<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360965]

“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360981]

Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360966]

Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

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[smartcode_project:default project_id=149670 project_image_fid=360969]

Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=149670]

Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377679]

The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377675]

Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377685]

Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=152737 project_image_fid=377680]

Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

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Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

Development

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The Victoria Racing Club has appointed Multiplex to build a new stand at Flemington Racecourse to the value of $128 million.
The five level Club Stand, designed by Bates Smart Architects is the 10th grandstand to be build at Flemington since 1865. Construction is slated to begin after the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The new Club Stand will feature 360 degree views of the Mounting Yard, race track, Members Lawn, Parade Ring, Betting Ring and Winning Post. 
A first floor walkway will connect the Club Stand t to the existing Members Stand and Parade Ring. A new north-south corridor will form the heart of the new Club Stand and will also link the Betting Ring with the Members Lawn and Mounting Yard. 
The Members Lawn will also be enlarged as part of the project and seamlessly linked to function spaces on Level One by a grand sloping tier of seating encompassing viewing platforms and gardens.
A rooftop garden will be built on level five.
Graham Cottam, regional managing director at Multiplex said the new Club Stand is world-class and will deliver a completely new experience for racing patrons.
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jonathanchancellor-7SQnKwU6yx

$128 million Club Stand to be built at Flemington Racecourse

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Fitzroys has achieved a second landmark sale in Melbourne’s west in recent weeks, with a prime Williamstown retail site fetching $7 million under the hammer.
The 738sqm corner property at 20-26 Ferguson Street, comprising seven titles offered as a whole, sold under the hammer on a 3.85 percent net yield.
A local Williamstown resident was the successful bidder of four parties that competed for the site in front of around 70 people.
Fitzroys agents James Gregson and Michael Ryan handled the campaign on behalf of a private investor, who acquired the site in 1983 for $190,000.
It follows Fitzroys’ recent sale of the nearby retail site at 5, 7 &amp; 9 Ferguson Street under the hammer for $4.225 million, which Gregson and Ryan also handled.
The three adjoining shops were offered in one line and sold $300,000 above reserve, with the sale price reflecting a tight 3.4 percent yield.
The 20-26 Ferguson Street offering included five shops and two dwellings/offices across a total building area of 761sqm, with a 28-metre frontage to Ferguson Street, three street frontages and rear parking.
The property was offered with leases to long-standing tenants, including Yambuki Japanese Restaurant, Ella Bache, Cocoa Latte and H&amp;R Block, with a combined return of around $290,000 per annum.
Ryan said the property had a long-term development upside.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Prime Williamstown retail site sold for $7 million

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A Chinese consortium have proposed a water theme park, international hotel, boutique residences, indoor go-karting track, spa resort, hot springs centre, and prestige golf academy at the Moonah Links golf course on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula.
The estimated cost could be as high as $600 million.
The owners — a consortium of Chinese and Chinese-Australian business people — have presented their plans to the Minister for Tourism and Major events, John Eren.
<a href="https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTUzNjcxMjAxMg==.htm" target="_blank">A six minute Chinese video clip</a> describing the plans for the site is now online including a stingray-shaped hot springs centre as part of the plan.
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The marketing video from Peninsula International Group describes Melbourne and the peninsula as dream destinations.
The championship golf venue Moonah Links, which boasts two courses and Peppers hotel, was sold last year to the consortium for about $18 million.
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Mornington's Moondah Links set for theme park transformation 

