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Cape Lodge, a boutique hotel with vineyard in the Margaret River wine region, has been listed for sale. 
WA rich-lister and co-founder of Navitas, Peter Larsen is selling the property. 
The expression of interest campaign for the hotel ends May 9. 
It has been offered by Aaron Desange, Ryan McGinnity and Chloe Mason from CBRE. 
Set on a 16.5ha parkland and vineyard, Cape Lodge at 3341 Caves Road, Yallingup, comprises 22 guestrooms, a five-bedroom private residence, restaurant. 
Additional features including swimming pool, tennis court, spa and conference venue. 
Cape Lodge also offers a gourmet retreat and cooking school designed for culinary enthusiasts.
Mr Desange said the Margaret River region had gained huge attention as a global wine-producing region and had drawn a surging number of international visitors over the past three years.
“Cape Lodge is the most high-profile accommodation in the South-West and we expect investors will be drawn to the prospect of owning a trophy,” Mr Desange said.
The property opened  in 1993 as a six-room luxury bed and breakfast and was extensively renovated in 2003 and again more recently.
Navitas is a leading global education provider.  
 
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Cape Lodge, Margaret River listed for sale

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Upgrades and Investment at 140 William Street has lead to a number new leases according to owner Rest.
Colliers International’s Shane Burns and Tony Landrigan, in conjunction with James Pappas and Hamish Sutherland of Knight Frank, have negotiated 11 new leases totalling more than 7,500sqm at 140 William Street. 
New tenants include Bank of Montreal, Law Institute of Victoria and Marble Group, among others. 
“An iconic Melbourne business destination, 140 William Street is constantly updating and evolving to ensure the building can best service tenant demand in the ever-changing Melbourne market,” Mr Burns said. 
“Progressive building owners and management consistently pre-empt workplace demands and trends to remain a commercial destination of choice, which has helped drive a highly successful leasing campaign, particularly in the past 12 months."
Over the last 24 months, superannuation owner Rest has invested in a lift and mechanical upgrade, the provision of end-of-trip facilities and new services.
Mr Pappas added, “The building has experienced great leasing success, including six refurbished whole floors – as well as securing a range of part floor tenants including Finite Group, Wonder Property, King and Whittle and NOPSEMA." 
“Further improving the buildings offering, 2018 also saw the execution of fitted part floors or small suites, responding to increasing market demand.” 
<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/2019/3/14/140William.jpg" alt=""> 
Recent leasing deals have included: 
* Newcity Development (One) Pty Ltd: 251.5sqm on Level 25 on a five-year lease (+ 11 months) 
* Lysander Consulting Group: 259.2sqm on Level 14 on a six-year lease 
* Law Institute of Victoria 
* King &amp; Whittle Pty Ltd 
* Kidman Resources Ltd:315sqm on Level 30, on a 5-year lease 
* National Offshore Petroleum Safety &amp; Environmental Management Authority: 728sqm on Level 25, on a 6-year lease 
* Wonder Property: 300sqm on Level 37, on a 7-year lease 
* Marble Group: 430sqm on Level 37, on a 6-year lease 
* Bank of Montreal: 300sqm on Level 33, on a 5-year lease 
* Finite Group: 430sqm on Level 33, on a 5-year lease 
* Undisclosed tenant has taken 1,232,90qsm on Level 8 
Rents in the building range from $580/sqm in the low rise to around $700/sqm net in the high rise for a fully fitted, turn-key suite. 
“The accelerated demand we have experienced this year highlights the strength in sentiment among small business owners and reflects the lack of supply in this market,” Mr Burns said.
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140 William Street, Melbourne upgrade yields new tenants 

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A Glen Eden, Qld home has sold under the mortgagee auction hammer for $110,000.
This marks a price reduction of $195,000 on its 2013 sale price of $305,000.
Angie Kulikov of Locations Real Estate South Gladstone held the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-house-qld-glen+eden-130663994" target="_blank">94 Allunga Drive, Glen Eden</a> the property is a three bedroom one bathroom house.
Set on 731 sqm, the property backs onto bushland.
Featuring a double carport with enclosed storage shed, it also has a fully fenced rear yard.
The 2013 sale price was an $181,000 increase from its previous 2002 sale price of $124,000
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank"><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/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt=""></a>
The median price for a home in <a href="/news">Glen Eden</a> is $251,000 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as -5%.
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Glen Eden, Qld mortgagee home sold for 36% of previous sale price

