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GUEST OBSERVATION
With time <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-two-decades-to-avoid-the-most-damaging-impacts-of-climate-change-104409" target="_blank">running out</a> for us to make deep reductions in greenhouse emissions, you may well be wondering what you personally can do to minimise your own greenhouse footprint.
The average greenhouse emissions per Australian are the equivalent of <a href="/news">21 tonnes</a> of carbon dioxide per year. How can you offset or neutralise your personal share of these carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way?
There are some places where the government is willing to take the necessary action on your behalf. The ACT government, for example, is on track to <a href="https://www.environment.act.gov.au/cc" target="_blank">eliminate</a> greenhouse gas emissions generated within Canberra by 2045, and indeed by 2020 will make its own electricity sector <a href="https://www.environment.act.gov.au/cc" target="_blank">carbon-neutral</a>.
The latter feat was achieved by contracting several new zero-emission solar and wind farms to produce renewable electricity equivalent to Canberra’s consumption. Canberra retail electricity prices continue to be among the <a href="https://www.datocms-assets.com/6959/1545274459-2018-residential-electricity-price-trends-final-report.PDF" target="_blank">lowest</a> in Australia.
Take advantage of solar and wind
If you don’t live in Canberra, you need another way to neutralise your emissions. Fortunately, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power have both fallen rapidly. Australia has long been in the midst of a boom in rooftop PV, and many Gigawatts of ground-mounted PV and wind farms are being <a href="http://theconversation.com/at-its-current-rate-australia-is-on-track-for-%2050-renewable-electricity-in-2025-102903" target="_blank">built</a> around the country. This has put Australia on track to reach 50% renewable electricity in 2024. Each Megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity <a href="/news">generated</a> by renewables reduces electricity from coal by a similar amount, and therefore avoids about 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
<iframe src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7Gd1z/2/" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="450"></iframe>
The above pie chart, based on <a href="/news">federal government data</a>, shows the various sources of Australian greenhouse emissions in 2017. Electricity production is the largest source and can be neutralised by substituting PV and wind for coal and gas. Emissions from electricity use in commerce and industry, the land sector, industrial processes and high temperature heat is largely beyond your control, however, so it’s perhaps best to focus your attention closer to home.
Cost-effective action
However, putting solar panels on your roof, switching to an electric car, and substituting electric heat pumps for gas water and space heating can (or soon will) be cost-effective steps that you can take to reduce your greenhouse footprint. And in the long term, these will either pay for themselves or even end up saving you money.
A 10-kilowatt solar PV system installed on your roof will produce <a href="http://apvi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CMC_CanberraSolarPotential_Final_lowres.pdf" target="_blank">about 14 MWh</a> of electricity per year. Since coal power stations produce 0.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide per MWh this save about 12 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
To offset your 21 tonnes of CO2 per year, you would therefore need to install 15kW of solar PV capacity for each person who lives in your house. So if four people live in your house, you would need a 60kW solar system.
But a typical rooftop PV system now has a <a href="http://pv-map.apvi.org.au/analyses" target="_blank">rating</a> of 5-15kW, and many homes lack the roof space needed to install a larger system. Ways to address this are described below.
Road to success
A typical car <a href="https://www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/pages/Information/VehicleEmissions" target="_blank">produces</a> about 190 grams of CO2 per kilometre of travel, and the average Australian car <a href="http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/australian-moterists-drive-%20average-15530km-201305090702" target="_blank">travels</a> 15,500 km per year, thus producing 3 tonnes of CO2.
Moderately priced electric cars are expected to be widely available in the early 2020s, which can travel about 6,000 km for each MWh of electricity consumed.
Once the premium for an electric vehicle drops below about A$10,000, the lifetime cost of an electric car (including buying, maintaining and charging it) will be competitive with conventional cars.
A 2kW PV panel on your house roof will produce enough electricity for 16,000km of electric car driving per year, thus offsetting your entire emissions from motoring (3 tonnes of CO2), assuming you drive an average amount each year and previously drove a conventional model.
Off the gas
Most natural gas use within a home is for water and space heating. Gas can readily be replaced by electric heat pumps, which move heat from the air outside the home into your hot water tank or reverse cycle air conditioning system. <a href="http://www.eec.org.au/for-energy-users/technologies-2/heat-pumps" target="_blank">Heat pumps</a> typically move four units of heat for each unit of electricity consumed and can be readily powered by rooftop solar panels, supplemented by electricity from the grid.
For the average household, replacement gas with heat pumps can readily reduce household greenhouse gas emissions by up to 5 tonnes per year, at lower lifecycle cost than using gas. Replacement of gas cookers with electric induction cookers allows elimination of gas altogether from the home.
Fly less
Limiting air travel is one of the most effective tactics to cut your personal emissions. Short-haul flights or flights with few passengers <a href="https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/jardine09-carboninflights.pdf" target="_blank">increase</a> the emissions intensity per passenger. A mostly full return trip from Australia to London (34,000km) will typically generate about 4 tonnes of CO₂ per passenger.
When you do decide to fly, think about how you can offset the emissions directly. Adding 1kW to your rooftop PV system can offset one return trip to London for one person every 3 years.
Will it pay for itself?
Now that we’ve looked at these various strategies, let’s now consider a family home with three occupants and one car. A 10kW PV system on the roof can make a substantial reduction in their greenhouse footprint by offsetting 14 tonnes of CO2 per year. Switching to an electric car saves 3 tonnes per year and substituting electric heat pumps for gas saves a further 1- 5 tonnes per year.
An additional 5 kW of rooftop PV is needed to neutralise an average amount of air travel, and to power the electric car and heat pumps. This 15kW system would cost about A$20,000 up front and would last 25 years. However, rooftop PV systems are now so cheap compared with the retail electricity tariff that the money invested is generally recovered within 10 years.
The total emissions savings estimated above are about 25 tonnes per year, per household, which is still significantly short of the 63 tonnes (on average) that this family emits. To be fully carbon-neutral, one option is for the family to invest in a wind or solar farm.
The required share of a wind farm or solar farm is about 10 kW or 20 kW respectively per three-person family, noting that a 3MW wind turbine produces nearly double the amount of electricity per year of a 3MW PV farm (single axis tracking), which in turn produces 40% more electricity per year than an equivalent amount of roof-mounted solar panels.
The up-front cost of this investment would be about A$25,000 per family, and it would return a steady income sufficient to repay the initial outlay (with interest) over the 25-year lifetime of the system.
So in summary, assuming that you have the means to meet the (not insubstantial) upfront costs, doing your part to preserve a living and vibrant planet for our children ultimately has a low or even negative net cost.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103922/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;">
Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National University
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-neutralise-your-greenhouse-gas-footprint-103922" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