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/63992/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
The creative industries – ranging from game development to architecture, media, design and the arts – are a hot issue in urban development.
Creative businesses, almost by definition, are innovative. They drive new ideas, people and technologies into the market from the experimental edge. It follows, then, that strategies to make a state, city or town more creative can fuel cultural development, urban regeneration and economic growth.
The logic flows: attracting creative talent is increasingly tied to competing in global markets. Places with a creative industries base attract businesses and skilled workers from other knowledge-intensive industries like health, science, engineering and technology. This realisation has prompted regional governments across the globe, including some in Western Australia, to implement policies to make themselves more creative.
Australia’s creative industries contribute A$90 billion to the economyevery year. While making a city “more creative” has obvious economic rewards, gaps can emerge between policy and reality.
Creative businesses often struggle in the face of rising rents and development pressures. They may have difficulty in accessing property, finance and business advice.
The sector is also characterised by freelance, part-time and portfolio work. This means financial insecurity, uncertain employment and demanding working conditions are real challenges for a large proportion of its workers.
What do creative industries need to thrive?
Many cities, including some Australian state capitals, have to unpick the mechanics of city regeneration, which complicate creative industry development, through investment.
This public investment is often most visible in designated innovation or cultural precincts. The large public institutions and signature buildings typically found in these areas make plain governments’ involvement.
However, iconic architecture and major events alone aren’t enough to build robust creative economies. The creative economy in Australia is underpinned by the 98% of creative businesses with fewer than 20 employees. This sector plays an outsized role in innovation, experimentation and new ideas.
When municipal or state governments join forces with these smaller creative communities to shape urban regeneration the results can be far-reaching, although government’s role is often less visible.
The creative sector feeds on affordable commercial space, physical and digital connectivity and a critical mass of like-minded but diverse neighbours.
Small-to-medium creative enterprises are often deeply embedded in their local contexts. They are also highly networked, using formal and informal platforms to match ideas with potential collaborators, as well as private, government and third-sector investors.
Creating clusters from scratch is notoriously difficult. Building on latent and emerging clusters by leveraging existing property assets and local knowledge is far simpler. It also usually works a lot better.
This approach sounds intuitive, but often doesn’t happen. The reason is a heavy stakeholder focus on building something new, as well as control over land and property use.
Lessons from Amsterdam and Toronto
Amsterdam’s municipal council has introduced economic, cultural and spatial development policies that involve partnering small-to-medium creative entrepreneurs to rehabilitate brownfield sites. Creative-led partnerships have developed clusters at De Ceuvel, NDSM Wharf and Tolhuistuin.
The municipality has ceded some of its usual powers to the sector, with responsibility for delivery and success shared.
At Tolhuistuin, the council provides the land, old building stock and a maintenance budget for a fixed period while the creatives develop the precinct themselves (under the watch of a board). The outcome is a new asset-based blueprint for sustainable mixed-use urban development.
Tolhuistuin’s early seeded clusters set the stage for larger projects. These include the Eye Film Institute, the A’DAM Toren and the redevelopment of the Van Der Pek and Overhoeks precincts.
This all builds on the municipality’s longstanding broedplaatsen (breeding ground) program. This promotes creative clustering in underutilised buildings across the city by releasing 10,000m² of studio space per year.
The creative industries are empowered to take the lead in developing these projects. Amsterdam council unlocks funding sources and offers expert advice on bureaucratic and legal processes.
In Canada, Section 37 of the Ontario Planning Act has helped transform private, government and creative sector partnerships. It allows development regulations to be relaxed in exchange for community benefit, which includes creating living spaces for creatives.
In the early 2000s, social enterprise Artscape, supported by the City of Toronto, leveraged Section 37 to develop Artscape Triangle Lofts, home to 68 creative live/work units and Propeller Gallery. An innovative affordable ownership and rental program ensures a mix of uses and incomes in the building.
Toronto’s far-sighted policy decision helped the city retain and grow its creative community in the face of rising property prices. Today the sector contributes C$9 billion a year to Toronto’s GDP and employs 130,000 people.
Get in early, start small
The takeaway from this is that constructing a creative economy means implementing long-term transitional strategies to build talent and capacity over time. This avoids the need for more interventionist, expensive and risky strategies down the line.
WA towns and cities have an enviable opportunity to set up the conditions for a healthy creative economy before regeneration of their older building stock comes to pass. Nurturing this sector through a mix of smaller policy interventions could be an affordable and effective way to kick-start sustainable creative economies.
More modest interventions allow the luxury of learning from failure and trialling more experimental ideas. These can then flow through to the wider creative ecology.
All ecologies rely on an ongoing interplay between the large, medium and small. Each brings something different to the table to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
This requires a policy mix that can support big-ticket projects along with investment in sustainable careers and spaces for small-to-medium creative enterprises. This is true creativity at work.
Bree Trevena is PhD researcher, Research Unit in Public Cultures, University of Melbourne and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bree-trevena-292259" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Create to regenerate: cities tap into talent for urban renewal

