<html><body>
Australia’s largest member-owned banking organisation, CUA, has announced a Financial Assistance Package to help support its members impacted by the COVID-19 situation.
CEO Paul Lewis said CUA has listened to the concerns of its members over the past week and has prioritised measures that will help provide immediate relief to those most impacted.
Among the changes, CUA announced interest rate relief for home-owners with new two-year and three-year fixed home loan rates of 2.29 per cent p.a. (comparison rates* of 4.11 per cent p.a. and 3.94 per cent p.a. respectively) on offer for owner occupiers paying principal and interest – a reduction of at least 0.55 per cent p.a. The rates will be available for new lending and loan switches from 1 April 2020.
Members will also have an option to defer repayments on mortgages and business loans for up to six months1 if they are experiencing difficulty as a result of COVID-19. They can also extend their loan term by the same length of time to ease the pressure when repayments resume in the future.
CUA will lift its 12-month term deposit rates by 0.30 per cent p.a. to a market-leading 2.00 per cent p.a. and for members aged 55+ to 2.10 per cent p.a., helping those living on fixed incomes including retirees. Meanwhile, CUA Health private health insurance policy-holders will be able to suspend their policy and premium payments for three months if their income is reduced as a result of COVID-19.
“We are seeing a significant increase in members contacting us for support, including those whose job or income has been affected, as the nation continues its efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus,” Mr Lewis said.
“As a member-owned organisation, we have supported our members and communities for more than 70 years and it’s what we will continue to do as we face this challenge. We will be here to help members get through this period of uncertainty and get back on their feet.”
Mr Lewis said CUA had strived to support the diverse needs of its 560,000 strong member base.
“Our COVID-19 Financial Assistance Package contains relief for members with home loans, small businesses, deposits, personal loans and health insurance,” he said.
“Members with variable home loans have also received a 0.25 per cent p.a. interest rate reduction this week, following the RBA decision at the beginning of March, providing them with relief with one of the most competitive rates in market.
“This is an unprecedented situation and we are doing our best to provide much-needed relief, prioritising the assistance we know our members urgently need right now.”
The CUA Financial Assistance Package will include:
Support for members with home loans
<ul>
<li>
Reduction to fixed home loan rates: New 2.29 per cent p.a. 2-year and 3-year fixed home loan rates (comparison rates* of 4.11 per cent p.a. and 3.94 per cent p.a. respectively) for owner-occupiers making principal and interest repayments, effective Wednesday 1 April 2020 – a reduction of at least 0.55 per cent p.a. These rates are available for new or existing members.</li>
<li>
Repayment relief for members with home loans: You can defer your home loan repayments for up to six months if you are experiencing difficulty as a result of COVID-19. We can also extend your loan term by the same length of time to ease the pressure and minimise the increase to your repayments when you start to make them again. To apply online in just a few minutes, visit <a href="http://icm-tracking.meltwater.com/link.php?DynEngagement=true&amp;H=btYXC68syxmDVppbhVzFoYHdeMNV9070xvOlf%2FNdDQ0wXj6aidRhm9xCjWNfzPTg3iNx%2FAa4t%2FTEuHrerhKoECpU73Uhf2D7UXSRJLKb9%2Bb%2FnLrGlLndcbkj4%2BJM8eXB%2BpdQDlKXnbMabjBkCEhF%2BQ%3D%3D&amp;G=0&amp;R=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cua.com.au%2Ftools-and-services%2Fsupport%2Ffinancial-assistance&amp;I=20200325063441.00000f0d4a3e%40mail6-114-ussnn1&amp;X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjVlN2FmYWY3NjM2MGYwMTA5ZDY4MjM1ODs%3D&amp;S=7kEPwJLrkY3wBsvKkVWshe_rbbzJuoZPg6e0t3FsuE8" target="_blank">www.cua.com.au</a>
</li>
<li>You can access fee free redraw and offset if you have a variable or fixed rate loan with these features. </li>
<li>We’re offering the flexibility to shift from Principal and Interest payments to Interest Only for eligible members. (Note a change of interest rate will apply).</li>
<li>If you’re paying more than the minimum repayment each month, you can request to reduce this to the minimum payment amount, freeing up extra cash flow.</li>