How to neutralise your greenhouse gas footprint: ANU's Andrew Blakers

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A mortgagee offering at Leumeah has sold for $485,000.
Set on 565 square metres, the home last sold for $275,000 in 2003.
The three bedroom, one bathroom residence features a brick veneer and was listed for $500,000.
Manfred Harle of Richardson &amp; Wrench held the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-leumeah-130205490" target="_blank">3 Arnold Street, Leumeah</a>, the home is described in the listing as ideal for "first home buyers, investors and tradies".
It features timber floors, a detached double garage and workshop and a large pergola.
The corner block home is located near shops, school and transport options.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt=""></a>
The median price for a home in <a href="/developments/leumeah-nsw-2560">Leumeah</a> according $635,000 to CoreLogic, which calculate its annual change in median price over the past 10 years as 5.4%.
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Leumeah mortgagee offering sold for $15,000 under asking price

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A Berkeley, NSW land parcel has sold under the mortgagee auction hammer for $570,000.
The property sold for over double it's 2010 sale price of $275,000.
Mathew Ivanoff of Raine &amp; Horne held the listing.
Situated at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/sold/property-residential+land-nsw-berkeley-202330998" target="_blank">104 Shearwater Drive</a>, the holding has views of Lake Illawarra.
The block is 829 sqm.
Located within a short drive to the lake foreshore, it is also near local schools, Warrawong Plaza and the freeway.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/subscribe" target="_blank"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2019/1/Subscriber%20strip%20ad.jpg" alt=""></a>
The median price for a home in <a href="/developments/berkeley-nsw-2506">Berkeley</a> according $524,000 to CoreLogic.
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Berkeley land parcel sold at mortgagee auction

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EXPERT OBSERVER
While we have integrated the latest national accounts data and fine tuned our growth forecasts we have not fundamentally changed our view on pattern of growth outcomes over the next two years.
Thus last month, prior to the Accounts, we were expecting through the year growth to December 2019 of 2.6% now we are expecting 2.5%.
We have also not changed our forecasts for 2020 at around 2¼. What has however happened – given the new history - is a much larger slowing in year average terms in 2019 – previously 2.4% now 2.1%.
However we see the through the year growth numbers as providing a better gauge of growth momentum going forward.
As was heralded in yesterday’s  February Monthly Business Survey the slowing in the growth momentum has  continued into Q1 2019.
 In particular, the situation in discretionary retail and consumption more generally has deteriorated even further. We now expect not much improvement in the growth rate in consumer spending in 2019 – at around 2.0%  and any improvement in 2020 will need policy action. 
The Accounts also highlighted a turn down in the construction cycle – which appears to have continued (and indeed accelerated) into early 2019. This reinforces our view that over the next two years we are facing a pronounced residential construction cycle (a fall of around 20%).
That said supporting growth will be continued spending by the public sector, both on the NDIS and infrastructure. In addition to this, we still expect business investment to make a significant contribution to growth – though there are growing risks to this.
 Also exports will continue to grow, as LNG hits full production then plateaus at a high level. So it is important not to get too negative on our growth prospects.
That said our forecasts now point to below trend growth and a degree of rising spare capacity in the economy (already evident in the February Business Survey). 
This will mean less progress on reducing unemployment and slower than anticipated progress in wage growth (outside of policy intervention) and ultimately inflation. We now see no improvement in unemployment till mid 2020 and a slight deterioration thereafter.
This is why we now expect the RBA to cut the cash rate twice in 2019. While the exact timing of cuts is data dependent, we see the RBA cutting rates in July and then November. 
We believe this would be the path of “least regret” for the bank. We expect that as slower growth and less progress on reducing unemployment take hold at a time of subdued inflation and abating financial stability concerns the Bank will assess it can do more to bolster the economy.  
Of course a material deterioration in the labour market in the next few months (not our forecast) could see an earlier cut from the RBA.
ALAN OSTER is the Chief Economist for NAB
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Slowing growth with rate cuts ahead: NAB's Alan Oster

