Derelict Marrickville house sells for $1,303,000 to inner west investors By Tawar Razaghi October 29, 2022 https://www.smh.com.au/property/new...-to-inner-west-investors-20221026-p5bt3t.html Key points There were 530 homes scheduled to go under the hammer on Saturday in Sydney. An uninhabitable Marrickville house sold to local investors for $1,303,000. Another investor bought a three-bedroom Bondi unit for $1,571,000. A run down Gladesville property sold for $1,723,000 to locals who plan to build a new home for their daughter. A derelict Marrickville house that has not had any renovations since it was bought in the 1960s has sold to inner west investors for $1,303,000. Fourteen potential buyers registered to bid on the four-bedroom deceased estate at 13 Wallace Street, despite it being uninhabitable. The home with crumbling ceilings, rotting floorboards, and a non-functional kitchen and bathroom was marketed with no price guide. The auction opened at $800,000 as six would-be buyers – a mix of investors, developers, renovators and some first-home buyers – competed for the decrepit property, pushing the price above the $1.21 million reserve. It sold to investors whose strategy was to bid in unusual increments, Ray White chief auctioneer Alex Pattaro said. “It had been in the family for 60 years,” Pattaro said. “The house was never ever renovated. That was quoted by the vendors. It’s probably one of the last few dumps in Marrickville.” The uninhabitable property at 13 Wallace Street, Marrickville, sold under the hammer for $1,303,000 on Saturday.Credit:Ben Rushton Selling agent Dean Vasil of Ray White Earlwood said most of the buyers were interested in the property for its land value in the current market downturn. Marrickville’s median house price rose 13.5 per cent to $1,935,000 in the year to September on Domain data.
Good news for once....and good news from the Church, now that makes a change. What a nice breath of fresh air! Perth architect Michelle Blakeley’s flat-pack project a potential solution to homeless crisis Kim Macdonald The West Australian Wed, 26 October 2022 https://thewest.com.au/business/pro...ial-solution-to-homelessness-crisis-c-8643485 The innovative “My Home” project, the brainchild of architect Michelle Blakeley, involves the erection of cheap but stylish flat-pack homes on public or church-owned land. Credit: Andrew Ritchie/The West Australian A potential solution to the widespread homeless crisis is part-way complete in North Fremantle, with 18 homes being built within an astonishing 22 day-period. The innovative “My Home” project, the brainchild of architect Michelle Blakeley, involves the erection of cheap but stylish flat-pack homes on public or church-owned land. The concrete foundations at the Condon Street site in the port city were set in place more than a month ago, and building company Offsite Construction began craning in the prebuilt panels only two weeks ago. The structure of the homes are due for completion within about one week — taking a total of 22 days to build — to be followed by fitout and landscaping by Christmas or early next year. The revolutionary techniques mean the total construction time is only a maximum of six months from start to finish — which is about a quarter of the length of newly built social housing in the currently overheated construction market. Ms Blakeley said the North Fremantle land was donated by the Public Transport Authority, and the 31sqm homes with 10sqm balconies, to be built at a cost of only $120,000 each. The 18 homes under construction in North Fremantle will be used to house homeless people. Credit: Andrew Ritchie/The West Australian Ms Blakeley credited churches for stepping up in the crisis, donating further land under free or peppercorn leases to expand the project to a further 12 sites, including East Victoria Park. Corporate Australia, Minderoo, the Sisters of St John of God and LotteryWest contributed the construction costs. “Once you have the land, the cost of building homes is not too expensive,” she said. The new tenants at the North Fremantle site will all be women aged over 55 — which is the fastest-growing homeless group in Australia. They will pay a quarter of their Newstart allowances in rent for their own single-bedroom residence. “It is less than what they would pay in a share house, and there is probably not a lot of dignity in living in a share house when you get older anyway,” she said. Ms Blakeley came up with the idea after reading about a similar project on the east coast. It opened her eyes to Perth’s own growing