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National
Green tax
incentives delayed
21 April 2011
The Property Council of Australia is
disappointed the Australian Government will delay the implementation of its
green investment incentive for retrofitting existing buildings, but welcomed the
Government’s agreement to review the qualifying criteria and operational rules
of the scheme. Allen Consulting Group research shows that a program to improve
the energy efficiency of buildings can deliver more than 33 megatons of
greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement by 2030 More...
Government
Consultations extended for Tax Breaks for Green Buildings
20 April 2011
The Government announces further
consultations will be conducted around the Tax Breaks for Green Buildings
program to deliver the best outcomes for industry. The program is being
developed to support businesses that invest in eligible assets or capital works
to improve the energy efficiency of an existing building. The programme will
come into effect on 1 July 2012 More...
National
Wildlife Corridors Plan Advisory Group announced
12 April 2011
Environment Minister Tony Burke has announced
members of an advisory group to inform the Gillard Government’s development of a
National Wildlife Corridors Plan, to be chaired by former Environment Minister
Bob Debus. The advisory group will consult with regional and community groups,
landholders, environmental organisations, other governments and the private
sector to inform development of a draft National Wildlife Corridors Plan More...
Government to
end Home Insulation Safety inspections
20 April 2011
The federal government has announced that
inspections of insulated homes will end this year, with its review showing the
risk of a fire had fallen to levels seen before the failed installation scheme.
The Government will continue to undertake targeted inspections until the
commitment to inspect a minimum of 150,000 homes with non-foil insulation is
reached More...
Land values
soar, sales plummet
19 April 2011
Australia’s affordability crisis has shown no
signs of improving, with new data showing residential land values continue to
soar. According to the Housing Industry Association/ RP Data Residential Land
Report, the volume of land sales plummeted last quarter, while the weighted
average land value grew 4.1 per cent More...
National Guide
released for landlords cleaning drug lab residues
14 April 2011
Australia has released a step-by-step
national guide to help landlords and local authorities clean up toxic residues
left by illegal drug labs. The Federal Justice Minister said 70 per cent of labs
were found in residential areas, and the number of drug labs dismantled by
police had increased by 50 per cent over two years nationally More...
National
Wildlife Corridors Plan Advisory Group announced
12 April 2011
Environment Minister Tony Burke has announced
members of an advisory group to inform the Gillard Government’s development of a
National Wildlife Corridors Plan, to be chaired by former Environment Minister
Bob Debus. The advisory group will consult with regional and community groups,
landholders, environmental organisations, other governments and the private
sector to inform development of a draft National Wildlife Corridors Plan
Water
Commission slams restrictions, price caps
20 April 2011
The federal agency charged with reviewing
national water pricing says many consumers are still not paying the real cost of
water delivery. The National Water Commission recommends independent regulators,
rather than state governments, should determine the prices set, and is calling
for more flexibility for consumers, including the option to pay more to ensure
that water is available for home gardens More...
Punitive taxes
on residential investors will be a disaster for new home supply
21 April 2011
The Federal Government would be making a
serious mistake if it imposed punitive taxes on people investing in more than
one rental property, according to the Urban Taskforce More...
LNG firms don’t
need help on carbon tax
12 April 2011
A call for liquefied natural gas to be
exempted from a carbon tax has been undermined by evidence the industry would
boom over the next decade even if it received no compensation, analysts
say. Revisions have led to the industry being
offered two-thirds of carbon permits free, plus $610 million in direct
compensation More...
Victoria
Developer of
Williams Landing gets set for takeoff
19 April 2011
The developer of the $1.5 billion Williams
Landing project is confident that the town centre planned at the heart of the
development will become a major shopping destination in western Melbourne.
Williams Landing, which has been designated as a new suburb with its own
postcode, is being built on 275 hectares of land that was previously part of the
RAAF Laverton base More...
Recycled water
plant commissioned for Melbourne’s west
19 April 2011
A new recycled water plant in Altona has the
potential to save more than 2.5 billion litres of drinking water each year,
reducing demand on Melbourne’s potable water supplies. Minister for Water Peter
Walsh said up to nine million litres of Class A recycled water would be
available for manufacturing and irrigation use each day from the commissioned
$48 million plant.
Property
Council urges levy system reform
18 April 2011
A new report, Development Contributions in
Melbourne’s Growth Areas - Why Contributions are Escalating, examines the state
of Victoria’s development contributions and their impact on housing
affordability and land supply. The Property Council of Australia has proposed to
reform the approach to development contribution plans (DCPs), with the release
of a study More...
New South Wales
NSW transport:
radical overhaul to drive joined up planning, better outcomes
19 April 2011
Today’s announcement of a radical overhaul of
New South Wales’ transport agencies will equip the State to deliver joined up
planning and better transport outcomes says Infrastructure Partnerships Australia – the nation’s peak
infrastructure body. “These reforms mean line agencies will be responsible for
service delivery, while the central transport agency will be responsible for
planning, policy reform and procurement More...
NSW Government
urged to green audit all its buildings
14 April 2011
The Green Building Council of Australia
welcomes the O’Farrell Government’s timely approach to tackling many of the
challenges facing NSW, but notes that an environmental audit of every building
the NSW Government owns or occupies is missing from the 100 Day Action Plan.
Queensland
Origin keeps
heat on carbon debate
21 April 2011
The country’s biggest coal seam gas operator
Origin Energy edged closer to hitting the go button on a massive $30 billion LNG
project in Queensland, a move that will keep the heat on the carbon tax debate
and put the spotlight back on the coal seam gas sector More...
Property
developer to pay for loss of views
14 April 2011
In a Supreme Court judgment, a developer has
been ordered to pay more than $500,000 in compensation to the owners of
penthouses at a Sunshine Coast unit block whose view was blocked after they
bought it off the plan. The case is seen as a major precedent for off-the-plan
sales More...
RiverCity
collapse may take a turn after class action
14 April 2011
Litigation funder IMF will bankroll the class
action and alleges that Aecom’s statements in the PDS were misleading and
deceptive and failed to provide investors with full information about another
set of traffic figures it compiled on the project 18 months earlier. The case
will be a landmark as it is the first time a traffic forecaster has become the
target of a class action More...
Building caps
deliver king hit to jobs
12 April 2011
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announces new
reforms setting maximum charges for trunk infrastructure, which includes water,
sewerage, storm water, roads and parks. The Premier also announced a moratorium
on the collection of local function charges for the use of state roads, and
deferred payments whereby developers can pay charges at settlement rather than
at the beginning of the planning process More...