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The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has today made the decision to leave the nation’s official cash rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.50%.
RBA board members have held the nation’s cash rate yet again, however a range of economic factors are likely to encourage the bank to cut the rate.
The OCR’s function as an anchor to lenders’ interest rates shifted over 2018, as lenders were forced to respond to higher funding costs. Moreover, markets are pricing in a 90% probability of a rate cut by August this year, adding further pressure on the RBA to change its long held stance on monetary policy.
The RBA considers a range of global and domestic economic factors when making its monetary policy decisions. At its March meeting, the US Federal Reserve took a dovish stance on monetary policy, opting to hold the Fed funds rate at 2.25-2.50%. A rate hike was expected by the Fed, however comments from Chairman Powell points to no increases in the near-term due to ongoing economic expansion in the US.
In the minutes of the March Monetary Policy Meeting, RBA board members noted that trade tensions continue to weigh on the global economic outlook. Members noted that in Australia, labour market conditions had continued to improve. The RBA continues to monitor the weakening housing market, drawing attention to Sydney and Melbourne, where dwelling values had fallen 13% and 10% respectively, since their peaks.
The most recent CoreLogic Hedonic Home Value Index revealed that national dwelling values fell by 0.6% over March and have fallen by a cumulative 7.4% since peaking in October 2017.
The most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that the number of dwelling commitments to owner-occupiers fell 2.6% over January 2019.
Furthermore, National Australia Bank’s most recent Monthly Business Survey points to deteriorating business confidence. Similarly, the Westpac Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment revealed the weakest consumer mood since September 2017.
Today’s strict lending practices, born out of lenders’ self-imposed tightening in the wake of the Banking Royal Commission, continues to play a part in the slowing property market. This places greater importance on the need for future home buyers and borrowers alike to get in shape financially.
The slowdown in the nation’s economic growth would also be of concern to RBA board members, with recent GDP data revealing a slowdown in growth due in part to declining dwelling investment.
In the current lending environment, my advice to borrowers would be to speak to a mortgage broker to ensure their home loan applications are as tight as possible. The reality is that lenders are going to call out any and all undeclared living expenses on home loan applications, significantly lengthening the time to approval.
Preparing for a home loan application today is not as simple as saving for a deposit. The high level of scrutiny by loan assessors means prospective buyers, and those looking to refinance their loans, should be: cutting back on discretionary spending at least six months ahead; closing credit cards that are no longer being used and reducing limits where possible; and knowing where they are spending every dollar.
The good news for those with property ownership aspirations is that lenders are aggressively competing for low risk borrowers, which means it’s a great time to learn what your options are.
If you are looking to apply for a home loan this year and need to get home buying ready, speak to your local Mortgage Choice mortgage broker. A broker will assess your financial situation in the same way a lender would and give you a clear indication of your borrowing power.
When the time comes your broker can help you prepare a home loan application that has the best chance of being viewed favourably by the lender you choose.
SUSAN MITCHELL is the Chief Executive Officer of Mortgage Choice
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RBA's stalemate nearing its end: Mortgage Choice CEO Susan Mitchell

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The unemployment rate is 4.9%, but the underemployment rate is 8.1%.
 
This is the third in a three-part mini-symposium on Wages, Unemployment and Underemployment presented by The Conversation and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Read the other pieces in the series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/assa-symposium-67964" target="_blank">here</a>.
For the moment, Australia’s unemployment rate has a “4” in front of it. The rate for February, released on Thursday, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0" target="_blank">came in at 4.9%</a>. It’s the first time the rate has begun with a four since the Rudd/Gillard government when it dipped below 5% several times, and since the Howard and Rudd governments in the leadup the global financial crisis when it usually began with a four and at one point dipped to 3.9%.
It’d be good news were it not for another, almost as important, indicator - the underemployment rate.
Workers are underemployed when they are working fewer hours than they want to. They might be working part-time instead of full-time, or part-time for 10 hours a week instead of 20, or full-time at 35 hours instead of 40.
<hr>
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265049/original/file-20190321-93051-e32m42.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""><a class="source" href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0" target="_blank">ABS Labour Force</a>
<hr>
Over the past five years the proportion of the workforce underemployed has climbed from 7.2% to 8.1% while the unemployment rate has climbed from 5.2%, then fallen, hitting 4.9%.
The underemployed are disproportionately women (60%), and are concentrated in the retail, health care and hospitality industries. Their jobs are more likely to be insecure, with inadequate hours often accompanied by unpredictable or uncertain hours.
They are in industries that have seen growth in temporary migrant workers and the systematic underpayment of workers, reflecting changes in the temporary visa system as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.20851/wages-crisis-04" target="_blank">weaknesses in the enforcement of wage laws</a>.
Wages are the other side of the bad news. No one who has made a regular appearance at the plethora of parliamentary inquiries that have accompanied the rewriting of Australia’s industrial relations system over the past 23 years would be surprised that wage growth is bumping along at historic lows.
The reworked industrial relations system - and the social, cultural, economic and labour market context in which it sits - has reshaped power at work. Wave after wave of change has had the end result of shifting power to employers. And it is that change in power that, more than anything, explains the stalling of wages growth.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265055/original/file-20190321-93060-qtde5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265055/original/file-20190321-93060-qtde5w.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> Open letter in Tuesday’s Financial Review. <a class="source" href="http://ppesydney.net/open-letter-on-the-benefits-of-promoting-faster-wage-growth/" target="_blank">AFR</a>
As 124 labour market experts said in their <a href="http://ppesydney.net/open-letter-on-the-benefits-of-promoting-faster-wage-growth/" target="_blank">open letter in support of wages growth</a> published in the Australian Financial Review this week, we are witnessing the longest sustained rate of slow wage growth since the end of the Second World War.
It certainly isn’t the result of falling productivity, which has actually climbed 39% in the past two decades while real wages have climbed only 14%.
The feminisation of employment has also helped shift the power balance at work. Women’s share of the total workforce climbed from 43% to 47% between 1999 and 2019.
Research in many countries tells us that women are no less inclined to join a union and have no less an appetite to improve their working conditions than men. However, women’s caring responsibilities and the practical demands they face, along with the nature of the industries in which they work, often make it harder for them to bargain or to take industrial action.
<hr>
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265052/original/file-20190321-93044-12f77y7.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/265052/original/file-20190321-93044-12f77y7.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.propertyobserver.com.au/http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6345.0" target="_blank">ABS wage price index</a>
<hr>
Analysts focus on the causes of this historic wages stall. Reserve Bank Governors caution about its consequences for the economy. But in thousands of households across Australia, a five-year stall in wages growth exacts a high human cost. It particularly affects those already on low pay, for whom a few dollars a week mean the difference between making rent, paying for school excursions or filling the fridge. ‘Frugal comfort’ of the kind promised by Justice Higgins in 1906 (to full-time men at least), is a long way from the anxiety that flatlining wages mean for many Australians.
The wage system shapes the fortunes of Australian households. Its reverberations have become more powerful with the growing number of two-earner households and a retirement incomes system that increasingly mirrors wage earnings.
The growing awareness of wage inequality and unevenly rewarded productivity, in combination with increasing job insecurity and weakening protections at work, is likely to feed into the election campaign.
Redressing the basic and widening power imbalance that underlies the employment and wage statistics has become a public necessity that has supporters in some surprising places. It is overdue.
<hr>
The <a href="https://www.assa.edu.au" target="_blank">Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia</a> is one of Australia’s four learned academies. The ASSA coordinates the promotion of research, teaching and advice in the social sciences, promotes scholarly cooperation across disciplines, comments on national needs and priorities in the social sciences, and provides advice to government on issues of national importance.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113360/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/barbara-pocock-7079" target="_blank">Barbara Pocock</a>, Emeritus Professor University of South Australia, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180" target="_blank">University of South Australia</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jobs-but-not-enough-work-how-power-keeps-workers-anxious-and-wages-low-113360" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Jobs but not enough work. How power keeps workers anxious and wages low