<li>We don’t charge annual package fees or account keeping fees on our home loan products and will waive any late payment fees on home loan payments.</li>
</ul>
Support for members with deposits
<ul>
<li>We’ve increased our 12-month Term Deposit rate by 0.30 per cent p.a., launching a special offer of 2.00 per cent p.a. interest rate for all Australians and a 2.10 per cent rate for members aged over 55 years. These rates are effective Wednesday 25 March 2020.</li>
<li>For members who have been impacted by COVID-19 and require additional assistance, the early release of Term Deposit funds will have no interest adjustment up until the release of funds from the term and no break costs.</li>
<li>CUA does not charge account keeping fees on deposit products.</li>
</ul>
Support for members with personal loans or credit cards
<ul>
<li>We will waive late fees for personal loan repayments. Other assistance options may also be available for members on request.</li>
<li>Repayment relief for credit cards is available on a case by case basis, with no fees for replacement cards.</li>
</ul>
Support for members with CUA Health insurance
<ul>
<li>CUA Health policy-holders experiencing financial difficulty or a loss of income as a result of COVID-19 can suspend your policy and premium payments for three months by phoning CUA Health on 1300 499 260. If you require hospital treatment during the period of the suspension, you should contact CUA Health and we will work with you to reactivate your policy.</li>
<li>For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, CUA Health will cover members for all in-hospital COVID-19 treatment irrespective of their level of hospital cover, provided they have held the CUA Health hospital policy for at least two months.</li>
</ul>
Support for small business 
<ul>
<li>
Repayment relief for small business members: You can defer your business loan repayments for up to six months if you are experiencing financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19. We can also extend your loan term by the same length of time to ease the pressure and minimise the increase to your repayments when you start to make them again. To apply online in just a few minutes, visit <a href="http://icm-tracking.meltwater.com/link.php?DynEngagement=true&amp;H=btYXC68syxmDVppbhVzFoYHdeMNV9070xvOlf%2FNdDQ0wXj6aidRhm9xCjWNfzPTg3iNx%2FAa4t%2FTEuHrerhKoECpU73Uhf2D7UXSRJLKb9%2Bb%2FnLrGlLndcbkj4%2BJM8eXB%2BpdQDlKXnbMabjBkCEhF%2BQ%3D%3D&amp;G=0&amp;R=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cua.com.au%2Ftools-and-services%2Fsupport%2Ffinancial-assistance&amp;I=20200325063441.00000f0d4a3e%40mail6-114-ussnn1&amp;X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjVlN2FmYWY3NjM2MGYwMTA5ZDY4MjM1ODs%3D&amp;S=7kEPwJLrkY3wBsvKkVWshe_rbbzJuoZPg6e0t3FsuE8">www.cua.com.au</a>
</li>
<li>We’re reducing secured overdraft rates by 2.00 per cent p.a. for small business members.</li>
<li>We’re reducing variable rates on term loans for existing small business members from Wednesday 8 April 2020:
<ul>
<li>We’re reducing the rate for term loans with residential security to a new variable rate of 4.39 per cent p.a.</li>
<li>We’re reducing the rate for term loans with commercial security to a new variable rate of 4.89 per cent p.a.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
CUA will continue to keep members updated on services, and the support available, at <a href="http://icm-tracking.meltwater.com/link.php?DynEngagement=true&amp;H=btYXC68syxmDVppbhVzFoYHdeMNV9070xvOlf%2FNdDQ0wXj6aidRhm9xCjWNfzPTg3iNx%2FAa4t%2FTEuHrerhKoECpU73Uhf2D7UXSRJLKb9%2Bb%2FnLrGlLndcbkj4%2BJM8eXB%2BpdQDlKXnbMabjBkCEhF%2BQ%3D%3D&amp;G=0&amp;R=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cua.com.au%2Fcoronavirus-info&amp;I=20200325063441.00000f0d4a3e%40mail6-114-ussnn1&amp;X=MHwxMDQ2NzU4OjVlN2FmYWY3NjM2MGYwMTA5ZDY4MjM1ODs%3D&amp;S=6FWcqdHa8AsSpwqMFSH7DdxfFvTl3U-W8vLjSpHtal0" target="_blank">www.cua.com.au/coronavirus-info</a>
* Comparison rate calculated on a $150,000 loan over 25 years based on monthly repayments. WARNING: Comparison rate true only for example given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in different comparison rate.
1. If members choose to defer their loan repayments, they will continue to incur interest which will be added to the outstanding loan amount. When the repayments resume, they will be higher, to ensure the outstanding balance is paid over the remaining term of the loan.
</body></html>