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The national residential vacancy rate has remained steady at 2.2% in February 2019, according to the latest data from SQM Research.
The total number of vacancies Australia-wide is now at 72,333, it said. 
Adelaide was the only capital city to increase its vacancy rate over the month, from 1.1% in January to 1.2%, resulting in 2,197 properties available for rent in February 2019.
Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin and Hobart experienced marginal decreases of 0.1% in vacancy rates.
Melbourne decreased by 0.2% over the month to 1.7%.
Sydney and Perth’s vacancy rates remained steady at 3.2% and 3.0% respectively.
Hobart still remains the lowest of all capital cities at 0.4% for February 2019.
Darwin ranks the highest of all capital cities at 3.7%.
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td width="13%">City</td>
<td width="12%">Feb-2018 Vacancies</td>
<td width="16%">Feb-2018 Vacancy Rate</td>
<td width="14%">Jan-2019 Vacancies</td>
<td width="15%">Jan-2019 Vacancy Rate</td>
<td width="12%">Feb-2019 Vacancies</td>
<td width="14%">Feb-2019 Vacancy Rate</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Sydney</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">15,581 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">2.3%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">22,426 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">3.2%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">22,396 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">3.2%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Melbourne</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">7,889 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">1.4%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">10,564 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">1.9%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">9,818 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">1.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Brisbane</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">10,925 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">3.4%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">8,911 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">2.7%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">8,611 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">2.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Perth</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">8,319 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">4.1%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">6,121 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">3.0%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">6,170 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">3.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Adelaide</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">2,540 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">1.4%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">2,141 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">1.1%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">2,197 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">1.2%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Canberra</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">495 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">0.8%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">594 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">0.9%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">502 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">0.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Darwin</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">989 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">3.3%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">1,193 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">3.8%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">1,161 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">3.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">Hobart</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">145 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">0.5%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">144 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">0.5%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">133 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">0.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap width="13%">National</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">69,727 </td>
<td nowrap width="16%">2.2%</td>
<td nowrap width="14%">72,574 </td>
<td nowrap width="15%">2.2%</td>
<td nowrap width="12%">72,333 </td>
<td nowrap width="14%">2.2%</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Source: SQM Research
Asking Rents
Capital city asking rents declined 0.2% for both houses and units over the month to 12 March 2019 to $559 per week for houses and $441 per week for units. 
Similarly, over the 12 months, asking rents for both houses and units also declined by 0.2%.
Adelaide and Hobart recorded increases in weekly rents over the month for both houses and units with Hobart houses recording the highest weekly rental increase of 4.5% for houses and 1.8% for units.
Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Darwin recorded marginal decreases in both house and unit asking rents over the month to 12 March 2019. 
<table border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="6" valign="top" width="100%">SQM Research Weekly Rents Index</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2" valign="bottom" width="35%">Week ending: 12 Mar 2019</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="14%">Rent</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="13%">Change on prev week</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="19%">Rolling month % chg</td>
<td valign="bottom" width="17%">12 month % chg</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Sydney</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">706.9</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.1  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.5%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-4.3%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">507.2</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.2  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.7%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-3.2%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Melbourne</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">543.6</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.6  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.0%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">2.3%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">420.1</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.9  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">0.7%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">4.0%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Brisbane</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">456.8</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.8  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.1%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">2.1%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">370.9</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.1  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-1.0%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">1.2%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Perth</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">440.5</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.5  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.1%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">4.2%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">333.3</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">1.7  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">1.4%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">2.0%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Adelaide</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">394.8</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">1.2  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">0.6%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">3.4%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">302.4</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.6  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">0.9%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">2.3%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Canberra</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">644.9</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">3.1  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.0%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">4.1%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">455.1</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.1  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-1.2%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">4.0%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Darwin</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">490.3</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.3  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-2.8%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-9.5%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">378.4</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-0.4  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-1.6%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-8.6%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Hobart</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">437.7</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">6.3  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">4.5%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">3.7%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">364.4</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">-2.4  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">1.8%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-0.2%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">National</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">447.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">2.0  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.2%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">0.9%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">360.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.6%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">0.8%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="20%">Cap City Average</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Houses</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">559.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">1.0  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.2%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-0.2%  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">All Units</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="14%">441.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="13%">0.0</td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="19%">-0.2%  </td>
<td valign="top" nowrap width="17%">-0.2%  </td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
Source: <a href="http://www.sqmresearch.com.au/" target="_blank">www.sqmresearch.com.au</a>
</body></html>