homelessness crisis. During discussions with housing advocates like St Patrick’s Community Support Centre in Fremantle, she became aware of the shocking extent of the crisis, with more and more people seeking help at refuges every day. The homes, designed by Ms Blakeley, operate under the Passiv Haus concept, which requires about 90 per cent less energy than a regular home. Architect Michelle Blakeley is running a project which builds the structure of a home in 3 weeks. Credit: Andrew Ritchie/The West Australian So how is construction firm OFFSITE managing to build the homes so quickly, with such great operational and thermal benefits, and relatively cheaply too? OFFSITE founder Padraic Mellett said construction relied on a digital fabrication technique involving equipment from German robotics global leader Weinmann. The company designs, manufactures and install advanced closed panel timber frame elements - including the walls, floor cassettes, roof cassettes and trussed roofs. “From the outset of the MyHome project (Ms) Blakeley wanted a solution where there would be near zero running costs for the occupants,” he said. “By designing, manufacturing, and building the homes to near Passiv Haus standards, they will require no mechanical heating or cooling. “The solar panels on the homes provide the power for water heating, cooking and appliances.” The company’s equipment is so precise that the timber offcuts for the entire project can be stored in one small bin. “Elements of up to 10m long and 3.6m wide are produced to milimetre accuracy resulting in incredibly tight tolerances,” he said. “This results in very airtight, weather tight, high quality low energy consumption homes at a very affordable price point. There is 100 per cent architectural freedom in our mass customisation.” He said the homes were about 16 times more airtight than standard WA new home — which already has a high six-star NAThers rating — while thermal Insulation was about six times better, and its windows had about 3.5 times better energy transfer than standard. Mr Mellett said the floor, wall and roof cassettes were manufactured in Offsite’s Kewdale factory using Wesbeam engineered timber and Wespine H2 structural pine insulated with the extremely high quality R3.0 Bradford insulation. Architect Michelle Blakeley is running a project which builds the structure of a home in 3 weeks. Credit: Andrew Ritchie/The West Australian They are wrapped in ProClima weather and airtight membranes, with high-performance uPVC windows. The cladding is James Hardie fixed on H3 Wespine cavity battens. CSR Gyprock line the internal surfaces fixed on Wespine service cavity battens. The Energy Recovery Ventilation — by Stiebel Electron — pumps HEPA-filtered room temperature fresh air into the homes around the clock while sucking out the stale air from the kitchen and bathroom.
‘It’s going to get worse’: Larger rental crisis looms as vacancies hit record lows By Melissa Heagney November 4, 2022 https://www.smh.com.au/property/new...acancies-hit-record-lows-20221103-p5bv9f.html Key points Australia’s rental vacancy rate has more than halved over the past year, from 1.9 per cent in October last year, to 0.8 per cent this year. Sydney’s rental vacancy rate fell to 1 per cent, while Melbourne’s was down to 1.1 per cent - the same level as 2018. The tightest rental market in the country is in Adelaide where the vacancy rate is 0.2 per cent. Experts say, Australia’s rental market which is already in crisis, is likely to worsen as international migrants return to the country looking for somewhere to live. Tenants are facing the toughest rental market ever in Australia with rental vacancy rates falling to another low in October, new data shows. The market, already in crisis across the country, is expected to worsen as the new academic year begins in a few months, experts say. In October, the national vacancy rate nearly halved compared with a year earlier, falling from 1.5 per cent in October 2021, to 0.8 per cent last month, Domain’s latest rental vacancy rate report revealed. In Sydney, it fell to a record 1 per cent, while Melbourne dropped to a record 1.1 per cent. A balanced market is considered to be about 3 per cent. Domain chief of research and economics Dr Nicola Powell said conditions were worsening. “There is a rental crisis across the country, and it’s going to get more serious,” Powell said. Conditions were difficult for renters applying for properties and could worsen as the 2023 school year begins and as international migrants and students return in bigger