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Property developer Sunland Group will withdraw its development application for its proposed mixed-use residential and arts precinct at Mariner’s Cove on Queensland's Gold Coast.
The City of Gold Coast is to defer the current application for no longer than 12 months.
Sunland Group’s $600 million proposal included the city’s first privately-owned cultural precinct dedicated to the arts through a modern art gallery and museum as well as floating parklands, an underground aquarium and two sculptural 44-storey towers providing hotel and residential apartments.
Sunland Chairman Soheil Abedian said he believed a master plan for The Spit was in the best interests of the community and would deliver much-needed clarity, unity and direction for all stakeholders.
“We strongly believe The Mariner presented an exceptional and compelling outcome for the site,” he said.
“The Spit is a unique commercial, residential and recreational precinct and the State Government and Council need to work together, in consultation with the community and all stakeholders, to agree on a clear path forward.
“We feel it is important the master planning process is unencumbered, without any perceived time pressures from existing development applications. For this reason we are withdrawing our development application for The Mariner until such time that a master plan for the precinct can be agreed upon.”
“Q1 was met with similar challenges, yet today it remains an icon of our city and stands proudly at the centre of the emblem of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
“The Mariner continues our commitment to the city and its evolution into a global destination with the opportunity for world-class entertainment, cultural and tourism amenity.
“To realise this opportunity, there must be a master plan that benefits the city and its more than 600,000 residents. A master plan that balances the natural elements of the Spit with community open space and iconic architecture that celebrates our distinctly Gold Coast lifestyle and contributes towards the enrichment of the urban fabric of our community.
“It is our ardent hope that the State Government and Council, upon completion of the master plan, allow projects such as The Mariner to have a place for the future of our city.”
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Sunland withdraws development application for Mariner's Cove, Gold Coast

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/64595/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Australia will join the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.
Some of the discussion will focus on progressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as agreed at the UN last year.
Australia is a signatory to the goals, but it is difficult to know where to begin, as the goals are further broken down into 169 targets. These range from eradicating extreme poverty to developing measurements of progress on sustainable development.
But new research from the University of Queensland reveals that actions on climate change (SDG 13) and global partnerships (SDG 17) are likely to influence all other efforts by Australia to achieve the other SDGs.
<h2>Australia’s role in sustainable development</h2>
The SDGs form part of the UN development agenda, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, released in September 2015.
Unlike the preceding UN Millennium Development Goals, which ran until 2015, the SDGs apply to all countries and citizens to create a common outlook, irrespective of the country’s level of development. The new goals are to be achieved by 2030.
The Australian government has emphasised the role of the SDGs in reinforcing economic growth, development and investment in the Indo-Pacific region, and has assigned the SDGs to the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Environment.
Australia’s support for the SDGs is laudable. But the focus on international trade and investment, with responsibilities placed in only two portfolios, limits Australia’s potential for significant social, economic and environmental improvement on the SDGs at home and abroad.
<h2>But where do we start?</h2>
Part of the challenge of the SDGs is their complexity and the way they link together. This may explain Australia’s limited approach to date.
To help navigate this web of goals, we mapped the most influential goals. We found the goals that affect all the others are climate action (SDG 13) and global partnerships (SDG 17). Without these, the other goals are very difficult to attain. 
For example, the increased intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change will likely make it harder to achieve clean drinking water under SDG 6. In droughts, less water is available, and in floods, the water is often contaminated. Both events result in the proliferation of diseases.
These findings also identified that the goal for health and wellbeing (SDG 3) is the ultimate goal: every other SDG contributes towards this outcome. For example, a woman who has given birth to a daughter cannot achieve optimal physical, social and mental wellbeing for herself and her child without proper nutrition (SDG 2), access to clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), gender equality (SDG 5) and adequate financial resources (SDG 1).
We also found that within SDG 6, implementing the integrated water resources management target (6.5) enables the other SDG 6 targets to be met. Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin is a good example of this type of approach. There, states negotiated across borders to reduce salinity, minimise extractions and improve water quality.
<h2>Can we do it?</h2>
Linking together these goals will require high-level government co-ordination beyond merely the DFAT and environment portfolios.
Our policy analysis found that no single portfolio can take responsibility for the entire set of 17 SDGs – and that all 21 government departmentshave more than one SDG relevant to their responsibilities.
Australia’s ability to progress the SDGs in Australia and overseas is likely to be more attainable with the involvement and cross-collaboration of other portfolios.
The UN SDGs are an opportunity for Australia’s efforts towards sustainable development to be recognised on a global stage. To achieve progress on this complex agenda we have to understand that climate action and global partnerships are crucial to sustainable development and ultimately to health and wellbeing.
Nina Lansbury Hall is sustainable Water Program Manager, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nina-lansbury-hall-211334" target="_blank">here</a>.
Dani J. Barrington is lecturer, Global Change Institute, Honorary Fellow, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland and author for The Conversation. She can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dani-j-barrington-104657" target="_blank">here.</a>
Russell Richards is ecosystem modeller at the University of Queensland and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/russell-richards-296266" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Climate action is the key to Australia achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