j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

CUA unveils Financial Assistance Package to support members impacted by COVID-19

<html><body>
<div>
Nine Entertainment has suspended publication of its newspaper insert, Domain, forcing staff to take leave.
As real estate vendors withdraw properties from sale, the Nine managing director of publishing Chris Janz told staff at newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review there had been “significant advertising cancellations that would force sections and magazines to be suspended to secure the future of our business”.
</div>
“Unfortunately we are not immune from the unprecedented economic and advertising downturn caused by the crisis,” he said.
“These temporary measures will be continually reviewed and the sections will be reinstated as conditions improve.”
“While subscriber numbers are building, the growth does not offset the significant number of advertisers cancelling or reducing spend,” Mr Janz said in an email to staff.
News Corp Australia (publisher of The Daily Telegraph and The Australian) announced last week that it will be reducing pagination and this week announced it was cutting local newspaper production.
It will affect the print publication of 60 community titles across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia with the titles paused from April 9.
The Mansion magazine in the Weekend Australian is set to be published in April.
<div> </div>
</body></html>

Domain has suspended its print publications in coronavirus crisis

<html><body>
The national cabinet has agreed to consider advice from Treasurers on commercial and residential tenancies at their next meeting on Friday April 3.
Tenants and landlords are left in limbo as to how they will be affected.
A six month ban on evictions has been announced, although the plan is yet to be fully outlined.
It was nearly a week ago that Scott Morrison said there will "soon be an announcement" for the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their jobs and small business operators who can't pay rent.
He described the issue as complex. 
"A lot of progress has been made over the course of today and over the course of this week, we'll be looking to hopefully finalise some measures", Morrison said when responding when the government will announce how they will help to ease people's rent bill.
"This is obviously a complicated issue because you've got a tenant, you've got a landlord, you've got creditors and all of those issues and you need to solve for the entire chain that's there", Morrison said.
It was to be considered at the National Cabinet that evening, however there is still no formal decision made.
The president of the REIA, Adrian Kelly said while he is very supportive of the Government's efforts, the REIA was disappointed with the simplistic approach of the Prime Minister’s message.
He suggested the PM's message "ignores the tenancy arrangement and thus raises more questions than it answers."
“Real estate agents are the middle persons who facilitate the agreement between landlords and tenants and manage it as well as the property."
Adrian Kelly said the government's moratorium on evictions overlooks the fact that real estate agents and agencies are also going to be affected by the ongoing crisis.
"We need to address the support of agents so that what the prime minister wants, in terms of landlords and tenants — finding a solution to get through the crisis, can be achieved," Kelly said.
"Estate agents will work very hard to facilitate the role between landlord and tenant, and to do this they need income."
The parliaments of two states, NSW and Tasmania have passed legislation on evictions although they are unlikely to become law since they did not emerge from the government benches.
 
 
 
</body></html>

The national cabinet to consider commercial and residential tenancies on April 3

<html><body>
A Mosman Park home designed by Perth architect Ariane Prevost has been listed for sale.
The property, known as Marimekko House, was designed with connections between interior and exterior spaces.
There has been extensive use of recycled materials –including steel, timber, brick, rammed earth and concrete which gives the home a sustainable edge.
<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/2020/3/31/Mosman%20Park%201.jpg" alt="">
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence captures the outdoor landscape with large windows.
There are high ceilings, an abundance of natural light and open-plan living with bi-fold doors.
It has been listed by Ruth Litis, who paid $2.63 million in 2014.
<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/2020/3/31/Mosman%20Park%202.jpg" alt="">
<div class="video-container default">
<div class="video-padding">
<div id="6052336285001-42" class="video-js vjs-mouse vjs-paused vjs-controls-enabled vjs-workinghover vjs-v5 bc-player-default_default vjs-dock vjs-ima3-not-playing-yet vjs-vpaid-controls-disabled vjs-ima3-html5 vjs-plugins-ready vjs-contextmenu vjs-contextmenu-ui vjs-player-info vjs-errors vjs-ad-controls vjs-user-inactive" data-application-id="" data-embed="default" data-player="default" data-account="4342645250001" data-video-id="6052336285001">The property won Australian Architecture House Awards in 2012 and 2013.</div>
</div>
</div>
It was a finalist in House Magazine’s Australian House of the Year 2012.
Marimekko House is being marketed by Marcus Sproule of Mack Hall Real Estate, Claremont. 
</body></html>

Ariane Prevost's Marimekko House listed

<html><body>
Non-essential travel to regional NSW towns and remote communities must be cancelled and Easter holidaymakers should indefinitely postpone their visits, in line with the nationwide effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said National Cabinet has clearly asked everyone to stay at home unless they are shopping for essentials, are receiving medical care, are undertaking daily exercise or are attending work or school.
“My message today is simple, now is not the time to travel from metropolitan areas to regional NSW for a holiday, for meetings, or even to relocate yourselves for a longer period - the safest thing you can do right now is stay in your community,” Mr Barilaro said.
“This also applies to people living in regional NSW towns, because the virus does not discriminate and does not care about borders, so now is not the time to travel between towns, whether it be for meetings or even to visit family and friends.
“To help slow the spread we need to do the right thing by our families, friends and neighbours, which means staying 1.5 metres away from others, avoid social gatherings, wash hands and ensure that if you are sick, that you self-isolate.”
Mr Barilaro said he is particularly worried about city residents using the upcoming Easter break to try and relocate themselves to regional NSW in an attempt to escape quarantine, which would be extremely dangerous for rural and remote communities.
“We continue to battle the worst drought in recorded history, we have endured bushfires that took the lives of 25 people and destroyed more than 2,400 homes and what we don’t need is people spreading the virus across regional NSW,” Mr Barilaro said.
“I know towns hit hard by the drought and bushfires are relying on holidaymakers to keep people in jobs and put food on the table, but right now health and safety is paramount and lives depend on every single one of us doing our part by staying at home.”
Mr Barilaro said help is available to people across regional NSW, particularly people who are isolated and the elderly, and encouraged anyone who needs a hand to call the NSW Government’s COVID-19 hotline on 13 77 88.
</body></html>