numbers, she said. More housing was needed to cater for overseas migrants, as was more social and affordable housing for those most in need, she said. “If you are on a low income in Australia, you would find it extremely difficult to find an affordable rental right now,” Powell said. Sydney recorded its fourth consecutive monthly vacancy rate fall and the number of available rentals dropped by 53 per cent due, in part, to investors selling to owner-occupiers. Australia’s rental vacancy rate is at 0.8 per cent.Crediteter Rae Vacancy rates are now well below the peak of 3.8 per cent recorded in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, when international borders were closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. It has pushed Sydney rents higher – house rents soared by 4.8 per cent or $30 per week to a $650 median in the September quarter, Domain data showed. It was a similar story in Melbourne, where house rents rose by 2.2 per cent in three months to a weekly median of $470. At 1.1 per cent, Melbourne’s vacancy rate equalled a low first set in 2018 – well down on the highs of 5.2 per cent in 2020. In Melbourne, vacancy rates have fallen to the same level as the record lows of 2018.Credit:iStock Brisbane’s vacancy rate was still tight, though it rose slightly to 0.7 per cent, while Perth’s rate fell to a record 0.3 per cent and Adelaide recorded the tightest rental market among the capital cities with 0.2 per cent. Real Estate Institute of Australia president Hayden Groves said property managers were reporting that some prospective tenants were making up to 50 applications for a home. Some were giving up as it had become too difficult to find a rental after so many applications. “It is a very challenging time for tenants and the industry acknowledges that,” Groves said. There are fewer rentals available in Sydney after many homes sold to owner-occupiers.Crediteter Rae Landlords valued tenants who were paying rent on time and looking after their rentals well, he said, adding they would be in a good position to negotiate a smaller rise in rents. Tenants’ Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson Ross said renters were making up to 100 applications for a home unsuccessfully, sometimes after receiving a no-grounds eviction with a set end date. “It pushes people into quite unsafe environments,” Patterson Ross said. “They have to compromise on location but also on the quality and the size, and that can mean people are placing themselves in harm’s way in order to keep a roof over their head because there just aren’t the options available to them. “This is really a very risky way to run an essential service.” Some tenants who can afford a property are only being turned away because another applicant is more attractive in a competitive system. Existing tenants may be less likely to ask for repairs if they risk getting a no-grounds eviction and facing the “Hunger Games of finding a new home”, he said. With Elizabeth Redman
$750 Per Week 33A Henry Street Kensington VIC 3031 3 Beds 1 Bath− House Date Available: Available Now Bond $3259 Property Description WELL PRESENTED SINGLE FRONTED VICTORIAN This beautifully renovated spacious home in a prominent position offering 3 bedrooms, lounge room with split system, polished floorboards, Kitchen with stainless steel appliances, stone bench tops, glass splash back and dishwasher, Bathroom with shower, toilet and separate laundry leading out to a low maintenance decked outdoor area. Located within minutes to popular Kensington & Flemington villages, public transport, local schools, parks and easy access to CBD. Property type: House Ya gotta be freekin kidding right? Nope! https://www.domain.com.au/33a-henry...widget&utm_medium=driver&utm_content=16165886 Property story 33a Henry Street, Kensington VIC 3031 is currently listed for Rent with a price of "$750 Per Week". 33a Henry Street is a House, with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and no parking. It is on a block of land that is 185 square metres. This House is estimated to be worth around $1.37m, with a range from $1.19m to $1.55m. The Domain property ID is EP-5848-PH. 33a Henry Street last sold 21 years ago, for $298k. It has been listed for rent since it was last purchased, indicating that it may be an investment property. It was most recently listed for rent in 2009 with an asking price of $300 per week. It was listed by Rendina Real Estate for 9 days.
You don't need Russia to destroy a country, we can do it ourselves by allowing realestate prices to run rampant.
