<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.

&nbsp;

[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.

&nbsp;

[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.

&nbsp;

[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.

&nbsp;

[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.

&nbsp;

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<h3 data-end="3697" data-section-id="q3n5ak" data-start="3672">&nbsp;</h3>
</main>

Nova Rêve arrives as Reve Group bets on Castle Hill's next growth phase

Wellbeing

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Australians are feeling much happier about their general health and wellbeing than they are about their finances, a new study has revealed – with home ownership being a key stress point.
A national Colmar Brunton survey has found that only 35% of Australians are satisfied with their financial wellbeing, while 59% are satisfied with their mental wellbeing, 50% with their social wellbeing and 45% with their health and physical wellbeing.
<h2>Renters more financially stressed than property owners</h2>
Owning a property versus renting a property has a direct effect on financial wellbeing, the study revealed, with renters (45%) much more likely to be dissatisfied.
According to social researcher Mark McCrindle, owning your own home or property is a perceived milestone that often affects people’s sense of satisfaction.
“Individuals compare themselves to their peer group and home ownership has been the wealth vehicle they have used,” Mr McCrindle told News.com.au. “Costs of living are going up and if they are still renting, rather than owning a house, it can add to their insecurities.”
<h2>Australians feeling unprepared for the future</h2>
One in three survey respondents said they did not have the financial freedom to make choices that would allow them to enjoy their lives.
A further 29% do not feel prepared for any potential financial setbacks or emergency events.
Funding retirement was top of mind for many respondents with 43% feeling their superannuation is not on track to allow them to maintain their standard of living into retirement.
The data also revealed that 36% of Australians believe they will need to keep working past the age of retirement.
<h2>A taboo topic</h2>
<a href="http://www.ironfish.com.au/blog/2018/05/31/advocating-financial-literacy-wellbeing-workplace/" target="_blank">Experts agree</a> that the journey to financial wellbeing starts with education. And yet financial education is notably lacking – it is not commonly taught in schools, or the workplace – and therefore an individual’s financial education is completely dependent on social, familial or community structures and resources.
“Wealth is a taboo topic,” says Ironfish CEO &amp; Founder, Joseph Chou. “It’s not taught in school, we don’t talk about it amongst ourselves, or with friends or colleagues, generally speaking. And yet, we know from experience that wealth can be learned.
“That’s why it’s so important to us at Ironfish to inspire people to take ownership of their finances and achieve the financial freedom they need to enjoy life now and feel more confident about their future.”
<h2>From renter to owner</h2>
In our experience, most people already believe that property is a great investment and has a strong link to their sense of financial wellbeing.
Most people probably also wished they’d bought property years ago but lacked the confidence to make a decision about which particular property to purchase or felt it was too far out of reach.
At Ironfish, our aim is to simplify investment concepts, provide quality education, investor tools, service and properties – and share our collective investment experience to help you achieve your property goals.
Over 86% of our staff are property investors<a name="_ftnref1" href="http://www.ironfish.com.au/blog/2018/07/13/aussies-feeling-fit-well-just-not-financially-new-research-finds/#_ftn1">[1]</a> including first home buyers and <a href="http://www.ironfish.com.au/blog/2017/10/16/thinking-beyond-sydney-rent-vesting-works/" target="_blank">rent-vestors</a> – so we have walked the path before.  
 
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jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

Aussies feeling fit and well – just not financially, new research finds: Ironfish