National vacancy rate steadies in February: SQM Research 

How climate change could affect the economy and monetary policy: RBA's Guy Debelle

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Conditions in businesses within the property industry remain benign with a focus on strategies for future success, according to findings in the latest Avdiev Property Industry Remuneration Report.
The report found that companies with foreign clients, parent companies or branch offices are most affected and falling residential prices have dampened sentiment with a flow on effect for developers, builders and consultants working in related market sectors.
"After 28 years of continuous economic prosperity a reminder of the cyclic nature of property was well overdue," said Rita Avdiev, Managing Director of the Avdiev Group, remuneration consultants.
"Our subscribers have reported a good volume of business activity to date and for most, only a modest impact on their plans to date." 
The authors note that media focus on falling residential property prices has sent a message to the community about the cyclic nature of property assets, but is overshadowing good news from healthy commercial and industrial market sectors.
With the moderation of activity, property remuneration has also moderated. This time last year, it reported an overall increase in the property markets of 3% compared with the latest finding of 2.5%.
The latest ABS figures as at December 2018 showed the Wage Price Index rose 2.3% through the year and the Consumer Price Index 1.8%.
The report found that "the young continue to outpace their senior colleagues".
"Median pay rises were 2.5% overall, with spikes in sectors where shortages of competent people exist," it said.
Click <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2019/3/12/Avdiev%20graph.JPG" target="_blank">here</a> to enlarge.
<img src="https://www.urban.com.au/images/2019/3/12/Avdiev%20graph.JPG" alt="">
According to Avdiev findings, millennials are invading traditional hierarchies.
Following an influx of young professionals, encouraged by a Property Council campaign, there has been generational change in the property industry.
Corporate restructuring in the last few years has encouraged millennials to rise up the ranks.
"Millennials are young, ambitious, with fresh attitudes to speed, change and results,” says Rita Avdiev.
"With the property industry and global and local economies in a state of flux, their ways of dealing with what comes next will be interesting to watch."
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Property industry business conditions remain benign: Avdiev

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Joel Cann has resigned from Aspen Group to pursue another opportunity.
His resignation will take effect on Friday 12 April 2019.
Clive Appleton, chairman of Aspen Group, has thanked Cann for his efforts over the past two and a half years.
The listed property minnow Aspen Group appointed the property veteran in September 2016.
Cann joined Aspen from AMB Capital Partners, where he was the founding managing director.
Last month Aspen Group announced its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2018 recording a statutory profit of $0.4 million, the significant components of which include:
<ul>
<li>
Operating profit after tax of $1.5 million
Offset by:
</li>
<li>
Revaluation decrement of $0.7 million;
</li>
<li>
Acquisition costs incurred of $0.2 million; and
</li>
<li>
Professional fees of $0.2 million.
</li>
</ul>
Cann said 1H FY19 continued the significant steps taken towards a goal of being a major owner and operator in the Australian affordable accommodation sector.
It acquired its sixth tourism park, Highway 1 in Adelaide SA, which was settled in Q2 FY19.
The acquisition was valued at $23 million.
He noted headwinds at a number of assets including Darwin FreeSpirit where corporate accommodation demand fell in line with reduced major project activity, Adelaide came off of a strong FY18 period that include Ashes and major event activity whilst Tomago reduced available inventory pending the redevelopment work to be undertaken in that business.
Development activity significantly advanced during the half with the majority of civil works completed at Four Lanterns in Leppington NSW.
There are 11 residences on site with sales activity resulting in five confirmed sales.
It has also commenced initial works at Tomago in preparation for stage 1 of the 52-site expansion.
The sale of its final non-core asset at Midland WA was completed during 1H FY19, bringing to a conclusion the restructure of the group to an affordable accommodation provider.
The business finished in a net debt position of $16.3 million at the end of the year, post the Highway 1 acquisition, and has $25 million of capacity to deploy towards future acquisitions and investments.
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Joel Cann resigns as listed accommodation firm Aspen Group's chief executive

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Homicide Squad detectives have charged a third man with one count of attempted murder following a shooting in Point Cook in February.
The 29-year-old Irish national, from Point Cook, was arrested at a Melbourne airport on Sunday about 9pm.
He was remanded in custody and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
The arrest follows the shooting of a 53-year-old Sydney estate agent, Sid Morgan on Thursday 21 February in which detectives are still appealing for public assistance.
Investigators are trying to locate two vehicles, both white Toyota Hilux Rugged utilities, believed linked to the shooting with investigators believing they could be anywhere in the Melbourne metropolitan area or possibly as far north in the state as Nagambie.
Two men arrested in Broken Head, NSW on 27 February in relation to the shooting have each been charged with one count of attempted murder.
The 30-year-old and the 26-year-old, both from Point Cook, were remanded in custody and will appear again at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 27 May 2019.
Sid Morgan <a href="/news/estate-agent-sid-morgan-still-on-life-support-after-point-cook-shooting">remains in hospital</a>.
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Police charge third man over estate agent Sid Morgan's Point Cook shooting 