Non-essential travel to regional NSW towns and remote communities must be cancelled: NSW Government

<html><body>
EXPERT OBSERVER
This week, historic negative economic outcomes were seen in both Europe and the US. Financial markets instead focused on the wave of stimulus announced, particularly in the US.
Of the data released, the first focus for markets was the Markit PMI’s for key developed nations. Whereas the shock ex-China to date has been concentrated in manufacturing, services were hit hard in the March preliminary reading. In Japan, the service PMI fell from 46.8 in February to 32.7 in March; in the US, a similar decline was seen from 49.4 to 39.1; while in Europe, the loss was a staggering 24pts from 52.6 to 28.4 – a very unfavorable comparison to the GFC low of 39.2 in 2009. 
While severe, these shocks pale in contrast to the deterioration seen this week in US initial jobless claims. As we flagged last week, the first few weeks of the US contagion have seen a never-before-seen increase in US unemployment. Following the 71k increase in the last report to 282k claimants, in this update a further 3 million new claimants were reported, taking initial claims to 3.28 million. Prior to this outcome, the historic peak was 695k back in 1982.
Note that while the 2020 initial outcome is almost five times the scale of the 1982 peak, the labour force has only grown 50% since. Moreover, this week’s outcome will not be a one off. It is still early days in this crisis; job losses have been staggered; and there have been numerous reports of claim backlogs to be assessed. Clearly the US is facing into an immense shock. 
It is not surprising then that the US Congress has responded with a stimulus package also of historic proportions ($2 trillion). This will include support to all low and middle-income households in the form of cash handouts; extended unemployment benefits; loans to small business which can be forgiven in time if the funds are used for certain purposes such as keeping on staff; as well as loans to support large business cash flow.
These are significant measures, but are unlikely to materially reduce the shock coming to their economy. This is in part because the stimulus will only partly offset the loss of income from job loss and as confidence’s decline will hit discretionary spending hard. But primarily it is because the US COVID-19 case count continues to rise rapidly, meaning the country is nowhere near a point of stabilisation which it can begin to recover from. Highlighting this, the New York Times today reported that the US now has more confirmed cases than China experienced. Moreover, the global state of affairs also remains dire, with severe cases continuing to increase rapidly across Europe.
The shock to growth coming from abroad is also having a clear impact on Australia and New Zealand. But more pressing is the domestic spread of COVID-19. The current situation for our two nations has been summarised this week by Westpac Group Chief Economist Bill Evans and New Zealand Chief Economist Dominick Stephens. For Australia, further detail on the expected depth of the deterioration in our labour market and economy was also released by Westpac Economics, as was our forecast of the implications for the Federal Government’s fiscal position and government debt.
For our labour market, given the implementation of stricter restrictions on our economy, we now anticipate a rise in the unemployment rate to a peak of 11% by mid-2020, to be sustained through the September quarter. This will come as a result of the loss of over 800k jobs and as the economy contracts by 4.0% over the year to September 2020.  As the economy is restored to a more normal footing in the September and December quarters, activity will bounce and the unemployment rate fall – we believe to 8.8% end-2020 and 8.0% end-2021.
Still, that is a much weaker end point than anticipated prior to COVID-19. Hence, not only will the recession of 2020 hit the Government’s fiscal position, but there will also be a lasting impact. On top of this shock to activity and Government revenue is the cost of stimulus, to steady the economy amid immense uncertainty.
In summary, we anticipate a deterioration in the Federal budget from balance in 2018/19 to a 4.5% of GDP deficit ($90bn) in 2019/20 and a deficit of 8% of GDP ($160bn) come 2020/21. In 2019/20, 2ppts ($40bn) comes as a result of policy stimulus while 2.5ppts ($50bn) is due to the apparent cyclical deterioration. The 2020/21 deficit of 8% of GDP meanwhile includes 3ppts ($60bn) from policy stimulus and 5ppts ($100bn) is due to cyclical deterioration. As a result, the supply of government securities on issue will rise by $250bn to $820bn (40% of GDP) by June 2021.
ELLIOT CLARKE is a <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://westpaciq.westpac.com.au/Article/42750" target="_blank">senior economist at Westpac</a> 
</body></html>

