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Real estate veterans join forces with local success story Townsville BulletinReal estate veterans join forces with local success story - Townsville Bulletin
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Friday, June 30, 2023
Real estate veterans join forces with local success story - Townsville Bulletin
Real estate veterans join forces with local success story - Townsville Bulletin
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Airbnb goes back to basics as local resistance grows - The Australian Financial Review
Opinion
The global letting agency is promoting genuine sharing (again) as whole-home lets face increasing restrictions.
Jimmy ThomsonContributorHas Airbnb had a sea change? Has the ubiquitous holiday rental platform, confronted by complaints about homelessness, rising rents and plummeting availability, been forced to change tack?
You may have noticed an increase in glossy TV ads showing nice people moving in with even nicer people, usually somewhere exotic. Then the Airbnb logo appears, launching its “Rooms” concept.
In Byron Bay, the council is attempting to impose a 60-night limit on holiday lets. Kiara Bloom
Make that “re-launching”. This is nothing new, as writer Lee Tulloch pointed out in a recent article in The Sydney Morning Herald. In fact, renting a room in your house or apartment to a traveller was the original concept for Airbnb, rather than renting an empty home to strangers that the “host” need never meet.
So why the return to basics now? Airbnb founder Brian Chesky says he regrets the direction Airbnb took en route to building his $US80 billion global business.
Or is it that Airbnb has simply maxed out its whole-home potential and expects greater growth in its original, genuine sharing model, currently only a tiny part of its business?
The initial global Airbnb expansion had whole homes listed as short-term holiday lets (STHLs). This was often in defiance of planning laws, but local authorities around the world lacked the resources to police their own regulations in the face of an unforeseen tsunami of illicit STHLs.
In tourism-dependent Australia, the state governments’ response was to neuter planning regulations in policies that could only be described as “come on down”.
Now, amid affordability and homelessness crises, awkward questions are being asked, and some answers are not to Airbnb’s liking.
As reported in The Australian Financial Review last week, the city council in Hobart, Tasmania, has doubled the rates on holiday let properties in an effort to drive investors back to the residential rental market. Brisbane City Council has raised its surcharge on holiday lets for the same reason.
Airbnb has cried foul and says it would rather pay a single fee to state governments. Of course, it would. It was state governments that encouraged the spread of holiday lets in the first place, and it’s in local areas that resistance is growing.
In Byron Bay, that all-tourist town where service providers can’t afford to live, the council is attempting to impose a 60-night limit on holiday lets.
In Queensland, Noosa requires STHL hosts to register and post the number of a 24-hour hotline on their front doors in case of antisocial behaviour by guests.
Victoria’s super-weak STHL laws have led to serious problems in Melbourne apartment blocks and led to upmarket developers including “no-Airbnb” clauses in their sales contracts.
NSW’s holiday letting laws limit STHLs to 180 nights a year and allow owners’ corporations to ban apartment lets, but only in greater Sydney and investment properties, not principal places of residence.
The new Labor government will eventually have to rule on Byron Bay’s proposed 60-night cap, knowing there are other local councils queuing up to acquire the same powers.
Meanwhile, Australia is not alone in giving powers back to local authorities. From next year, holiday lets in Scotland will need to be licensed, at uncapped fees set by local councils, and in England, STHLs will soon require planning permission.
As for Aussie investors, perhaps an increase in rates on holiday lets might take properties on the fringes of the hot spots off the tourist market as the income gap between STHLs and residential rentals narrows.
And your long-term tenants might get some relief from the constant churn of strangers and party animals in neighbouring flats.
Flat Chat, Flat Chat Wrap podcast.
Airbnb goes back to basics as local resistance grows - The Australian Financial Review
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Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Watering Wednesday campaign aims to get UK streets to look after local trees - The Guardian
As young street trees struggle and wilt in the summer heat, people are being urged to step into action with their watering cans to help.
Hundreds of people are already looking after their local trees as part of the Watering Wednesday campaign launched by Trees for Streets, and some residents have set up rotas and allocated particular saplings to specific families.
Although rain is forecast in the next few days, weeks of dry weather have put huge pressure on neighbourhood saplings, which need up to 50 litres of water a week to survive.
Trees for Streets is calling for more people to care for their local trees every Wednesday.
“For the first few years, young trees need about 50 litres a week – five standard watering cans – in the hotter months,” said Simeon Linstead, of the charity. “[So] if it’s especially hot or dry, feel free to give a street tree a drink.”
There is a growing body of evidence showing the myriad benefits of street trees, from improved air quality to increasing biodiversity. Studies show trees dramatically reduce the risk of flooding during downpours, while in heatwaves they cool the air and break up urban heat islands. Research also shows they can improve mental health, strengthen community relations – and can even reduce crime.