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EXPERT OBSERVER
There’s no trading strategy that will deliver better returns than chance.
In 2013 I wrote a <a href="https://theconversation.com/gambling-on-the-dollar-time-to-reign-in-forex-trading-21150" target="_blank">piece on The Conversation</a> arguing that foreign exchange trading should be much more tightly regulated.
In particular, I said that retail (mum and dad) investors should only be allowed to trade foreign currencies in limited circumstances. Since then there has been little change. It is still shockingly easy for a retail investor with a very limited understanding of foreign currency to trade foreign exchange, as was demonstrated on ABC 7.30 on <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/the-risky-world-of-online-foreign-exchange/10922394" target="_blank">Wednesday</a> and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/the-opaque-world-of-foreign-exchange-trading/10927348" target="_blank">Thursday</a> nights.
There is a basic difference between foreign exchange trading and other forms of investment such as share trading. Over time, share markets tend to rise, so that if an investor buys a diversified basket of shares, or even an individual share, they should expect a positive return over time. Of course markets go up and down, and individual share trades can go wrong, but in the long run the market tends to rise.
<h2>Share trading it isn’t</h2>
Foreign currency markets are fundamentally different, in that there is no reason to expect exchange rates such as the Australian-US dollar rate to rise or fall over any short- or medium-term trading horizon.
For 30 or more years, academics have tried to build models to predict exchange rates. None of them work. If even the most sophisticated academic or trader built a model to predict whether the AUD/USD would go up or down tomorrow, they would get it wrong 50% of the time – exactly the same as a coin toss. This means trading foreign exchange on the basis of whether major currencies will go up or down is exactly the same as playing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-up" target="_blank">two-up</a>!
<h2>Losses can exceed what you put in</h2>
The second reason that retail investors should be wary of foreign exchange trading is that many promoted products are highly leveraged - funded by borrowing. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has <a href="https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/investing/complex-investments/foreign-exchange-trading" target="_blank">clear warnings about foreign exchange trading</a> on its Moneysmart webpage, including a case study of a typical trader who invests A$500 to borrow to buy A$100,000 at an exchange rate of 91 US cents.
With this contract, a fall in the USD/AUD exchange rate to 88.5 US cents sees this trader lose A$2,825, meaning they have to pay another A$2,325 in addition to the original A$500 to close out the contract.
<hr>
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265003/original/file-20190321-93057-1krimjl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265003/original/file-20190321-93057-1krimjl.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a> How to lose a lot from a little. <a class="source" href="https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/investing/complex-investments/foreign-exchange-trading" target="_blank">ASIC MoneySmart</a>
<hr>
If foreign exchange trading is so risky, and in my view no different to playing two-up or roulette, why do we allow retail investors to leverage into these products?
The problem, as I see it, is that regulators can take one of two approaches to investors. The traditional view is that if investors have enough information they will make informed choices in their own best interests. Economists describe this as behaving rationally. The ASIC approach is very much based on this view: provide good information and let investors make informed choices.
<h2>Information isn’t enough</h2>
There is a second view that is gradually replacing this view of individuals as rational. The “behavioural economics” approach examines the psychology and actual approaches of individuals in different circumstances, to explore departures from rationality. Unsurprisingly, in many arenas people are irrational, creatures of habit, ill-informed, and so on.
An implication is that sometimes people ought to be protected from their own poor decisions, even though that might limit choice. I would argue strongly that there is no reason for retail investors to trade foreign exchange, and certainly no reason to borrow to do it. Measures to limit such trading, except in circumstances where an investor can demonstrate their expertise, ought to be encouraged.
<h2>We’re a magnet for promoters</h2>
This is very far from the case in Australia currently. In fact Australia is seen as an attractive location for firms offering retail foreign exchange trading. Websites offer “training and tips” and then allow trading inside 24 hours.
I have spent 30 years studying foreign exchange markets and would still say that I’m not sophisticated enough to trade them. Maybe I’m dumb, but I’m not crazy enough to trade foreign exchange.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-crosby-444" target="_blank">Mark Crosby</a>, Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank">Monash University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-better-than-roulette-how-foreign-exchange-trading-rips-off-mum-and-dad-investors-113743" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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No better than roulette. How foreign exchange trading rips off mum and dad investors