A global crisis and stimulus of historic proportions: Elliot Clarke

<html><body>
Along with home delivery of groceries, pharmaceuticals and alcohol, demand for food delivery is booming.
Services such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo have become essential to cafes and restaurants that can now only sell takeaway food.
It is good news for the likes of Uber, whose stock price has risen since it announced a ten-fold increase in the number of restaurants signing themselves up to <a href="https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/uber-eats-growth-coronavirus-delivery-140101683" target="_blank">Uber Eats</a>.
But it’s a situation that has provoked serious questions. Not only about whether delivery services are safe, but <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/godforbid/the-covid-19-conundrum/12095750" target="_blank">whether it’s ethical to use them</a>.
Digital platforms like Uber Eats and Menulog are not, after all, ideal employers. In fact, they don’t regard themselves as employers at all, merely facilitators of work by “independent contractors”.
Food delivery drivers and riders often work for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/20/food-delivery-bike-couriers-in-australia-being-underpaid-by-up-to-322-a-week" target="_blank">less than the minimum wage</a>, and have no employee rights such as sick leave.
Now we are collectively relying on them to provide an essential service during social distancing, we need to ask what, as a society, we owe these workers in return.
<h2>Vulnerable to exploitation</h2>
We’re interested in how this economic crisis affects food delivery drivers and riders due to our research into the experience of migrant gig workers.
Our research has found migrants are already “socially distanced”, without deep networks of family or friends. They are vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination.
Most food delivery work is done by migrants, through third-party digital platforms like Uber Eats and Menulog. The platforms treat drivers and riders as independent contractors, not employees with the protections and rights of employees.
A 2019 survey <a href="https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/revealing-the-true-size-of-australias-gig-workforce/" target="_blank">commissioned by the Victorian government</a> suggested about 7% of the workforce used digital platforms to get gig work, the most common being Airtasker (35%), Uber (23%), Freelancer (12%), Uber Eats (11%) and Deliveroo (8%).
Previous research suggests <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-way-they-manipulate-people-is-really-saddening-study-shows-the-trade-offs-in-gig-work-79042" target="_blank">many choose gig work</a> simply because it is better than other forms of low-paid work.
Now food delivery workers face pressure from those displaced from such jobs in hospitality or retail. Complicating the situation is the lack of clarity about whether those on temporary work visas are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/22/what-australias-189bn-coronavirus-economic-rescue-package-means-for-you" target="_blank">eligible for income support</a> announced for other workers.
Platforms don’t owe gig workers a minimum wage so can sign up as many “independent contractors” as they like. This improves the service for customers, and increases profit for the platform, but means individual deliverers make less money.
<h2>Increased health risks</h2>
Many delivery services are <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/coronavirus-australia-uber-eats-deliveroo-drive-thru_au_5e71a846c5b63c3b6486e11a" target="_blank">implementing contactless delivery</a> procedures. But the lack of defined employer responsibility in the platform economy means patchy attention to the extra physical and mental health risks gig workers now face.
Unions and others have urged delivery platforms <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-03-06/gig-economy-workers-uber-deliveroo-ola-coronavirus-outbreak/12022072" target="_blank">to provide protective equipment</a> such as gloves, face masks and sanitisers. Responses from platforms have been limited.
This was Uber Eats’ response on March 17, by its regional general manager for the Asia Pacific, <a href="https://www.uber.com/en-AU/newsroom/covid19aus/" target="_blank">Jodie Auster</a>:
Our plan to address challenges born by COVID-19 includes making A$5 million in funding available for independent restaurants across Australia and New Zealand. The multi-million dollar fund will allow restaurants to deploy promotions to attract customers and will help restaurants time promotions to suit their individual business needs.
What Auster didn’t mention was a plan to issue safety gear, though she did note the company had started a campaign “reminding Uber Eats users that they can request deliveries be left on their doorsteps”.
Not surprisingly, delivery workers are scared <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/union-seeking-protections-for-delivery-drivers/12094366" target="_blank">they will catch the coronavirus</a>.
Uber says it will financially assist drivers and riders “diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in quarantine by a public health authority” for a period of <a href="https://www.uber.com/en-AU/newsroom/covid19aus/" target="_blank">up to 14 days</a>.
But what if a worker with viral symptoms wants to self-isolate as a precaution? There’s no sick leave or workers compensation, and they risk “deactivation” if work isn’t accepted.
<h2>Legal protection</h2>
Social distancing measures mean the delivery economy and the health of the general population are now intimately linked.
To secure and safeguard this now essential service, it is time the law ensured gig workers have the same legal rights and protections as other employees.
We need the delivery drivers coming to our doors to be healthy. That health depends on their safety as well as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/food-ordering-safe-ethical-coronavirus-with-seamless-uber-eats-should-i-get-takeaway" target="_blank">economic and social inclusion</a>.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134406/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/tyler-riordan-1002045" target="_blank">Tyler Riordan</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805" target="_blank">The University of Queensland</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gerhard-hoffstaedter-9125" target="_blank">Gerhard Hoffstaedter</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805" target="_blank">The University of Queensland</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-robinson-958290" target="_blank">Richard Robinson</a>, Research Fellow/Hospitality Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805" target="_blank">The University of Queensland</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/delivery-workers-are-now-essential-they-deserve-the-rights-of-other-employees-134406" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Delivery workers are now essential, they deserve the same rights