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The Treasurer has given mortgage brokers respite on a plan to ban trailing commissions by 2020, opting instead for a 2022 review.
Mortgage Choice chief Susan Mitchell has welcomed the Government’s decision today to maintain trail commissions on new loans. In his statement today the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said abolition of trail won’t proceed in 2020 because the government is concerned about the adverse effect on competition in mortgage lending market. 
He also conceded that abolishing trail would be “a free kick to the banks”. The government will review trailing commissions in three years’ time, as well as the feasibility of continuing upfront commission payments. 
The review will be conducted by the Council of Financial Regulators and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Treasurer Frydenberg acknowledged that mortgage brokers and small lenders are “absolutely critical in the mortgage lending market”. 
The Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) has cautiously welcomed a decision by the Federal Government to backflip on its commitment to abolish trail commissions, which was one of the recommendations of the Hayne report from the banking royal commission.
FBAA managing director Peter White said it was a step in the right direction.
“I applaud the announcement by treasurer Josh Frydenberg but it won’t end our efforts to see the correct polices in place to protect consumers from the greed of the big four banks.
“The Coalition’s announcement to keep trail commissions has been delivered in a pre-election environment so uncertainty remains about how exactly this will work after the election.”
Mr White said the announcement confirms how out of touch Commissioner Hayne is and calls into question the findings of the royal commission.
“Hayne simply didn’t get it but it’s now the case that both sides of politics are now very clear on the importance of mortgage brokers.
“Both the Coalition and Labor recognise that the recommendations of the royal commission would in fact hand power back to the big four banks, which is an absurd result,” White said.
“Australia’s 17,000 mortgage brokers will applaud the Government’s common sense decision to keep trail commissions," Mitchell said.
ASIC’s 2017 Review of Mortgage Broking Remuneration Report did not identify trail commissions as directly leading to poor consumer outcomes, nor recommend the removal of trail commissions. “The figures speak for themselves. The latest data shows that 59.1% of home loans originate through the mortgage broking channel, yet Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) data for the month of November 2018 revealed that of 6,522 complaints against financial service providers,  only 29 related to mortgage brokers. This is less than half of one percent of reported complaints.”
Mortgage Choice's residential settlement figures show that in the past two years the big four banks have lost 10% of market share to smaller lenders. 
AFG chief David Bailey welcomed the Government's "considered approach and urge the Labor Party to adopt this sensible policy heading into the election."
"It's important that our industry not be a political football heading into an election so that the 26,000 small businesses, their families and, importantly, their customers have certainty about the future of the sector," he said.
 
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Mortgage brokers to keep getting trailing commissions until at least 2022 under Coalition 

Camberwell Junction has long been the epicentre of amenity in Melbourne’s Boroondara region.

For nearly a century, it has drawn both locals and visitors, anchored by the Camberwell Sunday Market, which first operated in 1929 and quickly became a fixture of the suburb’s identity. Over time, the Junction evolved into one of Melbourne’s most established retail and lifestyle precincts, now comprising more than 400 stores and over 300 commercial businesses.

Despite that depth of amenity, one thing has remained notably limited: the supply of new apartments.

In a suburb defined by its heritage streetscapes and tightly held residential stock, new development opportunities have been scarce, particularly within the core of the Junction itself. That lack of supply has left a gap in the market for larger, design-led apartments suited to downsizers and owner-occupiers wanting to remain in the area.

Boutique developer Above Zero identified that gap when it secured a prime site on Burke Road, in the heart of Camberwell Junction.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4896 project_image_fid=368543]

The site has a long planning history. Various proposals have been put forward over more than a decade, many of which were knocked back by the City of Boroondara, with initial applications dating back to 2015. Above Zero acquired the site in 2022 and returned with a revised scheme, refining both the building’s height and its ground-level interface to better align with Council expectations.

That process has culminated in approval for Camberwell House.

The Cera Stribley-designed development will deliver 57 residences on a 1,950 sqm site within the Camberwell Activity Centre, placing it directly within one of Melbourne’s most established retail and transport hubs.

It is expected to be one of the only new apartment developments to launch in the Junction in recent years, reinforcing the rarity of new supply in the precinct. Currently, there are just a handful of projects on the market in Camberwell, underscoring the significance of a development of this scale and positioning.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4896 project_image_fid=368544]

Camberwell House has been conceived with a clear focus on larger-format apartments. The project will offer a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom residences, alongside a limited number of penthouses, targeting owner-occupiers seeking scale rather than volume-driven product.

The building’s vertical presence will also set it apart.

Positioned on Burke Road, the development is set to become one of the taller buildings in its immediate context, allowing for elevated outlooks across Melbourne’s CBD skyline and toward the Dandenong Ranges. In a precinct characterised by lower-scale built form, that height provides a point of differentiation, particularly for buyers seeking outlook and natural light.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4896 project_image_fid=368568]

Architecture has been led by Cera Stribley, with interiors by GOLDEN and landscape design by Florian Wild. The design approach centres on material consistency and restraint, with residences oriented to maximise light, ventilation and connection to outdoor spaces.