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An Upper Coomera, Qld mortgagee townhouse has sold following an unsuccessful auction campaign.
The three bedroom two bathroom property sold for $340,000 a $59,000 reduction on it's 2010 sale price of $399,000.
Glenn Batten of First National Real Estate held the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-townhouse-qld-upper+coomera-130183298" target="_blank">3/12 Gumtree Crescent</a>, the circa 2010 built townhouse features a single car lockup garage.
Set on 156 sqm, the property set across two storeys was listed for $360,000.
Located minutes from both shopping options and schools the home is within 600 metres of the Upper Coomera State College.
The property was listed for rent through 2010 to 2014. During these years it was listed at $390 pw until mid 2012 where the asking rental price was reduced to $350 pw.
However in 2014 it was listed for rent at $450 pw.
<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/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt="">
The median price for a home in <a href="/news">Upper Coomera</a> is $486,250 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as -0.5%.
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Upper Coomera, Qld mortgagee townhouse sold for $60,000 loss

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A Hope island apartment is set to go under the mortgagee auction hammer on April 3.
The two bedroom three bathroom unit features one underground parking space. 
Mark Worthington of LJ Hooker holds the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-unit-qld-hope+island-130660170" target="_blank">1106/2 Activa Way</a> it is part of the Azzura Greens development.
With 155 sqm of floorspace, the property is inside the Hope Island Resort community.
Located adjacent to the Tennis Academy &amp; links to the Hope Island Golf Club it features a verandah.
Last sold in 2008 the apartment traded for $506,450.
It was listed as recently as 2017 initially asking for offers from $362,000 before reducing the price guide to $350,000 and being taken off market after 54 days.
<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/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt="">
The median price for a home in <a href="/developments/hope-island-qld-4212">Hope Island</a> is $972,500 according to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as -2.5%.
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Hope Island, QLD apartment going under mortgagee auction hammer

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DomaCom Limited has announced that it has partnered with La Trobe Financial to provide property investors using DomaCom’s fractional property investment fund with a credit facility.  
An initial $50 million facility has been provided by La Trobe Financial that will allow investors to acquire around $100 million of leveraged property through the DomaCom Fund.
The facility will provide up to 60% leverage for investors and Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs) at a competitive 5.99% pa.
Enabling the use of lending when purchasing investment properties is a key addition to the DomaCom product offering, which places the Company in a strong position to almost triple its Funds Under Management to $150 million. 
DomaCom CEO Arthur Naoumidis said: “This is a significant development for the Australian property investment market as financial advisers can now leverage their clients’ investment properties at a click of a button. 
"We’re delighted to have the final piece of the jigsaw (debt) in place for DomaCom – we have bought over 50 properties to date where almost all are without debt and we are excited to be able to offer advisers ready access to competitive SMSF lending.
"The availability of this initial $50 million debt facility has cleared the remaining obstacle for DomaCom. 
"After many patient years we are now well placed to take our platform to financial advisers and the SMSF sector, with available debt and legal certainty."
Chris Andrews, chief investment officer at La Trobe Financial, said the SMSF sector continues to grow.
"With more than one million Australians having turned to taking more control of their own super, the growth of the SMSF sector continues," Andrews said.
“As a specialist in the SMSF lending space since 2009 we are happy to partner with DomaCom to assist borrowers obtain that much needed SMSF finance for property investment purposes.
"SMSFs have a significant influence in the overall growth of the $2.3 trillion Australian superannuation industry, with SMSF assets growing by $319.7 billion or 55% in the five years to December 2018 at $726.46 billion in AUM.
Andrews said this sector expansion is expected to continue to have an important role in asset allocation debates in the retirement industry.
"The majority of the 587,092 SMSFs are formed by self-employed business people who are astute and understand investment risk - having often run their own businesses. 
"They have a bias towards asset classes with low volatility and assets that have longer term (10+ year) investment horizons and to this end property is eminently recognisable and understandable for SMSF investors.
"Currently there is only $42.85 billion of limited recourse borrowings (5.9% of total SMSF Assets)”.
To read more about DomaCom, <a href="/expert-insights/crowdfunding-into-property-domacom-explains">click here</a>.
 
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DomaCom secures $50 million non-bank lending for SMSFs