Negative gearing and capital gains tax discount set to cost the budget $20 billion a year within a decade By business reporter Michael Janda Posted Yesterday https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-03/negative-gearing-and-capital-gains-tax-budget-cost/101612854 The Parliamentary Budget Office estimated the revenue loss from two major property investor tax breaks.(ABC News: Liz Pickering) The cost of negative gearing is set to blow out as interest rates rise and, with it, the capital gains tax discount is expected to cost the federal budget more than $20 billion a year within a decade. Key points: Modelling from the Parliamentary Budget Office forecasts negative gearing costs to double as interest rates rise and, potentially, more than triple over the next decade Combined with the capital gains tax discount, property investor tax concessions are tipped to top $20 billion a year by 2032-33 The PBO estimates that 39 per cent of negative gearing benefits goes to people earning more than $129,200 a year Modelling by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) — commissioned by Greens leader Adam Bandt — estimated that negative gearing would drain $12.7 billion from budget revenue in 2023-33 at the current cash rate of 2.85 per cent. Should the cash rate rise to 3.35 per cent — fairly close to the Reserve Bank of Australia's estimate of what might be a longer-term "neutral" cash rate — that cost would blow out further, to $13.8 billion. Last year, the PBO said the ability of loss-making property investors to write-off those losses against their other income cost the budget around $3.8 billion in forgone revenue. However, that was with interest rates at record low levels. As rates have risen, so too have interest costs and, therefore, the income losses for indebted property investors, increasing the cost to the federal budget of mortgage debt deductions. If the cash rate stays where it is, the PBO modelling suggests the cost of negative gearing to the federal budget will roughly double from current levels by 2023-24 — the first full financial year at the higher interest rates. Under a scenario where it rises to 3.35 per cent, the revenue forgone through deductions by negatively geared property investors would hit $8.2 billion in 2023-24. Many economists are tipping a cash rate peak of up to 3.85 per cent, which would further increase those losses beyond the scenarios modelled by the PBO. "The higher interest rates go, the more negative gearing will cost the budget," said Greens MP and housing spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather. "Right at the time when the government needs extra revenue to help alleviate the cost-of-living crisis, they are instead handing it over in the form of tax concessions to wealthy property investors." The other key tax break for property investors, the capital gains tax (CGT) discount, cost the budget around $4.7 billion last financial year. This is expected to decline very slightly with the fall in property prices since then, before gradually rising over time to reach $7.7 billion by 2032-33. Combined, the two main property investor tax breaks are expected to cost the budget around $20.4 billion in revenue forgone in financial year 2032-33, up from about $8.5 billion last financial year. Under the PBO's modelling, rising interest rates are not assumed to have any effect on property prices or rents charged. If landlords managed to pass on some of their rising interest rate costs through higher rents, that would minimise their income losses and, therefore, the amount of tax deductions they could claim against any other income. Likewise, if rising interest rates resulted in continued falls for property prices, that would reduce the amount of capital gains being made and, therefore, the budget cost of the 50 per cent CGT discount. The PBO also pointed out that revenue forgone does not exactly equate to extra revenue that would be raised if the tax breaks were removed, as investors might change their behaviour in response to different tax policies. 'Deeply unfair' distribution of tax breaks However, the modelling again highlighted who would get the most benefit from the two property investor tax breaks. It showed that people who currently earn more than $129,200 a year — the top 10 per cent of income earners — currently account for 39 per cent of the revenue lost to negative gearing. They account for 85 per cent of revenue lost to the capital gains tax discount, although it noted that this is skewed by the fact that capital gains push up people's income in the year that they are realised and taxed. At the other end of the income spectrum, the bottom 50 per cent of income earners — those on less than $51,500 per year — accounted for less than 4 per cent of revenue lost to the CGT discount and less than 16 per cent of negative gearing benefits. "Negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts work together to artificially inflate house prices, and turbo charge inequality, funnelling tens of billions of dollars into the pockets of the top 10 per cent of income earners in Australia," Mr Chandler-Mather argued. "These tax concessions alone mean it is often easier for a property investor to buy their fifth house, rather than someone to buy their first home, and that's deeply unfair."