Full-height glazing and generous terraces form a key part of that strategy, allowing apartments to extend beyond their internal footprint and engage with the surrounding environment.

Beyond the private residences, a significant component of the project is its amenity offering.

Above Zero has positioned Camberwell House as a “complete living environment”, incorporating a full floor dedicated to resident facilities. At the centre of that is a wellness zone, including a 12.5-metre lap pool, spa, sauna and treatment spaces, alongside a gym and recovery-focused amenities.

This level of amenity is more commonly associated with inner-city developments, rather than established middle-ring suburbs like Camberwell.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=4896 project_image_fid=368588]

Additional shared spaces include a private library lounge, dining and entertaining areas, and an indoor golf simulator. A self-contained guest suite has also been incorporated, allowing residents to accommodate visiting family or friends without impacting their primary living space.

The inclusion of these facilities reflects a broader shift in buyer expectations.

As more downsizers look to transition from larger family homes into apartments, there is increasing demand for developments that offer not just a residence, but a lifestyle. That includes access to wellness, social and entertaining spaces within the building itself, reducing the reliance on external amenity while still maintaining proximity to established precincts.

Camberwell House is positioned to benefit from both.

Its location places it within immediate walking distance of Camberwell Junction’s retail and dining offering, as well as public transport connections, including tram and train services. That combination of internal amenity and external convenience is central to its appeal.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-150" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:55d7c6ac-8e6d-4881-ad49-0ed9bf66d1cc-74" dir="auto">
Jellis Craig Projects Director Stephen Bowtell is handling sales for the project and says Camberwell House offers a rare entry point into one of Melbourne’s most tightly held markets.

“Buyers are recognising that Camberwell House offers something they simply haven’t seen before in Boroondara,”&nbsp;Bowtell&nbsp;says.

“It combines a level of resident amenity and service typically associated with Melbourne’s premium inner-city developments, while being positioned right in the heart of Camberwell Junction.

“The response to the concierge offering has been particularly strong. Buyers appreciate not only the convenience, but also the sense of security and peace of mind that comes from having a dedicated presence in the building every day.

“When you combine that with the wellness facilities, the exceptional arrival experience, and panoramic views across both the CBD skyline and the Dandenong Ranges, it creates a lifestyle proposition that is genuinely unique within the local market.”
</section>

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=4896]

Joel Robinson

Above Zero launches Camberwell House in undersupplied Camberwell Junction precinct

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/consolidated-properties">Consolidated Properties Group</a> (CPG) is approaching the launch of its latest Brisbane riverfront development, Castile, on the dress circle Skyring Terrace in Newstead.

VIP buyers are now being engaged, with a full public sales launch coming later this year.

Positioned as the final opportunity to secure a new absolute riverfront residence on the East bank of Newstead, Teneriffe or New Farm, Castile at 47 Skyring Terrace has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/woods-bagot">Woods Bagot</a> as a timeless addition to the Brisbane skyline.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371113]

The name Castile draws on themes of permanence, sophistication and legacy, reflecting a broader vision centred on enduring architecture and timelessness in the rarest of riverfront positions.&nbsp;

CPG Chairman and CEO Don O’Rorke said the project had been envisioned as a future Brisbane icon.&nbsp;

“With 47 metres of direct river frontage and never to be built out views, 47 Skyring Terrace is the definitive address on the Brisbane River,” O’Rorke said.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=150489 project_image_fid=371114]

“Rather than following trend-based apartment design, Castile draws inspiration from Brisbane’s great heritage buildings, reinterpreting classical architecture into a contemporary riverfront landmark designed to stand proudly for the next 100 years,” he said.&nbsp;

The approved development will comprise 227 apartments across a 25-storey tower alongside a boutique six-storey riverfront building of just 12 residences.&nbsp;

Construction is scheduled to commence in September 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=150489]

CPG unveils Castile Newstead ahead of upcoming sales launch

Australia’s online shopping habits have shifted dramatically over the last decade. As eCommerce volumes surged, so too did the frustrations that came with traditional parcel delivery: missed deliveries, long Post Office queues, parcel theft and the challenge of being home during business hours.

Australia Post’s Parcel Lockers emerged as one of the more practical responses to that changing consumer behaviour.

What started as a relatively niche delivery option has evolved into a nationwide network of more than 1,400 self-service Parcel Lockers positioned at train stations, shopping centres, supermarkets and Post Offices across the country. The system allows Australians to send, collect and return parcels 24 hours a day, fundamentally changing how many people interact with deliveries.

The appeal is relatively straightforward: flexibility.

Instead of waiting at home for a delivery driver or rushing to a Post Office before closing time, users can direct eligible parcels to a Parcel Locker location of their choice. Once the parcel arrives, Australia Post sends a notification with a collection code or QR access through the AusPost app, allowing customers to retrieve their package at any time within the collection window.

For apartment residents in particular, the system has become increasingly valuable.

Higher-density living has created logistical challenges around deliveries, especially in buildings without concierge services or secure parcel rooms. Missed deliveries are common, while parcel theft has become an increasing concern as online shopping volumes continue to rise.