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GUEST OBSERVATION
The tens of thousands of young people who were protesting at the school climate strike two weeks ago know that they are being left a stinking great environmental mess to clean up.
But I suspect that many are yet to appreciate that this is not the only mess they’ll be left with.
Australia’s tax and welfare system is built around an <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/the-wealth-of-generations/" target="_blank">implicit generational bargain</a>. Working-age Australians, as a group, are net contributors to the budget – they pay more in taxes than they receive in either benefits or spending. These contributions support older Australians who take a lot more out in spending and pension payments than they contribute in taxes.
Today’s working-age Australians expect the generation after them to support them in the same way as they age. But this longstanding bargain is under threat.
A bargain betrayed
The number of working-age Australians for every person aged 65 and over fell from 7.4 in the mid-1970s to 4.4 in 2015, and is projected to fall to just <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2015-igr">3.2</a> in 2055.
This could be seen as just bad luck for today’s young people. There are swings and roundabouts we all have to live with.
But what’s less easy to accept is a series of policy decisions that have substantially increased the size of the transfers workers will have to make to older people – expanding their good fortune at the expense of the generations who come out of them.
Let me tell you how.
Budgets have been tilting the scales
First, future pension costs have climbed as a result of deliberate policy decisions to boost the rate and eligibility for the pension. As a share of average weekly earnings it has climbed <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0" target="_blank">from 30% to 37%</a> over the past two decades.
The ever-widening gap between the rate of the pension and Newstart, and the increasing ease with which retirees can get at least some pension, speaks to the political perception that there are deserving and undeserving welfare recipients, “lifters” and “leaners,” in the words used by Treasurer Joe Hockey in the 2014 budget.
Newstart recipients now live on A$40 a day compared to <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/5/1/8/20" target="_blank">A$65 for full-rate pensioners</a>.
Second, health spending is climbing. Commonwealth health spending has been climbing by 3% a year over and above inflation for the past decade.
State health spending has climbed 3.7% a year.
The increase has been particularly stark for those in their 70s and 80s – with average health spend per person increasing by over A$4,000 <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6537.0" target="_blank">in just twelve years</a>.
Most Australians support increased health and pensions spending. They might not, or might not support it as much, if they realised where it was coming from.
A series of tax policy decisions over the past two decades – tax-free superannuation income in retirement, refundable franking credits and special tax offsets for seniors – have meant we now ask older Australians to contribute a lot less than we once did.
Incomes for households over 65 have <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6537.0" target="_blank">more than doubled</a> over the past 25 years, substantially faster growth than for households under 55.
But households over 65 pay virtually <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6537.0" target="_blank">no more income tax</a> than people that age did 25 years ago. Indeed, the share of older households paying any tax has fallen from 27% in the mid 1990s to 17% today.
And that has contributed to a tax system where someone’s date of birth is almost as important as someone’s income in determining their tax contribution.
An older household earning A$100,000 a year pays on average less than half the total tax of a working-age household earning the same amount. Considered another way, an older household on A$100,000 pays about the same tax as a working-age household on A$50,000.
And these calculations exclude dividend imputation franking credit refunds that largely benefit older Australians. There is simply no policy justification for this degree of age segregation in the system.
We are facing intergenerational theft
One argument that is sometimes advanced to defend age-based tax breaks is that older Australians have “paid their taxes”. But in a generational sense, this argument does not hold water. Younger households today are underwriting the standard of living of older households to a much greater extent than in the past.
People born in the late 1940s, at the beginning of the baby boom generation, reached their peak contribution to the tax system in their early forties – and at that point they were contributing an average of A$3,200 a year to support older generations in retirement. An average 40-year-old today, born at the tail end of Generation X, is paying an inflation-adjusted <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6537.0" target="_blank">A$7,300 a year</a>.
That is <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0" target="_blank">more</a> than they are contributing to their own retirement through compulsory superannuation.
Under current policy settings, the child of today’s 40-year-old will need to pay around A$11,400 a year by the time he or she reaches 40 just to sustain the current levels of benefits in retirement.
And ever-bigger budget deficits
In an economy that is growing, it can be sustainable for each generation to take out more than it put in, knowing it will be easier for the next one to put money in, but the sheer size of this growth in payments far exceeds that capacity.
That’s why the treasury produces an <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/publication/2015-igr" target="_blank">Intergenerational Report</a> every five years to remind us how ugly business-as-usual looks.
Without policy changes, budget deficits are set to grow ever bigger (even after what will probably be the temporary return to surplus promised in Tuesday’s budget) and net debt will expand to uncomfortable levels.
The unwanted fiscal inheritance will fall on the generation of Australians that have seen its incomes and wealth stagnate – the generation that has missed the property boom and is entering the workforce during a period of flatlining real wages.
So what would a budget that seriously tackles these issues look like?
We could still put things right
First, it would wind back some of the tax concessions for older Australians who can afford to make a contribution. It is simply <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/age-of-entitlement/" target="_blank">no longer sustainable</a> for comfortably off older Australians to opt out of taxes for two or three decades they are in retirement. The obvious place to start would be a <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/super-tax-targeting/" target="_blank">tax on superannuation earnings</a>, and winding back the <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/money-in-retirement/" target="_blank">seniors and pensioners tax offset</a>.
The politics isn’t easy. The reaction to Labor’s franking credit policy gives a sense of what governments face when trying to wind back these transfers. The public hearings for the inquiry into the franking credits policy sometimes looked more like the frontline in a generational war than a staid government inquiry.
Here the contrast with the climate strike is difficult to ignore: while older Australians picket for their franking credits, young people are protesting for their very future.
Second, there would be no decisions that further undermine the structural position of the budget. If there is one lesson to take from the past two decades it is that commodity windfalls come and go. We should not lock in higher recurrent spending, or offer another round of tax cuts, every time revenues surprise on the upside. Nor should we pile uneconomic infrastructure investments off budget. To do so is to further weaken the generational bargain.
What if Tuesday’s budget was a start?
Ahead of tomorrow’s budget I should say that I hope I’m wrong.
I hope this government will use this budget and its election commitments to address our long-term challenges. I hope we can discuss generational fairness without it descending into generational warfare.
I hope none of us would want our legacy to be mortgaging our children’s environment and their economic future.
<hr>
Danielle Wood presented a longer version of this article as part of the <a href="https://esawen.org.au/" target="_blank">Women In Economics</a> federal budget perspectives event at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday March 27, 2019. <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/national-press-club-address" target="_blank">Watch the discussion here</a>.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/114508/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;">
Danielle Wood, Program Director, Budget Policy and Institutional Reform, Grattan Institute
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/expect-a-budget-that-breaks-the-intergenerational-bargain-like-the-one-before-it-and-before-that-114508" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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Expect a budget that breaks the intergenerational bargain, like the one before it, and before that

Developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/bottega-property-group">Bottega House</a> has secured council approval for its first Brisbane project - a $270 million luxury residential development on an absolute riverfront site in leafy St Lucia.&nbsp;

The 15-storey project, known as <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/st-lucia-by-bottega-house-180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">St Lucia by Bottega House</a> , will occupy a prime north-facing site at 178-180 Macquarie Street, directly fronting the Brisbane River in the established inner-west suburb known for its rowing clubs, golf courses and sprawling University of Queensland campus.&nbsp;

St Lucia by Bottega House will feature a suite of amenities including dedicated wellness spaces, a mineral pool and cold plunge. The project has been positioned to attract affluent owner-occupiers seeking high-quality, house-sized apartments.&nbsp;

Bottega House has been set up by co-directors Nick Malloch, Louis Mennes and Craig Marsh.