State regulators considering action over real estate websites pressuring rental applicants By Bension Siebert Posted 13hours ago https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11...rs-pressured-into-paying-background/101611846 Many renters are feeling pressured to pay for their own background checks and answer any real estate agent questions.(ABC News: Paul Yeomans) Regulators in four states are considering taking action after an ABC investigation into real estate websites that pressure rental applicants to pay for their own background checks. Key points: The 2Apply platform urges rental applicants to "stand out from the pack" by paying for their own background checks Law expert Chris Martin said receiving payment from prospective tenants as part of rental applications could be illegal in several jurisdictions Regulators in Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales are examining the issue The ABC confirmed at least 160 real estate agencies have used the 2Apply platform to process applications for more than 1,700 properties across every Australian capital city and most major regional centres. 2Apply urges rental applicants to "stand out from the pack" by paying for their own background checks. Tenants can decline to pay, but their rating is capped at four out of five stars, and they must tick a box that says: "No thanks, I don't want to verify my identity." The platform also requires extensive personal information, such as the name, age and gender of tenants' children, whether or not they are receiving child support, and the make, model and registration of their vehicle. Other rental application platforms — including realestate.com.au and Snug.com — are also charging a fee for a background check against data company Equifax's National Tenancy Database. University of New South Wales tenancy law expert Chris Martin said receiving payment from prospective tenants as part of rental applications could be illegal in several jurisdictions. "There's a good argument, I think, that that's unlawful under the rules in Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia," Dr Martin said. Regulators in four states considering issue Now, government regulators in each of those states have confirmed they are examining the issue. Western Australia's Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Gary Newcombe, confirmed his office would investigate whether any laws have been broken. "Consumer Protection in Western Australia is aware of a number of online services that are being offered to real estate agents in relation to tenancy," he said. "We are examining this specific example (2Apply), and others, to determine if there are any legislative breaches. "We will also consider whether any amendments to Western Australia's Residential Tenancies Act might warrant being recommended to the state government." Tasmania's tenancy legislation outlaws receiving money from a prospective tenant for the purpose of making an application to rent a residential property. In a letter to the Tenants' Union of Tasmania yesterday, Residential Tenancy Commissioner Narelle Butt said she was concerned by the issues outlined in the ABC's story. A Department of Justice spokesperson told the ABC: "The commissioner will consider this matter on the basis of the information provided and action as appropriate. "Anyone with further information is encouraged to contact the commissioner via email to rtc@justice.tas.gov.au so it can properly be investigated," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for South Australia's Consumer and Business Services regulator, said the agency was "considering this matter to determine whether any action should be taken". The ABC also understands NSW Fair Trading is reviewing the issue. The software group behind 2Apply, Inspect Real Estate, and News Corporation's REA Group — which owns realestate.com.au, Snug, and Equifax — all said the payments they received for background checks complied with all relevant laws, stressing that tenants had a choice about whether or not to pay for their background checks. Dr Martin said receiving the payments could be illegal, despite tenants having the option not to pay. "The law in those four states says a person shall not receive [payment], so it's not a defence to that to say that you haven't required it," he said. "The proscription covers receiving as well as requiring."