Councils have stepped up their planting programmes in recent years as the multiple benefit of street trees are better understood. Many local authorities have watering programmes for younger trees to help them survive.
However, tree cover in England is still among the lowest in Europe, and Linstead said it was crucial for residents to support trees in their neighbourhoods.
“You won’t harm [them] by doing this and they’ll repay you in kind with shade in the future,” he said.
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The charity has helped communities across the country to increase tree cover in their neighbourhoods. Now it is urging everyone to get involved watering their local trees every Wednesday throughout the summer.
Linstead said: “Just a little bit of effort over the coming few months will reward you for decades to come, providing shade, improving air quality and to green up the world outside your front door as the trees grow and mature. This is something that can bring neighbours together and improve the local space for everyone.”
Watering Wednesday campaign aims to get UK streets to look after local trees - The Guardian
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New book by Albany local Tony Davis launches this weekend - The West Australian
Local art collector and Noongar art enthusiast Tony Davis has been collecting indigenous artworks for decades.
Tony has an impressive collection of pieces that tell an intimate story of time, place and country.
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New book by Albany local Tony Davis launches this weekend - The West Australian
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Carnarvon hospital's staff shortage causing stress for local families hoping to get their children immunised - ABC News
Carnarvon's hospital service woes have deepened, with some families unable to get their children immunised due to a lack of community health nurses.
Key points:
- There is no community nurse available at Carnarvon hospital for child immunisations
- Birthing services have also not been available at the hospital for more than a year
- More than 100 women have been impacted in 16 months
Staff shortages at the hospital also led to birthing services being suspended last year.
In the past 16 months 103 women have had to give birth hundreds of kilometres away from home.
Carnarvon mother-of-three Casey Petera said in recent weeks she had not been able to get the required immunisations for her children, as there was no community health nurse at the local hospital.
There are three full-time community health nurse positions at the Carnarvon hospital; only one is filled and that staffer recently had to go on emergency leave.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the WA Country Health Service had reached out to community health nurses around WA asking for support for a short-term secondment to fill positions.
"There has also been allocation of time by the on-site public health nurse to support the provision of immunisations and support for new mothers," she said.
"Discussions have been held with the local medical practice and the Aboriginal Medical Service to upskill and support them to provide immunisations in primary care."
A structural review is being undertaken of Carnarvon's community health services, with a separate evaluation under way for maternity services in country WA.
Giving birth at local hospital not an option
For Ms Petera, the difficulty in immunising her children is just the latest barrier to raising her family in the Gascoyne.
Carnarvon is the central hub for the region, but birthing services were suspended in the town last year requiring expectant mothers to travel 475 kilometres south to Geraldton or 900 kilometres to Perth.
Ms Petera was not able to have her youngest child Koa in Carnarvon and instead spent a month before her due date in Perth looking after her other two children without the support of her husband who needed to keep working.
She said the time away from home was disruptive to the whole family.
"Travelling all the way from Carnarvon to Perth on my own was difficult; fully pregnant, two children," Ms Petera said.
"I think [for] first-time mums, it's really difficult for them being uprooted from their families and their support systems.
"And then also for second, third or fourth-time mums with children that could possibly be at school or having to take multiple children down to Geraldton or Perth and having no support systems."
The cost of accommodation and travel is covered under the patient-assisted travel scheme, but Ms Petera said this did not stop other logistical issues.
"I ended up going into labour on January 12 with my son, about 10 at night and then my accommodation ended on the 13th, so my husband had to go home and pack up my unit and move us to our next unit," she said.
The family also paid up-front for additional accommodation because their stay in Perth had to be extended, but had to wait seven weeks to be reimbursed.
Carnarvon shire president Eddie Smith said he was getting regular complaints from the town's families feeling like they had been "torn apart", especially when partners could not travel with the mothers.
"They've got kids in school, so the husband and the rest of the family stay home, and the mother goes to Perth."
Indefinite return date for maternity services
Ms Sanderson told parliament on Thursday there were not enough births in the town for midwives to meet their minimum practice hours for ongoing registration.
A WA Country Health Service spokesman said antenatal and postnatal care continued to be provided in Carnarvon.
He said the safest option for was to go elsewhere until birthing services in Carnarvon could be staffed.
The WA government is bringing together industry leaders in a summit on August 7, focused on addressing nursing, midwifery and medical workforce challenges facing the state.