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Sydney-based developer, JQZ, has purchased a 1.715 hectare site in Macquarie Park to build a mixed-use apartment development with 4 residential towers and approximately 2000sqm of prime retail.
It was acquired from Goodman for an undisclosed amount, expected to be around $200 million.
Construction is expected to start on the site, 101 Waterloo Road Macquarie Park, mid 2017.
Jian Qiu Zhang, Founder and chief executive officer of JQZ, said this site ticked all of the boxes in terms of convenience as it’s literally right next door to one of Australia’s premier shopping centres and only a 17-minute walk to Macquarie University. 
For more information, visit <a href="https://www.jqz.com.au" target="_blank">www.jqz.com.au</a> or call 02 9378 1000.
 
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JQZ acquires site in Macquarie Park for around $200M

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Following the success of its 36-storey Sky One tower in Melbourne’s Box Hill, the Golden Age Development Group now has plans to work on another nearby project.
The 7,344 sqm site at 517-521 Station Street, Box Hill (pic above) will have a mix of commercial and retail spaces, residential accommodation and a 104-place child care facility, according to the developer’s website.
The carpark was recently bought by Golden Age for $51.8 million from Whitehorse Council.
The new project, named Sky Two, is expected to be well received like its sister project Sky One.
“Buyers of Sky One will benefit significantly from the new development as it bolsters the notion of the suburb being a city in itself, with a range of business, lifestyle and cultural amenities only minutes away,” says the developer.
Sky One, at 545 Station Street, sold some 85 percent apartments at its launch in April, which was followed by $80 million worth of apartments in May.
On completion, Sky One will be one of the tallest buildings in suburban Melbourne.
Golden Age, which was founded in 2007 by Jeff Xu, has a project pipeline worth $2 billion across Melbourne &amp; Sydney.
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After 36-storey Sky One success, Golden Age set for sister project in Melbourne's Box Hill

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/57114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Australia may be home to some of the world’s most liveable cities, but we have a long way to go to meet the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Australia ranks 20th in the world – well behind Canada and many European countries but ahead of the United States – according to a new index that compares different nations' performance on the SDGs, which were adopted last September.
Launched at this week’s United Nations SDG talks in New York, the index marks each country’s performance towards the 17 goals. These aim to put the world on a more sustainable economic, social and environmental path, and feature 169 targets to be met over the next 15 years in areas such as health, economic growth and climate action.
The ranking, called the SDG Index and Dashboard and prepared by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the German think tank Bertelsmann Stiftung, ranks countries' performance using a set of 77 indicators.
<h2>Australia: good water, bad energy</h2>
Australia, with some of the world’s highest carbon emissions per person, rates poorly on the clean energy and climate change goals. It also falls down on the environmental goals, with high levels of solid waste and land clearing as well as loss of biodiversity.
Despite the long life expectancy and general good health of Australians, the index highlights that Australia has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world.
As shown in the performance chart below, Australia rates relatively highly on lack of poverty, education and water quality. Inequality, while increasing, is not as bad as it is in the United States or the United Kingdom.
<a href="/images/2016/07/27/image-20160721-8642-mbf3mp.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/07/27/image-20160721-8642-mbf3mp.png" alt="">
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Australia’s performance on each of the Sustainable Development Goals. <a class="source" href="https://issuu.com/unsdsn/docs/sdg_index_and_dashboards_country_pr">SDG Index and Dashboards report</a>
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The best-performing countries on the list are mainly the northern European countries. Sweden, Denmark and Norway are at the top of the pile. Yet even these nations have significant challenges to achieve the climate change and environmental goals.
<h4><a href="/images/2016/07/27/image-20160721-8650-1llss6.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a></h4>
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The top of the rankings… SDG Index and Dashboards report
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<div class="enlarge_hint"><a href="/images/2016/07/27/image-20160721-8663-2d6hcy.png" target="_blank"> Click to enlarge</a></div>
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…and the lowest-ranked nations. SDG Index and Dashboards report
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At the bottom of the rankings are sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and the Central African Republic, which face extreme poverty, hunger and major health problems.
In Asia, Japan and Singapore both rate above Australia, in 18th and 19th places respectively. Thailand (61st), Malaysia (63rd) and China (76th) are in the middle of the pack.
<h2>Priorities for action</h2>
The purpose of the report is to help countries identify the gaps that must be closed in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and to identify priorities for early action.
The SDG Index notes that Australia performs much better in the UN’s Human Development Index (on which it ranks second), which focuses on social and economic development but not environmental sustainability. This clearly demonstrates that Australia needs to act urgently to address the climate and environmental goals. It is in Australia’s interest to do so as we are more vulnerable to climate change than most comparable countries.
The report also highlights some other specific challenges for Australia, including fisheries management and sustainable use of nitrogen-based fertiliser. While Australia is not the worst performer on gender equality, many countries have a higher proportion of women in national parliaments than our 26.7 percent and we have a significantly larger gender wage gap than New Zealand.
The SDG Index will be updated regularly to improve its quality and coverage and allow people around the world to measure progress against the goals. Australia’s plan for implementing the SDGs within Australia is not yet clear and this will be an important item on the agenda for the re-elected Turnbull government.
John Thwaites is chair, Monash Sustainability Institute &amp; ClimateWorks Australia, Monash University and author for The Conversation. He can be contacted <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-thwaites-16830" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Australia ranks 20th on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