Property development Battle lines drawn behind Sydney’s most famous stretch of sand By Andrew Taylor November 13, 2022 https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...t-famous-stretch-of-sand-20221110-p5bx0t.html Everyone is equal on Bondi Beach.Credit:Louise Kennerley It’s hard to flaunt your wealth in a bikini or pair of budgie smugglers, but Bondi Beach is an unlikely socialist paradise. The median price of a two-bedroom apartment in 2022 is $1.57 million, while a three-bedroom house costs $3.7 million. Median rental prices are just as eye-watering – $780 a week for the two-bedder and $1450 for a family home. Yet, the prevailing wisdom still says class barriers are washed away on Australia’s most famous stretch of sand. Tensions are mounting back from the beach.Credit:Flavio Brancaleone “Everyone is equal on the beach,” says restaurateur Maurice Terzini, whose Icebergs Dining and Bar, perched at the southern end of Bondi Beach, has been an icon in Sydney’s dining landscape. “We have this beautiful public space and what it offers is open to everyone.” That includes billionaire James Packer, whose 2014 street brawl with former Nine chief executive David Gyngell garnered international headlines. Bondi’s tabloid reputation was also cemented in 2006 when hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton received the red carpet treatment from former Waverley mayor George Newhouse who gushed: “I have to say that Paris is welcome at Bondi anytime.” Little wonder Waverley’s current mayor Paula Masselos insists Bondi Beach is an egalitarian place. “Half the time you wouldn’t know someone was a judge or a brickie or a tourist until you get chatting,” she says. “That’s what makes our beach very special and that’s something I jealously guard.” Bondi rolled out the red carpet for Paris Hilton in 2006.Credit:Steve Lunam Masselos’ view echoes a piece of graffiti once scrawled on the sea wall near the Bondi Surf Life Saving Club: “The rich come here to escape and the poor come here to dream.” Billionaires, brickies and backpackers might be happy to share the sand and surf. But a turf war rages in the streets behind the beach where residents fear Bondi Beach will be “choked to death” by developers trying to jam too many people into the suburb. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos wants to guard the egalitarian character of Bondi Beach.Credit:James Alcock Multimillion-dollar apartments and the conversion of housing to Airbnb-type rentals adds to concerns that Bondi Beach will become an enclave for the wealthy. Bondi Beach Precinct co-convenor Lenore Kulakauskas says the suburb has been turned into a “constant construction zone”. “We have all experienced vibrations in our buildings, and suspicious new hairline cracks in our older buildings situated blocks away from the multiple sites under construction,” she says. “The noise is constant, the disruption to foot traffic is constant.” Kulakauskas says there were very few neighbourhood shops left and “everything sold here has become more expensive”. “The colourful jumble of buildings are being replaced with grey boring McApartments,” she said. Bondi has become a “constant construction zone”, says Bondi Beach Precinct co-convenor Lenore Kulakauskas.Credit:Edwina Pickles Terzini worries that Bondi Beach may have lost some of its youth and vibrancy as soaring property prices make the suburb unaffordable for some people. “Twenty years ago, there was a house party every night,” he says. “Literally, you’d leave work and there were parties everywhere. Nowadays, at 10 o’clock at night, it’s dead.” Masselos says developers push projects that ignore local planning rules and construct buildings that create wind tunnels, congestion and overshadow neighbours, robbing them of privacy. “Worse than that, often what is built is not what people want and they are not affordable,” she says. “I’ve heard of a one-bedroom in this area going for $2 million. How is that affordable?” The head of developers’ lobby group Urban Taskforce Tom Forrest says the quality of housing stock in Bondi Beach is in “desperate need of renewal”. “Overseas visitors are in awe of the magnificent beach, but the suburb itself has not moved on from the backpacker frat-house milieu it developed in the 1970s,” he says. A developers’ lobby group says development funds real improvements to Bondi.Credit:Edwina Pickles Forrest said the vast majority of upgrades to public amenity in the past 15 years were funded by levies from developers: “The only parts of Bondi Beach with even footpaths are those that have been replaced or fixed by developers.” Forrest says the council spent too much time navel-gazing and funding staff to oppose development instead of improving the suburb. “Rather than simply preserving Bondi in aspic, the mayor of Waverley should consider how development might