Malloch said the project drew inspiration from its Brisbane River setting and leafy inner-west surrounds, while responding to the demands of discerning locals looking to transition from freestanding homes into apartment living.&nbsp;

"With an expansive river frontage and lush green surrounds, we knew we had to create something special that reflects the natural beauty of the location while offering residents masterfully crafted homes," said Malloch.&nbsp;

"Our intent was to complement the project's quiet, private setting by introducing residences that offer a calm retreat and sanctuary from the everyday. The result is a harmonious blend of architecture, interiors and amenity that emphasises wellbeing, comfort and beauty without excess."&nbsp;

Malloch added that project consultants had been carefully selected in alignment with Bottega House's commitment to care, quality and attention to detail. The design team includes architects <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a>, interiors practice <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and landscaping by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/urbis">Urbis</a>.&nbsp;

Three-bedroom apartments are expected to start around $5 millio. Selling agents Keenan &amp; Byrne said the pricing strategy for the project was anticipated to achieve upwards of $25,500 per square metre.&nbsp;

The project's development approval this week follows the success of Bottega House's inaugural Queensland project - a 22-storey collection of full-floor sky homes at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast which included the sale of a two-storey penthouse at a record price for a beachside residence.&nbsp;

St Lucia by Bottega House is expected to launch to market in November, with construction anticipated to be completed mid 2029.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=151826]

Joel Robinson

Bottega House to make Brisbane debut with St Lucia riverfront apartment development

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sherpa-property-group">Sherpa Property Group</a> is advancing its affordable apartment model into Brisbane with the acquisition of another site at Cordelia Street in South Brisbane for $27 million.

Sherpa, which has a $1.7 billion pipeline across Southeast Queensland, intends to bring a cohort of apartments exclusively for first homebuyers into its proposed 186-apartment project to be built at 2 Cordelia Street.

The Sherpa model has already been incredibly well received from their Gold Coast projects, where Sherpa Group set aside a number of apartments exclusively for first homebuyers.

The new $320 million project marks Sherpa Group's second development in Brisbane, following its $255 million Symphony project, also on Cordelia Street, which is currently under construction.

Symphony will deliver 146 apartments across 28 levels, offering a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. With 114 already sold, construction by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/builders/lps-group">LPS Group</a> is scheduled for completion in 2028.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=7574 project_image_fid=351654]

Sherpa Founder, Christie Leet, said the company was excited to be venturing into Brisbane for its second residential project.

“We’re big believers in the future of Brisbane as we lead into the 2032 Olympics and beyond,” Leet said.

“The success of Symphony has guided us into what will be our second project and we look forward to submitting our plans with council soon so we can deliver yet another quality project to the inner city residential market.

“Our Flourish model has been very well received both in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and we’re excited to be able to offer some of these apartments again exclusively to first homebuyers to help get them into the property market.

“The model has been extraordinarily well received in our previous projects and it is something we are committed to moving forward.”

2 Cordelia Street will be designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hal-architects">HAL Architects</a> &amp; Finegrain and will include Sherpa’s signature residential amenities including pool, gym, recreation, wellness and work from home spaces.

The project will feature ground-floor commercial space, creating a vibrant amenity for residents and the surrounding community.

A development application will be lodged with Brisbane City Council in August on the code compliant site and will be launched to the market early 2027.

Sherpa acquires new site for second Brisbane apartment tower

One of North Sydney's best-known commercial buildings could become hundreds of new homes, with insurance giant Zurich Australia lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) to transform 5 Blue Street into a mixed-use residential development above North Sydney Station.

Rather than demolishing the existing building and starting again, Zurich is proposing an adaptive reuse project that would convert the landmark office building into a 15-level residential development delivering 62 apartments, 86 affordable co-living dwellings, activated retail and significant upgrades to the Blue Street Plaza.

The proposal reflects a growing trend of commercial property owners repositioning ageing office assets into residential housing as Sydney grapples with housing supply shortages and changing workplace demand.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0bba7d12-06dc-4375-aad7-238c94b21ac5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.42.05%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=NJl5oLAEBDGuPmY3RnyliKODjMc8lvRh" />

Located directly above North Sydney Metro and train station, the 3,051 sqm site occupies one of the most strategically positioned parcels of land on Sydney's Lower North Shore.

Designed by fjcstudio, the proposal seeks to retain and adapt much of the existing structure while creating a contemporary residential address that better connects with the public domain surrounding North Sydney Station.

The application proposes two basement levels, ground floor retail, affordable co-living accommodation across the podium levels, and apartments above, while preserving and enhancing the publicly accessible Blue Street Plaza.

Rather than pursuing maximum apartment numbers, Zurich has opted for a housing mix heavily weighted towards larger owner-occupier residences.

The proposal includes 62 build-to-sell apartments comprising 12 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom, 29 three-bedroom apartments and two premium penthouses. It also incorporates 86 affordable co-living dwellings, which would be managed in perpetuity by a Community Housing Provider.

That balance between traditional apartments and affordable housing reflects the NSW Government's push to increase housing diversity around major transport infrastructure.

The proposal has been lodged concurrently with a rezoning application, with Zurich arguing the site is ideally positioned to support additional housing given its immediate proximity to public transport, employment and services.