<html><body>
The novel coronavirus sees Australia facing major unprecedented health and economic crises. The key to preventing a downward spiral of the economy is to avoid a collapse in incomes of newly laid-off workers who won’t be able to afford what they normally purchase, and temporarily closed businesses which won’t be able to pay rents or other fixed costs, nor buy goods and services to trade.
It is likely that once a vaccine is delivered by science, or even before, the economic recovery will begin. Thus the question: what are the most equitable ways to handle this major short-term trauma?
There is an instrument that should be used to add to the size and efficacy of the necessary fiscal boost. Income contingent loans provide extra financial support without threatening future fiscal solvency.
<h2>What are income contingent loans?</h2>
Most people in Australia would be familiar with our HECS (Higher Education Contribution Scheme) for tertiary education fees. Students take a loan from the government to cover the cost of their university now, and pay it back when they are earning over a certain threshold in the future.
In what was a world-first, Australia implemented this style of loan scheme in 1989 and it has now been copied in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/economics-of-education-review/vol/71/suppl/C">around ten other countries</a>.
For those with a HECS debt, when incomes are low in certain periods, such as from unemployment, looking after an infant or caring for aged parents, no repayments are required at that time.
The government gets the money back later when the debtor’s financial situation has improved. This is known as an “income contingent loan”.
<h2>How could we use these loans for the COVID crisis?</h2>
It’s useful to distinguish three categories of financial stress that have emerged and which an income contingent loan could assist:
1) for individual employees recently, or soon to be, laid off
2) small businesses forced by health rules or insufficient trade to suspend activity
3) large businesses forced by health rules or insufficient trade to suspend activity.
Income contingent loans can be designed for all three cases although each is quite different.
1. Now jobless employees
For employees now jobless, a HECS-type system could take the form of the government providing a fixed payment (for example $5,000) per person. Some part of that payment would be required to be repaid according to existing (or new) HECS parameters.
Those people whose incomes do not recover repay nothing, or much less than those who regain their financial security (who would repay fairly quickly). The experience of 30 years of efficient HECS collection, including lessons learned, has shown us this would all be administratively straightforward.
2. Affected small businesses
In the case of an income-contingent loan for business, a different approach should be used, that doesn’t involve personal incomes. What is needed instead is a revenue-contingent loan – a system designed and promoted by Linda Botterill and Bruce Chapman nearly 20 years ago.
The reporting of business revenue is a quarterly legal requirement of business through the existing Business Activity Statement which is used to collect the GST. Unlike profits, revenue cannot legally be manipulated to suit the timing of repayments. The revenue-contingent loan obligation would be linked to the Australian Business Number.
In the case of a small business, the government could provide a loan, which would be capped at a level reflecting a firm’s capacity to repay when revenues recover. This could be a fixed amount (for example 25%) of the average of the past three years of annual revenue.
To minimise the chance of non-repayment, eligibility could be restricted to firms that have a good chance of future solvency as reflected, for example, in them having been around for a fixed number of years (for example three years).
The government would need to set a repayment rate, and past modelling has revealed small rates of say 5% to 8% of future annual revenues would be sufficient.
To make sure all this would be equitable for business and healthy for future budgets, the government would need to now model different loan amounts, and different collection and interest rates.
Modelling the different assumptions for budgetary planning would be required to be more precise about the policy details.
3. Bigger businesses
In the case of assistance for not-so-small business, the sums of money needed for the current situation necessitate the involvement of the banks in cooperation with the government.
Government is not equipped to take over large-scale commercial borrowing. But a revenue-contingent loan would still have an important role to play in such a partnership with commercial banks for current not-so-small financial borrowing needs.
The arrangement of joint bank and government lending would be the government providing a revenue-contingent loan which is a proportion of the bank loan. The government loan could repay the bank loan in the very short-term until business reopens and recovers.
A partnership of this kind would be ideal for business, which then has the capacity to repay the normal loan even when there is no short-term revenue coming in.
It would also be beneficial for the banks, which would then have far higher prospects of full loan recovery. It also provides a future return to the taxpayer for the government support of banks during these difficult economic times.
The provision of income contingent loans to individuals, and the revenue contingent loans for business, would have major potential to sustain the Australian economy during a sharp temporary downturn, while not putting additional pressure on future fiscal solvency. This is a bridge to a sustainable recovery.
The authors are fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences Australia. However these views are their own and not representative of the Academy.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134998/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/linda-botterill-92314" target="_blank">Linda Botterill</a>, Professor in Australian Politics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865" target="_blank">University of Canberra</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-chapman-2186" target="_blank">Bruce Chapman</a>, Director, Policy Impact, College of Business and Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank">Australian National University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/glenn-withers-12585" target="_blank">Glenn Withers</a>, Professor of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank">Australian National University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/warwick-mckibbin-9129" target="_blank">Warwick McKibbin</a>, Chair in Public Policy, ANU Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), <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>
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/give-people-and-businesses-money-now-they-can-pay-back-later-if-and-when-they-can-134998" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Give people and businesses money now they can pay back later (if and when they can)