fund some real improvements for the Bondi Beach community,” he says. The founder of swimwear label Bondi Born, Dale McCarthy, says the best cities in the world protect their beauty, character and liveability through considered long-term planning. “It can’t just be about developer greed and the council’s short-term revenue needs,” she says. “I do worry that Waverley Council – who was responsible for Bondi Junction – is also responsible for the future of Bondi’s town planning.” Similar tensions over property development can be found across Sydney, but few suburbs also face Bondi Beach’s crush of visitors. And nowhere else in Sydney fought a battle for traffic jams and crowded buses rather than a train line that might make it too easy for the western Sydney residents to enjoy a day at the beach. Yet tourists are the backbone of the local economy. Without them, businesses have struggled to make money and find staff, especially in the cafes and restaurants that are integral to the Bondi experience, says Bondi and Districts Chamber of Commerce president Emmanuel Constantiou. But hopes are high for a hot vaxxed summer after years of bushfires, COVID-19 and wet weather. The reopening of the Bondi Pavilion and Icebergs Dining and Bar also promises to bring back visitors. Bondi Beach remains popular as a backdrop to events such as Sculpture by the Sea and City2Surf, as well as a beach party for World Pride. Maurice Terzini, whose Icebergs restaurant is a Bondi institution, worries the suburb may have lost some of its vibrancy.Credit:Jamie Barrett However, events such as the White Dinner “posh picnic”, scheduled to be held on the beach on November 12, and a proposed private beach club on the sand have divided opinion, with some residents concerned about the commercialisation of public space. Kulakauskas says the residents’ group had asked the council to encourage visitors to go to the other beaches, and hold events in other areas such as Bondi Junction, Bronte and Tamarama. “We are also not keen on council trying to get more and more things happening here, particularly in winter, as it is nice to have some quiet time,” she says. Despite concerns about parking and traffic congestion, Kulakauskas says buses were sufficient and “we don’t really see the train to the beach as feasible”. “We have always had hordes of beach visitors and accept that as business as usual,” she says. “We have the luxury of choosing our swimming times so can avoid the busiest parts of the day. “Our main fear is that developers will try and jam so many people into this small area that it becomes not overrun by visitors but choked to death by its residents, their cars, the extra rubbish, not to mention the strain this will put on an ageing infrastructure.” Kulakauskas’ grim vision of the future is at odds with the Bondi brand, which sells an idyllic version of Australian life through swimwear, tanning products, beer and reality television. McCarthy says the beach suburb offers “a lifestyle that everyone in the world wants”. “Anyone who wants to live their best life is drawn there and its relaxed style invites them to be whomever they want to be,” she says. Local historian Lawrie Williams says the demographics and attitudes of Bondi Beach have changed dramatically since he joined North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club as a teenager in 1971. Back then, it was a working-class suburb whose residents knew which pubs to avoid and when to shut the windows to get rid of the stench of Sydney’s sewerage that was poured directly into the ocean. Bondi was a lot more working class in the 1970s. “Developers have always been attracted to Bondi Beach,” he says. “That can be traced back to the extension of the tram line down to the beach in 1894 thus providing an efficient mass transit system connecting Bondi to the city and beyond.” Yet Williams says the suburb maintains a “great sense of community” through local sporting and volunteer groups, such as surf lifesaving and winter swimming’s Bondi Icebergs Club. “These clubs and organisations provide the glue that binds locals and others together to provide invaluable community services and at the same give people a sense of belonging and a feeling that they are contributing to a greater cause,” he says. Bondi Rescue lifeguard Anthony “Harries” Carroll enjoys surfing with the beginners and the blow-ins.Credit:Louise Kennerley Bondi Rescue lifeguard Anthony “Harries” Carroll also points to the community ethos embodied by lifesavers on the beach and the weekly Fluro Friday sessions where surfers gather to raise awareness of mental health. Carroll also embraces the flotilla of surfers waiting to catch the perfect wave. “People don’t like surfing with beginners and crowds,” he says. “But I love it – you meet such a diverse range of people in the surf out there having the best time ever.”