"The proposal aims to respond to the housing challenges facing Sydney through the delivery of diverse housing types in a highly accessible location," the design report by fjcstudio states. It also seeks to improve pedestrian amenity through upgrades to Blue Street Plaza while creating a high-performing residential building that responds to the surrounding context.

<img alt="Zurich" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="36082e15-c636-4481-bb68-5a5f6443fe39" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%2010.41.36%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=5P6VD.fvmqjQfIG3TWWMRXxQWiQBjeFB" />

Rather than replacing the commercial building, fjcstudio has developed a design that works with the existing structural framework above the rail corridor, an approach that significantly reduces demolition while allowing the site to be repositioned as a mixed-use residential precinct.

The existing structural constraints have informed much of the building's design, including its relationship with Blue Street and surrounding public spaces.

The building has been designed as a slender tower rising above a clearly defined podium, with vertically expressed façades intended to reduce the perceived bulk while reinforcing North Sydney's emerging skyline.

According to fjcstudio, the architectural language responds directly to the surrounding commercial towers while maintaining a finer grain expression more closely aligned with the neighbouring Lavender Bay streetscape.

The tower incorporates articulated façade elements, landscaped podium edges and recessed upper levels to soften its appearance and improve pedestrian amenity below.

A significant component of the proposal is the revitalisation of Blue Street Plaza.

The existing public space has long served as one of the primary pedestrian connections between North Sydney Station, Greenwood Plaza and Blue Street, yet its role is expected to become even more important following the opening of Sydney Metro.

Zurich's proposal seeks to strengthen that role by improving landscaping, introducing new retail frontages, enhancing pedestrian permeability and creating more active edges throughout the day and evening.

Ground floor retail would wrap the plaza, while separate residential and co-living entries have been designed to improve wayfinding without reducing street activation.

Landscape design has been integrated throughout the podium and public realm, softening what is currently one of the most heavily urbanised parts of North Sydney.

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fjcstudio has carefully oriented apartments towards Sydney Harbour and the CBD while using privacy blades and articulated façades to minimise overlooking between neighbouring buildings.

Large framed openings along the western elevation maximise harbour outlooks, while the eastern apartments have been angled towards the south-east to improve privacy from neighbouring development.

The project forms part of the continuing transformation of North Sydney from a predominantly commercial CBD into a genuine mixed-use city centre.

Since the completion of Victoria Cross Metro Station, developers have increasingly shifted their attention towards residential projects capable of leveraging the area's unparalleled transport connectivity.

&nbsp;

FiveX recently lodged plans for a 61-storey, 490-apartment tower that would become one of the tallest residential buildings in North Sydney if approved.

Aqualand continues to expand its Lower North Shore presence following the completion of AURA on Walker Street and its recent St Leonards and Roseville proposals.

Developers are also progressing projects throughout Walker Street, Miller Street and the Victoria Cross precinct as demand for well-located owner-occupier apartments continues to strengthen.

First look: Zurich targets North Sydney office conversion with 148-unit proposal above Metro station

Busy developer Aqualand Prestige has formally taken the next step in its expansion across Sydney's Lower North Shore, lodging a State Significant Development Application (SSDA) for its long-held Archer Street site in Chatswood.

The application covers <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/51-55-archer-street-chatswood-nsw-2067">51-55 Archer Street</a>, a 1,767 sqm amalgamated site on the eastern edge of the Chatswood CBD, where the developer is seeking approval for a 45-level mixed-use tower delivering 114 apartments, including a significant affordable housing component, alongside retail, commercial space and six basement levels of parking.

The SSDA marks the latest milestone for a project Aqualand has been quietly progressing over the past two years. The developer first secured the site for its Aqualand Prestige platform before undertaking an alternative design excellence process with PTW Architects, ultimately avoiding a formal design competition through the Housing Delivery Authority pathway.

The proposal has evolved considerably from Aqualand's original concept. The revised scheme has been designed around larger owner-occupier product, with an unusually high proportion of three and four-bedroom apartments, targeting the more affluent buyer profile, and downsizer, emerging across the North Shore.

<img alt="Archer St" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0171204c-5811-41b5-9b09-2335d1b7c3d0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-07-22%20at%208.52.48%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=6YTuxfq.puZo7k2wbfgemcO5K3QfXYGQ" />

The 114-apartment mix comprises six studios, 27 one-bedroom apartments, 18 two-bedroom apartments, 50 three-bedroom residences and 13 four-bedroom homes. A quarter of the building will be dedicated to affordable housing, well above the mandated 15 per cent&nbsp;

PTW has structured the building vertically, with affordable housing across levels one to six, premium apartments through levels seven to 31, duplex skyhomes on klevels 32 to 43, a penthouse on level 44, and a rooftop plant level above. Six basement levels will provide resident parking and servicing.

The tower is proposed to reach approximately 154 metres, placing it among a growing collection of residential high-rises transforming Chatswood's skyline.

Rather than competing purely on height, PTW says the design has been driven by creating a slimmer tower capable of delivering significantly larger apartments.

"The primary objective of this project was to create a distinctive building that stands out from the recently approved or built structures in the Chatswood area," the design report states, noting the structural efficiency allows greater investment into apartment quality and resident amenity.

Residents would have access to more than 450 sqm of communal open space including landscaped gardens, swimming pool, rooftop entertaining areas, fitness spaces, community gardens, children's play areas and barbecue facilities.

A major focus of the design has been the public domain.

The ground plane has been opened up through landscaped terraces inspired by Willoughby's sandstone ridges, with native planting, public seating, artwork, retail activation and a series of gathering spaces intended to soften what has traditionally been a hard commercial streetscape.