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<img src="/images/2016/07/20/Holdencapital_banner.jpg" alt="" width="618" height="130">
SPONSORED POST
According to Wikipedia, “Sweat Equity” is defined as:is a party's contribution to a project in the form of effort and toil, as opposed to financial equity such as paying others to perform a task.
Sweat Equity is normally initiated as a cost saving exercise, where in the case of property development, the developer shoulders the task of achieving the “highest and best use” for a property. Whilst this will often involve the collective efforts of industry professionals such as architects and town planners, it is almost always in consultation and at the direction of the property developer that first identifies the opportunity, and at the end of the day will speculatively outlay the cost of engaging such professionals.
So when does sweat equity via uplift in land count?   
It should not be overlooked that in many cases successful developers are already on the path to creating sweat equity in negotiating a Vendor to a price that recognises the current “value” of a site based on its highest and best use today, versus what can be achieved in the future.
Taking strategic control of a property through an option agreement or instalment contract while you work up an appropriate town planning or design strategy can also provide potential uplift which can later be included as part of the developers sweat equity.
That sweat equity effectively represents the uplift in value that is created without changing the visual presentation of a property. It should also be noted that a change in market conditions and specifically a rising market should not be construed as sweat equity where these changes occurred over a long period of time or were unrelated to the developers strategy to redevelop the property. Buying a property at the bottom of the market and holding it through an improving market in the hope that it will improve in value is not sweat equity. 
Quantifying sweat equity in terms of property will normally be proven or measured by comparing a purchase price or value at a point in time to the current value of the property at the point in time where that sweat equity is required to be assessed for the purpose of securing a funding outcome.
In most respects HoldenCAPITAL and prospective lenders view on sweat equity is similar to that of a valuers, on the basis that it is an art not a science. It requires an analysis of things like the market, the developers experience in undertaking a project of that size and scope and the planning and research they have put into conceiving the project (i.e. not just dumb luck), as well as the time and costs incurred including the retention of appropriately credentialed professionals engaged by the property developer.
To further define sweat equity we think it is important to qualify it by suggesting that it is value created that was perhaps not obviously apparent and easily achievable by the “common man”.
To use another art analogy, “one man’s art is another man’s trash”. Whilst this is perhaps a little extreme, it is fair to say that while most Lenders will recognise the sweat equity others, for reasons known only to them, will not. It is therefore, extremely important to clearly articulate the effort and contributions that have been made by the developer in order to justify the quantification of their  “sweat equity” when the valuation uplift is being assessed.  
It should also be pointed out that hard work and the expending of cash equity will not always result in an uplift in valuation.
Some examples of sweat equity can include but are not limited to:
<ul>
<li>a change in permitted use of the property;</li>
<li>rezoning;</li>
<li>changes in planning such as increased heights, configuration allowances, product mix, etc.;</li>
<li>a change in design of the proposed redevelopment; and</li>
<li>amalgamation of adjoining sites;</li>
</ul>
This is an area where developers often fail to accurately articulate where their sweat equity has been added so that it should be recognised by lenders. Seeking advice from an experienced construction finance broker can ensure that this doesn’t happen and make a significant difference to the final equity contribution the developer is required to contribute.
This article was written by Dan Holden of HoldenCAPITAL, who are a bespoke construction finance firm, they arranged over $300 million of construction finance in 2015 across 52 projects. To discuss your project finance requirement please call (07) 3171 4200 or visit <a href="https://www.holdencapital.com.au/" target="_blank">www.holdencapital.com.au</a>
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