Australia Post itself has repeatedly highlighted the growing issue of “porch pirates” during peak shopping periods, encouraging customers to use Parcel Lockers as a safer alternative to unattended home deliveries.

That security aspect is one of the key reasons the Australia Post Parcel Locker network has grown so rapidly.

Parcel Lockers are positioned as secure, monitored collection points that reduce the risk of theft while also improving delivery efficiency for Australia Post. Instead of multiple redelivery attempts, parcels can be consolidated into a single secure destination.

The Parcel Lockers themselves are free to use through a MyPost account and support a range of parcel sizes up to 16 kilograms and dimensions of approximately 35 x 44 x 61 centimetres.

Beyond receiving parcels, the system has increasingly become integrated into the broader eCommerce ecosystem.

Customers can now use Parcel Lockers to return online purchases, while retailers have embraced the model as a way to improve delivery success rates and reduce friction in the shopping process. Australia Post has actively expanded partnerships with major retailers and promoted Parcel Lockers as part of a broader out-of-home strategy.

The timing of that expansion aligns with broader changes in Australian shopping behaviour.

The acceleration of online retail during and after the pandemic placed enormous pressure on delivery infrastructure. Parcel volumes reached record highs, particularly during Black Friday and Christmas periods, with Australia Post delivering more than 100 million parcels during peak festive seasons.

That growth forced logistics providers to rethink the “last mile” of delivery, widely regarded as the most expensive and operationally difficult stage of the process.

Parcel Locker systems have increasingly been viewed as part of the long-term solution.

The concept itself is not unique to Australia. Parcel Locker networks have become common globally, particularly across Europe and Asia, where dense urban environments and apartment living create similar logistical challenges. But Australia’s geography and suburban sprawl made adoption slower initially.

Now, however, the convenience factor is driving mainstream usage.

For commuters, Parcel Lockers near train stations allow parcels to be collected on the way home from work. For apartment dwellers, they remove the uncertainty around access and missed deliveries.

The rise of the AusPost app has also streamlined the experience, centralising notifications, tracking and Parcel Locker access into a single platform. Australia Post has increasingly pushed customers toward app-based delivery management, partly as a way to combat phishing scams and fake delivery notifications, which have become more sophisticated in recent years.

The Parcel Locker model is also beginning to influence property development itself.

Parcel management has become a growing consideration in apartment building design, particularly as online shopping becomes embedded in everyday life. Many new residential developments are now incorporating dedicated parcel rooms or Parcel Locker systems into foyers and communal spaces.

For developers, parcel management is increasingly viewed as part of the broader resident amenity offering, alongside gyms, wellness spaces and communal work areas.

That reflects a wider evolution in how residential buildings are designed.

Apartment buyers are placing greater emphasis on convenience, security and operational functionality, particularly in higher-density urban environments. Parcel delivery, once considered a minor operational detail, has become an increasingly important part of that equation.

Australia Post’s Parcel Locker network sits at the centre of that behavioural shift.

What began as a simple alternative delivery option has evolved into a key piece of infrastructure supporting Australia’s growing eCommerce economy and changing urban lifestyles.

And as online shopping continues to expand, the role of Parcel Lockers is likely to become even more embedded in how Australians live, shop and receive goods.

How Australia Post Parcel Lockers changed parcel delivery convenience in Australia

Perth’s new apartment market recorded its strongest quarter of sales since Q4 2021, with 412 apartments sold in Q1 2026 and a record quarterly sold value of $537 million, according to Urbis’ latest Apartment Essentials results.

Urbis said the March quarter result reflects strong, highly product‑specific demand across both ends of the market, from more attainable projects delivering at scale, through to premium stock being absorbed by equity‑rich downsizers.&nbsp;

David Cresp, Partner at Urbis, said the key story in Perth is not demand, it is the market’s ability to convert demand into delivered housing.&nbsp;

“This is the strongest sales quarter since Q4 2021, and it reinforces that demand in Perth is real and it’s local,” David Cresp said. “But the task now is delivery, turning that demand into projects that can actually be built and completed.”&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=110291 project_image_fid=302785]

<h2>Affordable product leads, premium demand remains resilient</h2>

Sales in Q1 were led by more affordable projects, with The Boulevard (SKS Group) recording 115 sales in the quarter, the presentation noting this is only the second time a single project has surpassed 100 quarterly sales. The project was able to offer more affordable housing product right next to a train station.&nbsp;

Palmyra West (Finbar) also delivered strong results with 28 sales in Q1, following 84 sales in Q4, with an average price of under $800,000, underscoring depth of demand for well‑located, attainable new stock.&nbsp;

At the premium end, Urbis said downsizer demand is continuing, with the results highlighting Romeo (Applecross, Finbar) recording 75 sales and reaching almost 50% sold in one quarter.

Jual (Shenton Park, Celsius Property) also posted a strong quarter with 28 sales, reaching 39% sold in one quarter.