<html><body>
EXPERT OBSERVER
There are some challenges coming that are going to reshape our industry. I’m not trying to panic anyone, and I’m not being alarmist. But the impact of what we’re all going through with the virus and the pandemic that’s spread across the world is hitting the economy, and it’s going to keep on doing that.
Over the next six months, we’ll start to understand just how the country will recover financially, and what shape every industry will be in.
But in the short term, there are some questions a lot of people will be asking themselves.
One of the first is going to be around short-term vs. long-term gains in property, and what the right moves are from a strategic vantage point.
The Airbnb problem
Owners who have been planning on investing in or who already have built up a portfolio of short stay properties for guests using Airbnb are going to be worrying right now. The drop in travel, both domestically and internationally, is already being felt by the airlines, and it’s being felt by the hotel industry, and it’s being felt by individual owners too. Airbnb properties are designed to cater to a short-term stay, and when those guests dry up, the asset dries up too. 
Owners are going to be looking towards longer term rental options and wondering if that shift will be the right one for their portfolio. The higher nightly rate that Airbnb rentals can bring in is always going to be attractive, and it’s what drives many owners to embrace that option in the first place. What it brings with it, unfortunately, is that instability that we’re seeing in times of a downturn. If we’re anticipating that the current downtown could last a while – and at this point, we’ve got no idea of when international travel will pick up – the nightly rate becomes far less attractive when you can’t get guests into your asset. 
The stability of a longer-term occupancy gives you the chance to start recovering a lot sooner.
Longer-term rentals are still growth assets
The flexibility of the Airbnb market does appeal to owners who want to work on their property actively and push their income from it. But short stays aren’t the only way to do that. In fact, when you are able to rely on the longer-term occupancy of your tenants, and they are reliable, and they are dedicated to their living space as a home, you can actually do so much more. Where you could make minor experience, cleaning and fee adjustments on an Airbnb to change the real-time cashflow, if you invest into a longer term property in a smart way, making improvements and working with your tenants to better understand their needs, you can often increase your gains far more, over a longer period. A 12 month increase in rent that you know will last, is worth more than a spike over a few weekends.
Longer-term right now will need some patience
Yes, the longer-term rental market is going to be more stable. It’s a fact. Australian residents and local residents need a home, and renting is going to be the option. But with the downturn in the economy, you might find that you’ll need a little patience, a little empathy and space for tenants who might be hit hard financially, and the room to wait it out, in exchange for the longer-term wins and steadiness. But if you’re able to do that now, you actually have the chance to build a lasting and trusting relationship with good tenants who will stay with you for years, support rental increases in-line with your own investments in the property, and take care of it themselves while they do so.
You won’t get that from an Airbnb guest.
MARK TROWELL is the cofounder and CEO of <a href="https://www.yabonza.com" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12.16px;">yabonza</a> 
</body></html>