Opinion Regional renters’ lives are about to get harder still. Here’s a fix By Brendan Coates and Joey Moloney November 14, 2022 https://www.smh.com.au/national/reg...arder-still-here-s-a-fix-20221109-p5bww4.html For a long time, Australia’s housing affordability crisis was mostly seen as a problem for city dwellers. But since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, regional renters have also been feeling the pain. Across regional Australia, vacancy rates are at record lows and asking rents have surged 12.5 per cent over the past year. Shocking stories abound of people in regional areas, including many who have jobs, sleeping in caravans, tents or even their cars because they can’t find a home they can afford to rent. The rental market was already undersupplied in many regional towns before the pandemic began.Crediteter Rae COVID-19 lockdowns and the work-from-home revolution drove an exodus from the cities to the regions. Last year was the first in four decades where Australia’s population grew more in the regions than in the capital cities. Many regional housing markets just couldn’t keep up. And now that borders have reopened, population growth, and with it housing demand, is expected to rise sharply. The federal Treasury expects Australia’s migrant population to boom by 470,000 people in the next two years. Many regional renters’ lives are about to get harder still. There is no quick fix to this crisis. But with state elections looming in Victoria and NSW, state governments should take steps to help vulnerable Australians keep a roof over their heads. The fundamental problem is not enough houses, so the obvious solution is to build more. But building more homes isn’t going to help much in the short term. Australia adds at most 2 per cent to its housing stock each year. Building a house at the best of times can take up to eight months. With COVID19-induced global supply chain delays, this has blown out to more than a year. That’s too long to wait for Australians struggling to pay the rent. The immediate focus of governments must be on giving low-income renters the money they need to make ends meet. The federal government should raise immediately Commonwealth Rent Assistance, a payment received by people on income support and who live in a private rental property. House building times have increased post-pandemic.Credit:Rhett Wyman Rent Assistance works: in 2021, it reduced housing stress levels for recipients nationwide from 72 per cent to 46 per cent. But the maximum rate of Rent Assistance hasn’t kept pace with the rising rents paid by low-income renters. The Productivity Commission’s recent review of housing assistance argued reviewing Rent Assistance was the number one priority to help low-income renters. To help regional renters, the state governments in Victoria and NSW should work with the federal government to co-fund a trail of a higher rate of rent assistance across regional areas in both states. A well-designed regional trial would demonstrate that raising rent assistance wouldn’t increase rents by much, especially because little of the extra income will be spent on housing. And it would show the benefits to low-income renters in terms of reduced financial stress and improved nutrition and mental health. But with so many families struggling to simply find a home, let alone afford one, we also need to free up extra housing stock for long-term rentals. To do this, the Victorian and NSW governments should expand the use of “head-leasing” – leasing private rentals and sub-letting them to vulnerable people. They should also buy homes and turn them into social housing. And the state governments should explore ways to encourage owners of short-stay rentals advertised on platforms such as Airbnb to return those properties to the long-term rental market, such as by lifting the rate of land tax that applies to short-stay accommodation. That would come with a cost because fewer Airbnbs would mean less regional tourism, and therefore fewer regional jobs. But it would be better than seeing families in regional Australia living in caravan parks, tents and cars. But in the long term, the only way to keep rents in check is to build more housing. The federal government’s plan to sign a Housing Accord with the states to boost housing supply – announced in last week’s federal budget – could be a game changer. If an extra 50,000 homes were built each year for the next decade, rents could be 10-20 per cent lower than they would be otherwise. But that will only happen if the Albanese government puts enough money on the table to push state and territory governments to ease land-use planning rules, to enable more housing, including more high-density housing, to be built. Australia’s housing affordability crisis has well and truly spread from the suburbs to the regions. We should demand that our governments step up and fix it.
A thousand times worse than Bangladesh’: How international students are finding Sydney When future engineer Rafiul Hossain arrived in Sydney, he didn’t expect to have to share his bed with bugs. And he isn’t the only newcomer to our fair city with a story to tell...... https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...dents-are-finding-sydney-20230302-p5cote.html