Urbis noted that Perth apartment demand is not speculative, not investor‑led, and not uniform, describing it as localised, often equity‑driven and highly product‑specific, a pattern reflected in the polarisation between strong “attainable” performers and premium downsizer product.&nbsp;

[smartcode_project:default project_id=148957 project_image_fid=364102]

<h2>Prices underpinned by costs, and the delivery risk is growing</h2>

Urbis said pricing pressure is cost not demand‑driven: construction costs and delivery risk are now a central constraint, with the results noting build costs remain elevated and volatile, and that energy, fuel and labour uncertainty weigh on feasibility.

David Cresp said a growing challenge for private Build‑to‑Sell developers is simply securing a builder in the current environment.

“Developers are really feeling the pressure from a building market that was operating at capacity and securing a builder is challenging,” David Cresp said, adding that even where a builder can be secured, “trying to get to the price that makes the development financially viable is incredibly challenging in the current market.”&nbsp;

Urbis’ broader WA commentary also notes that industry remains at or above capacity with lot and housing creation, and that many builders are limiting new sales to manage stretched workforces and fixed‑price contract pressures, conditions that flow directly into apartment feasibility and delivery timing.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=108869 project_image_fid=317905]

<h2>Supply: improving later, but still constrained, and Perth lags eastern benchmarks</h2>

While near‑term supply remains constrained, Urbis’ forecast shows completions lifting “Supply is forecast to be back above 1,500 apartments per annum for the first time since 2019”, with 1,775 completions forecast for 2026, and volumes remaining above that level over the following years.&nbsp;

Looking further ahead, completions are forecast to reach 2,500 in 2028, with the report noting 32% of that total is social/affordable, reflecting the role of government‑supported delivery in rebuilding the pipeline.&nbsp;

However, Urbis said Perth remains behind comparable markets on pipeline scale. In a national comparison of projects under construction, the report shows under construction Perth Build‑to‑Sell (BTS) at 3,446 apartments versus the Gold Coast at 7,922. Mr Cresp said “The challenge for Perth is how to we grow the delivery pipeline”.

Urbis’ conclusion is that Perth’s market is increasingly defined by product discipline and delivery certainty, with the research identifying “delivery certainty is key” and calling out builder risk and procurement models as core success factors, alongside “timing and staging”.&nbsp;

Perth apartment sales hit strongest pace since late 2021 as builder capacity tightens

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sammut-developments">Sammut Group</a> has secured development approval for its latest Brisbane apartment project, marking the Sydney developer’s next step in expanding its Queensland pipeline following the success of its debut Gold Coast development, Coast.

The approved project at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/44-glen-road-toowong-qld-4066">44 Glen Road, </a><a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/toowong-qld-4066">Toowong</a> will deliver a 15-storey riverfront apartment building with 42 residences, significantly increasing the scale of the site’s previous approval for a smaller luxury scheme. Designed by Bureau^proberts, the development will comprise a mix of predominantly four-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments positioned to maximise Brisbane River and city views.

Sammut Director Julian Sammut said the group had been actively searching Brisbane for several years before identifying Toowong as the right fit.

“Brisbane was the right step for Sammut,” Sammut said.

“With the success of Coast we thought we should definitely look to do more in Queensland alone. We then pushed up to look at Brisbane. We've been looking for I'd say two to three years actually and it was hard to find the right location.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/f_auto,c_limit,w_1440,q_75/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/field/image/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=dYAVIL7qdcGA8ojvkslSrLjczXFejSSx" />

Sammut said suburbs including New Farm and Teneriffe were considered before the group ultimately focused on Toowong due to its strong downsizer demographic and limited supply of developable riverfront land.

The site was acquired off-market after what Sammut described as a lengthy negotiation and planning process, with the developer pursuing an uplift to the original approval.

“We are DA approved now which is very exciting,” Sammut said.

“We've had our change approval come through and we've obviously doubled the height, 15 storeys plus rooftop. We've got 42 amazing apartments that are going to be coming to market soon.”

<img alt="Sammut makes Brisbane apartment play" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,dpr_2.0,q_auto:good/https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202025-12-23%20at%203.27.26%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=ohkRkY0dIZlqdfME2EZePsCQavRiBadE" />

Bureau^proberts said the design responds to Toowong’s evolving urban character, balancing contemporary apartment living with the area’s established residential identity.

“A place where traditional Queensland living has taken place for centuries; Toowong is seeing a shift of contemporary influence, commercial and retail hubs mixed with well-considered residential offerings – all the while maintaining its character and charm,” the architect noted in planning documents submitted to Brisbane City Council.

The architecture practice said the project’s form was shaped by its riverfront setting, flood considerations, neighbouring building scales, and view corridors.

“They said the mix of four and two-bedroom apartments capture the ‘fundamental qualities of Queenslander living,’ translated into the context of a contemporary subtropical building.”

The development sits just off Coronation Drive within walking distance of Toowong’s retail precinct and the upgraded Regatta ferry terminal, while also benefiting from proximity to the incoming green bridge connection to West End. Sammut said the accessibility and amenity offering were central to the site’s appeal.

The approval adds to growing residential activity along the Toowong riverfront, joining nearby projects including Consolidated Properties’ Monarch Residences and Spyre Group’s ARC Residences.

Staff reporter

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