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We are a country that has become richer than we possibly ever could have imagined. We have had 29 years of unprecedented, <a href="https://www.austrade.gov.au/news/economic-analysis/australia-on-course-to-celebrate-30-years-of-growth-says-oxford-economics#note-1" target="_blank">world-record holding</a> economic growth.
Although economically things are a little <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-27/government-budget-surplus-threatened-by-coronavirus/12002704" target="_blank">precarious</a> in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak and our worst bushfires in recorded history, ahead of the first gross domestic product (GDP) announcement for the year, it’s worth acknowledging this remarkable achievement.
But what has it meant for people’s lives? The figures tell us little about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/23/fiona-stanleys-2020s-vision-please-can-we-move-beyond-gdp" target="_blank">whether life is getting better</a>.
In 1991, the last time GDP went backwards for two consecutive quarters, 258,226 babies were born in Australia.
Samantha and Andrew
Let’s call one of them Samantha, born in Bently, an area of high socioeconomic disadvantage in Western Australia, and the other Andrew, born in the suburb of Griffith in the Australian Capital Territory.
During the first two years of their lives, around one in 10 families with children were in a <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/2f762f95845417aeca25706c00834efa/855e6f87080d2e1aca2570ec000c8e5f!OpenDocument" target="_blank">jobless household</a>.
Andrew’s parents had jobs. Samantha’s didn’t.
By the time Samantha and Andrew were 25, in 2016, average household disposable income was twice what it had been when they were born, even after accounting for higher prices.
But it’s not hard to see that, despite economic growth, their lives were different.
Samantha had less education, was underemployed, in housing stress and skipping meals to feed her kids. Andrew had higher education, was employed full-time, lived with high-income parents and was saving for a deposit for a place of his own.
While economic growth made us wealthier as a country, it hasn’t been good for all of us.
We need a measure that sits alongside gross domestic product that tells us whether we are actually getting better off.
<h2>What matters is whether we are really better off</h2>
The idea of a broader measure of social progress isn’t new – a collaboration called the <a href="http://www.andi.org.au/" target="_blank">Australian National Development Index</a> has been underway a few years now, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics used to publish “<a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370.0%7E2013%7EMain%20Features%7EAbout%20MAP%7E2" target="_blank">Measures of Australia’s Progress</a>” until budget cuts in 2014.
<a href="https://treasury.govt.nz/publications/wellbeing-budget/wellbeing-budget-2019-html" target="_blank">New Zealand</a> introduced a “well-being budget” last year, targeting mental health, child welfare, Indigenous reconciliation, the environment, suicide, and homelessness, alongside traditional measures of productivity and investment.
Labor’s treasury spokesman, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/measure-what-matters-labor-s-plan-to-track-the-nation-s-wellbeing-alongside-gdp-20200219-p5426n" target="_blank">Jim Chalmers</a>, has <a href="https://jimchalmers.org/media/speeches/measuring-what-matters/" target="_blank">promised</a> to do the same when Labor is next in office.
<a href="https://amplify.csi.edu.au/social-progress-index/" target="_blank">Australia’s Social Progress Index</a>, launched last month by the <a href="https://amplify.csi.edu.au" target="_blank">Centre for Social Impact</a> at UNSW Sydney and the <a href="https://www.socialprogress.org/" target="_blank">Social Progress Imperative</a> will go further, and much further than the national accounts to be released today.
It will enable the well-being and opportunities to be ranked and compared by location and time.
The <a href="https://amplify.csi.edu.au/social-progress-index/" target="_blank">online tool</a> enables anyone to explore how we are tracking on <a href="https://amplify.csi.edu.au/social-progress-index/methodology/" target="_blank">12 components </a> grouped into three domains: basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318218/original/file-20200303-18270-7wakux.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318218/original/file-20200303-18270-7wakux.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Finding the components wasn’t easy.
We needed to consider data availability, data detail, sample sizes, and reliability. We considered more than <a href="https://amplify.csi.edu.au/social-progress-index/methodology/" target="_blank">400 possibilities</a>.
While it is by no means the only (or perfect) way of understanding Australian living standards, it pushes us significantly beyond GDP.
It asks and answers universally important questions, such as:
• Do people have adequate housing with basic utilities?
• Do people have access to an educational foundation?
• Are people free to make their own life choices?
• Is this society using its resources so they will be available to future generations?
<h2>Economic growth doesn’t tell us much</h2>
The results show a stark disconnect between economic and social progress. While our GDP has been rising, we have fared poorly on environmental quality and access to information and communications.
At a state and territory level, despite having high gross state product per capita, <a href="https://www.jtsi.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/wa-economic-profile---february-2019.pdf?sfvrsn=538731c_4" target="_blank">Western Australia</a> and the <a href="https://nteconomy.nt.gov.au/economic-growth" target="_blank">Northern Territory</a> ranked 7th and 8th on most of the indicators.
The rising tide has not lifted all boats.
This is evident in Andrew and Samantha’s lives (the Australian Capital Territory ranks first overall, Western Australia 7th) and also in the aftermath of the bushfires.
People were cut off from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/01/australia-bushfire-towns-supplies-power-houses-the-lot" target="_blank">power</a>, information, <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-01-13/are-australias-telecommunication-up-to-the-new-kind-of-megafire/11860238" target="_blank">communication</a>, and <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-06/fire-cuts-food-supplies-to-nsw-south-coast-towns-and-families/11842382" target="_blank">access to resources</a>. Many <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20191113_00.aspx" target="_blank">struggled to breathe</a>. We lost much of our ecosystem.
The economy is fundamental to improving our well-being and fuelling our social progress, but it isn’t everything and it isn’t necessarily inclusive.
If we had inclusive growth we wouldn’t be able to predict babies’ futures by the postcodes in which they were born. We would be able to meet basic human needs regardless of how much was spent and earned each quarter.
Today’s national accounts will be important, as a spur to asking other important questions, rather than as the final answer.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132739/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristy-muir-158422" target="_blank">Kristy Muir</a>, Professor of Social Policy / CEO, Centre for Social Impact, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/isabella-saunders-981654" target="_blank">Isabella Saunders</a>, Research Assistant at the Centre for Social Impact, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/megan-weier-151162" target="_blank">Megan Weier</a>, Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414" target="_blank">UNSW</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/todays-gdp-figures-wont-tell-us-whether-life-is-getting-better-heres-what-can-132739" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Today's GDP figures won't tell us whether life is getting better -- here's what can

