rogers-5269" target="_blank">Dallas Rogers</a>, Program Director, Master of Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841" target="_blank">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-power-250930" target="_blank">Emma Power</a>, Senior Research Fellow, Geography and Urban Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092" target="_blank">Western Sydney University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-housing-evictions-must-be-suspended-to-defend-us-against-coronavirus-134148" target="_blank">original article</a>.
Main Photo by Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.
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Why housing evictions must be suspended to defend us against coronavirus

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Media, marketing and creative agencies are flocking to North Sydney to take advantage of the newly developed commercial office space.
Colliers International has leased seven suites at 150 Pacific Highway in North Sydney, ranging from 60-100 sqm each.
Companies Pictura Creative, Mobius, Intergrid and FINAO are just some of the tenants that leased the space with rents ranging from $650 to $680 sqm gross per sqm per annum.
“All seven suites were leased within a six-month period highlighting the demand in North Sydney for creative, modern and bright office space,” said Jay Horrell, Executive, Office Leasing at Colliers International.
“In line with the growing importance of staff retention and wellbeing, we are seeing a greater number of tenants seeking creative workspace offering a more appealing environment for staff”
150 Pacific Highway is a brand-new building with onsite end of trip facilities and each suite has floor to ceiling windows, polished concrete flooring and a three metre plus ceiling height.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2020/3/27/3_North%20Sydney%20PH.jpg" alt="">
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Seven suites leased at 150 Pacific Highway

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Leading property industry technology solutions firm, Realm Australia, is encouraging property managers to make use of its new Rental Property Self-Inspection app to help protect staff and tenants from possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
The Rental Property <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/propertyrealm.com.au/remote-inspections/" target="_blank">Self-Inspection app</a> uses innovative AI technology to facilitate tenants performing remote inspections, with a full report automatically delivered to the property manager for further analysis.
CEO and lead technologist of Realm Australia, Mr Patrick Hill said, “We developed the Rental Property Self-Inspection app in response to industry requests for a solution that minimises on-site interactions during the current COVID-19 crisis.
“What we have delivered with the Rental Property Self-Inspection app is a user-friendly tool that eliminates the need for property managers to go on-site, reduces travel and minimises the need for face to face contact during the COVID-19 crisis.”
The Rental Property Self-Inspection app involves a 3-step process:
Step 1: The property manager enters the tenant’s details and submits the web form. The tenant receives an SMS and email with a dedicated link, asking them to complete the online remote inspection.
Step 2: The tenant completes the required details, attaches photographs where applicable, and submits the web form.
Step 3: The platform collates an Inspection Report with images, and delivers a full report to the Property Manager who initiated the process.
“Self-isolation, quarantine, travel bans – these are all words that no one expected to dominate the news in March 2020. But each of us can play a part in minimising the spread of COVI-19 through social distancing. The Rental Property Self-Inspection app protects both tenants and property managers while supporting the normal functioning of the property manager’s business – and in particular, their obligations to landlords to complete routine maintenance inspections,” said Mr Hill.
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New remote property inspection app protects tenants and property managers

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

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

Joel Robinson

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

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

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

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

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

Staff reporter

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