The landscape strategy references Blue Gum forests once common throughout the area, while incorporating Indigenous storytelling, public art and lighting installations to strengthen the connection to Country.

Chatswood has been one of Sydney's busiest apartment markets over the past 12 months, with a steady pipeline of both new project launches and fresh development applications.

Hyecorp recently launched Celine, a 122-apartment development just along Archer Street, while Changfa and Huirong Group are progressing The Anderson, an 84-apartment project on Anderson Street.

Develotek recently secured approval for a 101-apartment tower on Pacific Highway, while Tian An LFD received the green light for Hammond Greens, its apartment development on the edge of the Chatswood Bowling Club.

Commercial property developer FiveX is also making its move into the residential market. Last month it lodged plans for a 61-storey tower with 490 apartments, which, if approved, would become one of the tallest residential buildings in Chatswood.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-fivex-targets-chatswood-skyline-with-61-storey-tower-after-north-sydney-plans">First look: FiveX targets Chatswood skyline with 61-storey tower after North Sydney plans</a>

Aqualand is also expanding its development pipeline following the launch of its luxury residential brand, Aqualand Prestige. The developer has delivered a string of high-end apartment projects across Sydney's affluent suburbs over the past decade, most recently AURA by Aqualand on Walker Street in North Sydney.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=30959 project_image_fid=292863]

It has since quietly assembled its next wave of projects.

Earlier this year Aqualand launched Boronia in Roseville, a boutique 111-apartment development on Larkin Street. The project is one of the first significant apartment developments to launch in the suburb ahead of what is expected to become one of Sydney's most active new housing precincts under the NSW Government's Low and Mid-Rise Housing reforms, which allow greater density around train stations.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152095 project_image_fid=373685]

The developer has also lodged plans for a two-tower, 413-apartment development on Herbert Street in nearby St Leonards, further strengthening its presence across the Lower North Shore.

Beyond that, Aqualand remains behind the final stage of Barangaroo, where plans will deliver a five-hectare mixed-use precinct comprising new homes, retail, hospitality and community facilities, alongside a new Metro entrance and more than two hectares of public open space, completing the Barangaroo precinct.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/central-barangaroo-development-takes-big-step-with-concept-proposal-approval">Central Barangaroo development takes big step with concept proposal approval</a>

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-aqualand-joins-st-leonards-apartment-party">First look: Aqualand joins St Leonards apartment party</a> 
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First look: Aqualand pushes ahead with Chatswood apartment tower as SSDA lodged for Archer Street

Mass timber is becoming an increasingly popular construction material in apartment developments, but Adelaide developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/otello">Otello</a> is taking the approach a step further.

At its new <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/flowe-bowden-18-gibson-street-bowden-sa-5007">Flowe Bowden</a> development, the exposed cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure isn't just about reducing the building's environmental footprint. It also forms the foundation of a broader wellness strategy, influencing everything from indoor air quality and natural materials to the way residents move through and experience the building.

The 115-apartment mixed-use development, designed by Melbourne-based architecture practice Fieldwork, will occupy a prominent island site opposite Bowden Village Reserve, combining one, two and three-bedroom apartments with retail and a dedicated wellness destination.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375528]

Wellness isn't confined to a gym or shared resident facility at Flowe. Instead, Fieldwork embedded the concept into the building itself.

The development has been split into two residential wings connected by a naturally ventilated central breezeway, replacing traditional enclosed corridors with open-air walkways that improve natural light, encourage cross ventilation and create more opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

"Rather than treating wellness as something that only happens on the ground floor, our response integrates it throughout the building, which led us to ask what it really means to design a healthy building," Fieldwork Director Quino Holland said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375531]

The building's architecture also reflects Bowden's industrial heritage. The lower podium references the area's historic brick and sandstone buildings, while the upper levels transition to exposed CLT, allowing the timber structure to become a defining feature throughout the apartments and shared spaces.

The use of mass timber sits alongside a range of sustainability initiatives, including a fully electric, gas-free design, rooftop solar and a targeted 5 Star Green Star rating.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375524]

Inside the residences, the focus remains on natural, durable materials. Blackbutt engineered timber flooring, exposed CLT ceilings, porcelain surfaces and warm timber joinery create a calming interior palette, while low-VOC finishes and responsibly sourced materials have been selected to improve indoor air quality.

Kitchens have been designed as the centrepiece of each apartment, featuring porcelain island benchtops, timber-look cabinetry and brushed steel tapware, with layouts that maximise natural light and ventilation.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152022 project_image_fid=375530]

The more traditional interpretation of wellness comes in the form of Level Eleven, a two-storey wellness club spanning the ground floor, mezzanine and first floor.

The facility will include a gym, yoga and reformer Pilates studios, Finnish and infrared saunas, magnesium hot and cold plunge pools, and dedicated recovery spaces. Unlike many residential wellness facilities, Level Eleven will also operate commercially, allowing the broader Bowden community to access the venue while giving residents exclusive membership benefits.

The ground floor has also been designed around everyday living. A café overlooking Bowden Village Reserve will activate the street frontage, while a bike workshop with tool storage, co-working space and dog wash has been incorporated to support daily routines and encourage interaction between residents.

"Flowe brings together my two biggest passions, creating places and creating healthier lives," Otello founder Daniel Harris said.

"We wanted to create something Adelaide hasn't seen before, a genuinely healthy building, where the way you live is lifted without even trying."

Flowe is positioned directly opposite Bowden Village Reserve and within walking distance of Bowden Railway Station and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, placing future residents just minutes from the Adelaide CBD while remaining connected to one of the city's most established urban renewal precincts.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=152022]

Staff reporter

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