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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/82154/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">
GUEST OBSERVER
Residents of neighbourhoods with good infrastructure and services often enjoy lower living costs and better wellbeing and life chances.
But access to education, health, transport and other public amenities and services is unevenly distributed in the city. 
Some suburbs are disadvantaged on multiple fronts, and it turns out these areas receive much more state funding in Melbourne than in Sydney.
From a social justice perspective, public funding of infrastructure and services should give priority to the most disadvantaged areas. This “redistribution” is seen as necessary to counter socioeconomic disadvantage and inequality. 
In both Sydney and Melbourne, our research shows more funding goes to moderately disadvantaged areas, on average, than to more advantaged areas. In Sydney, however, government spending in the most disadvantaged suburbs was very low compared to Melbourne.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/images/2017/08/16/file-20170811-12395-tqo9ff.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2017/08/16/file-20170811-12395-tqo9ff.jpg" alt="">
 
Average per capita investment by socioeconomic status of suburb. Author provided
<h2>Breaking down the funding distribution</h2>
Our study sought to understand how state funding is distributed in Melbourne and Sydney. We looked at the Victorian and New South Walesstate budgets from 1999 to 2015 to measure expenditure in different suburbs of both cities. This included transport, roads, health, education, justice, utilities, amenities, government facilities and community services.
In both Sydney and Melbourne we saw an overall redistributive pattern. Moderately disadvantaged areas received more on average than advantaged areas. 
However, state investment in Sydney’s most disadvantaged suburbs was very low. In contrast, such areas in Melbourne benefited from relatively high state spending. 
In Melbourne’s most socially disadvantaged suburbs, expenditure was higher than the metropolitan average in almost all categories of infrastructure and services. The exceptions were emergency services and amenities. 
In Sydney’s most disadvantaged suburbs, expenditure was lower than the metropolitan average in health, justice, roads, amenities, urban development and utilities. Only expenditure on community services and education was above the average. 
In both cities, expenditure on public housing development was relatively high in the most disadvantaged suburbs. Government investment in building more affordable housing in well-serviced areas is extremely important. A booming housing market has pushed disadvantaged people, including recently arrived immigrants, away from well-serviced suburbsthat were once affordable.
However, in Sydney, new public housing development occurs disproportionately in the most disadvantaged suburbs that also lack good public infrastructure and services. 
<h2>Inner city does best</h2>
The disadvantage of Sydney’s poorest suburbs can be attributed, in part, to a highly centralised pattern of government spending. It is disproportionately high in the inner city and progressively declines outwards. 
The majority of Sydney’s most disadvantaged suburbs are located well outside the metropolitan centre, and therefore miss out. 
Strategic plans for Sydney since 2005 have envisioned a shift towards a less centralised structure. Yet the pattern of infrastructure investment we observed is at odds with such rhetoric. 
Most recently, the Greater Sydney Commission has promoted a “metropolis of three cities”. The three centres are the CBD, Parramatta and the planned Western Sydney Airport in Badgery’s Creek. The impact of these strategies on infrastructure distribution will need close monitoring.
But, on its own, centralised expenditure does not fully explain why Sydney’s most disadvantaged suburbs miss out. Some of Sydney’s emerging outer suburbs benefited from much higher investment. And in Melbourne, despite a centralised pattern of investment (albeit less extreme than Sydney’s), the most disadvantaged suburbs did benefit from high expenditure.
We need to find other political and social explanations to explain these differences between Melbourne and Sydney. 
<h2>Finding a fairer balance</h2>
Despite the justifications for redistribution to the neediest areas, various political and economic dynamics work against it.
Public investment often favours other areas because these are expected to yield higher economic or electoral returns. Better resourced communities can also lobby government more effectively – pushing for or against facilities in their area, for instance. 
Nonetheless, state governments can play a crucial role in reducing social inequalities in Australia’s major cities. In Sydney, infrastructure allocation decisions by successive state governments have failed the most disadvantaged communities. 
Public spending on infrastructure and services will have to be redistributed to fix these problems. But simply channelling more funds to disadvantaged suburbs will not be enough. To maximise the transformative impact on such communities, the state must take the needs and wishes of diverse residents into account. 
Crucially, this must include more affordable housing. Otherwise, investments in better infrastructure and services may well lead to the displacement of the very people who are meant to benefit.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ilan-wiesel-303040" target="_blank">Ilan Wiesel</a> is Lecturer in Urban Geography, University of Melbourne.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/caitlin-buckle-399322" target="_blank">Caitlin Buckle</a> is PhD Candidate in Human Geography, UNSW.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/fanqi-liu-399272" target="_blank">Fanqi Liu</a> is PhD Student in Urban Geography, University of Melbourne.
All are authors for <a href="https://theconversation.com/au" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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Melbourne shows up Sydney in funding the most disadvantaged suburbs

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Australians are happier, with homes linked to a positive influence on wellbeing, according to the Wellbeing Index for Q3 from NAB Group Economics.
The index noted homes, local community and standard of living as a key driver in wellbeing for the majority of high income earners.
General finances and money was the single biggest detractor to wellbeing in low income earners.
<a href="/images/2015/10/30/Screen%20Shot%202015-10-30%20at%2011.10.30%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
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The survey of over 2,000 Australians found 23.4% indicated high levels of happiness, up from 22.7 per cent in Q2. The level of Australians recording a low level of happiness fell from 14.9% to 13.4% in Q3.
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