Rethinking short-term property in the face of Covid-19: Yabonza's Mark Trowell

<html><body>
<h1 class="legacy"> </h1>
GUEST OBSERVATION
The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/mar/24/newly-unemployed-australians-queue-at-centrelink-offices-as-mygov-website-crashes-again">queues of unemployed people</a> outside Centrelink offices in recent days are reminiscent of the dole queues seen across Australia during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
At that time, most states provided inadequate food vouchers rather than cash to people in the form of income support payments. This made it particularly difficult for renters, many of whom were unemployed due to the mass closure of factories, to continue to pay rent.
In NSW, lower-income areas of Sydney were particularly badly hit by unemployment, and because the working class was a renting class, this quickly translated into homelessness.
For example, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/24918466?q&amp;versionId=45061110">male unemployment reached</a> 38.9% in the then-working class suburb of Newtown by 1933, well above the NSW average of 32% and three times the rate in the affluent suburb of Vaucluse.
Tent cities sprang up in Sydney’s Domain and on the outskirts of the city in suburbs like La Perouse, such as the ironically named tent city, Happy Valley. Although this is likely to underestimate the numbers of homeless at the time, the <a href="http://www.drbilldayanthropologist.com/resources/Freedom%20to%20Sleep.pdf">1933 census reported</a>
<blockquote>
33,000 people [were] travelling in the hope of work and 400,000 [were] living in shelters made of ‘iron, calico, canvas, bark, hessian and other scavenged materials’.
</blockquote>
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323097/original/file-20200326-168912-a096xu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Residents in Happy Valley in the 1930s. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/statelibraryofnsw/3081780220/in/album-72157616798173209/">State Library of New South Wales</a>
<h2>COVID-19 and assistance for renters</h2>
There are distinct parallels between the severe economic downturn of the 1930s and the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis in terms of mass business closures and worker layoffs.
The Australian government has <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-24/renters-desperate-for-relief-as-jobs-disappear-coronavirus/12086080">estimated that one million Australians</a> could become unemployed as a result of the coronavirus. However, it is not clear if this comprises only those who will be directly affected by business closures or includes people impacted by the flow-on effects.
Taking into account the <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0">current unemployment rate</a>, an additional one million Australians would bring the rate to 13% of the Australian workforce, from my own estimates.
Although the increase in Centrelink payments announced by the Morrison government will help those workers suddenly without jobs, additional measures are needed to protect people who can’t pay their rents and are faced with possible eviction
The National Cabinet is working on a range of strategies to assist renters, <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/tax-breaks-for-landlords-who-grant-rent-relief-20200325-p54dn7">including preventing landlords from evicting tenants</a> directly impacted by the coronavirus and offering tax relief to landlords who reduce or waive rents.
But these need to be supplemented by strong legislative measures, such as the amendment <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/bill/files/3741/Passed%20by%20both%20Houses.pdf">passed by the NSW parliament</a> this week that empowers the housing minister to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/fundamentally-flawed-nsw-real-estate-body-slams-rent-freeze-bid-20200325-p54dy5">ban evictions for renters for six months</a>.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-25/tenancy-law-changes-under-coronavirus-crisis-before-tas-parli/12089798">Emergency laws</a> to protect renters are also currently being debated in Tasmania.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/323100/original/file-20200326-168918-ngzyi8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
Queues of people formed outside Centrelink offices nationwide this week. JOEL CARRETT/AAP
<h2>Staving off homelessness in the Great Depression</h2>
There is precedent for legislative reform of this kind from the Great Depression.
In response to the mass numbers of job losses in NSW, the government at the time, led by Premier Jack Lang, passed two pieces of legislation aimed at providing relief for renters. This legislation was very significant, as it was the first of its kind that afforded tenants across NSW any serious amount of protection.
One of the bills, passed as the <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/acts/1931-45.pdf">Reduction of Rent Act 1931</a>, reduced rents state-wide by 22.5% and made leases that did not acknowledge this reduction illegal.
 
The other piece of significant tenancy reform was the <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/acts/1931-30.pdf">Ejectments Postponement Bill 1931</a>. This bill <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/tenants-rights-in-nsw/09-99.pdf">prohibited eviction</a> from a dwelling house without an order of the court. If the court could be shown the rent could not be paid, the tenancy could be extended indefinitely.
In his second reading speech, William McKell, minister for justice in the Lang government, described the bill as “a bona fide effort to provide against hardship due to unemployment”.
As honourable members are aware, there is a large amount of unemployment, and there are many very deserving and reputable people who, unfortunately, are not able to pay their rent. It is a tragedy that people of that type, with their families, are being evicted from their homes, and the Government is desirous of preventing as far as possible evictions of that character.
Though the government was committed to helping renters, McKell clearly distinguishes between the deserving and undeserving unemployed in his speech, an unhelpful way of thinking that is still with us today.
Although it is not known how many evictions the reforms of 1931 prevented, the new laws were undoubtedly a boon for renters, given the news coverage of the time. Landlords and their representatives complained about the impact the laws had on their ability to evict tenants.
In fact, the Real Estate Institute <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16830179/1160545">noted the financial hardship</a> the Ejectments Postponement Act was placing on landlords.
Hundreds of cases have been reported to the Real Estate Institute, where the owners of houses, dependent on rents for their livelihood, have been refused possession, and have also been refused relief under the dole system, on the grounds that they are property owners.
Unfortunately for renters, these reforms were relatively short-lived. The Lang government was sacked by the NSW governor in May 1932 and replaced in the next election by the more conservative United Australia Party and Country Party coalition government.
This change in government saw the passage of the <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/acts/1935-33.pdf">Landlord and Tenant (Amendment) Act 1932</a>, which repealed the Ejectments Postponement Act 1931. The rent reduction law was also made more favourable to landlords.
The interests of landlords were prioritised over those of unemployed renters, a salutary lesson to present governments not to let ideology and vested interests get in the way of needed reforms that will benefit a significant portion of the population during a crisis not of their making.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134644/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/vanessa-whittington-908975">Vanessa Whittington</a>, PhD Candidate, Institute for Culture and Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-the-great-depression-how-to-prevent-evictions-in-an-economic-crisis-134644">original article</a>.
</body></html>

Lessons from the Great Depression: how to prevent evictions in an economic crisis

<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.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
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

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News