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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

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

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The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

Staff reporter

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