Carnarvon hospital's staff shortage causing stress for local families hoping to get their children immunised - ABC News
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Everybody facing Katherine Local Court Wednesday June 28 - NT News
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Everybody facing Katherine Local Court, Wednesday, June 28 NT NewsEverybody facing Katherine Local Court, Wednesday, June 28 - NT News
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Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Carnarvon hospital's staff shortage causing stress for local families hoping to get their children immunised - ABC News
Carnarvon's hospital service woes have deepened, with some families unable to get their children immunised due to a lack of community health nurses.
Key points:
- There is no community nurse available at Carnarvon hospital for child immunisations
- Birthing services have also not been available at the hospital for more than a year
- More than 100 women have been impacted in 16 months
Staff shortages at the hospital also led to birthing services being suspended last year.
In the past 16 months 103 women have had to give birth hundreds of kilometres away from home.
Carnarvon mother-of-three Casey Petera said in recent weeks she had not been able to get the required immunisations for her children, as there was no community health nurse at the local hospital.
There are three full-time community health nurse positions at the Carnarvon hospital; only one is filled and that staffer recently had to go on emergency leave.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the WA Country Health Service had reached out to community health nurses around WA asking for support for a short-term secondment to fill positions.
"There has also been allocation of time by the on-site public health nurse to support the provision of immunisations and support for new mothers," she said.
"Discussions have been held with the local medical practice and the Aboriginal Medical Service to upskill and support them to provide immunisations in primary care."
A structural review is being undertaken of Carnarvon's community health services, with a separate evaluation under way for maternity services in country WA.
Giving birth at local hospital not an option
For Ms Petera, the difficulty in immunising her children is just the latest barrier to raising her family in the Gascoyne.
Carnarvon is the central hub for the region, but birthing services were suspended in the town last year requiring expectant mothers to travel 475 kilometres south to Geraldton or 900 kilometres to Perth.
Ms Petera was not able to have her youngest child Koa in Carnarvon and instead spent a month before her due date in Perth looking after her other two children without the support of her husband who needed to keep working.
She said the time away from home was disruptive to the whole family.
"Travelling all the way from Carnarvon to Perth on my own was difficult; fully pregnant, two children," Ms Petera said.
"I think [for] first-time mums, it's really difficult for them being uprooted from their families and their support systems.
"And then also for second, third or fourth-time mums with children that could possibly be at school or having to take multiple children down to Geraldton or Perth and having no support systems."
The cost of accommodation and travel is covered under the patient-assisted travel scheme, but Ms Petera said this did not stop other logistical issues.
"I ended up going into labour on January 12 with my son, about 10 at night and then my accommodation ended on the 13th, so my husband had to go home and pack up my unit and move us to our next unit," she said.
The family also paid up-front for additional accommodation because their stay in Perth had to be extended, but had to wait seven weeks to be reimbursed.
Carnarvon shire president Eddie Smith said he was getting regular complaints from the town's families feeling like they had been "torn apart", especially when partners could not travel with the mothers.
"They've got kids in school, so the husband and the rest of the family stay home, and the mother goes to Perth."
Indefinite return date for maternity services
Ms Sanderson told parliament on Thursday there were not enough births in the town for midwives to meet their minimum practice hours for ongoing registration.
A WA Country Health Service spokesman said antenatal and postnatal care continued to be provided in Carnarvon.
He said the safest option for was to go elsewhere until birthing services in Carnarvon could be staffed.
The WA government is bringing together industry leaders in a summit on August 7, focused on addressing nursing, midwifery and medical workforce challenges facing the state.
Carnarvon hospital's staff shortage causing stress for local families hoping to get their children immunised - ABC News
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The Guardian view on banning council boycotts: a blow to local democracy - The Guardian
In the early 1980s, Margaret Thatcher described the African National Congress as a “typical terrorist organisation” and one of her MPs said that Nelson Mandela should be shot. In sharp contrast, British councils took a stand against apartheid by boycotting South African goods. Mayors around the world signed a declaration calling for the release of the man who would become not only his country’s leader, but a global icon of democracy and justice. These efforts helped to shift public attitudes towards the struggle for freedom.
In an increasingly globalised world, it seems only logical that local authorities have a role in international affairs. Yet proposed legislation now in front of parliament, the economic activity of public bodies (overseas matters) bill, attempts “to prevent public bodies from being influenced by political or moral disapproval of foreign states when taking certain economic decisions” – even when the censured conduct is a breach of international law.
Uyghur activists have already warned that the bill could restrict efforts to hold China responsible for human rights abuses. Outrageously, the legislation says that decision-makers may not even publish a statement that they “would intend to act in such a way were it lawful to do so”. The lawyer George Peretz KC noted that it would apparently be illegal, for example, for a council leader to explain why it was buying goods from a Chinese firm operating in Xinjiang if asked.
The communities secretary, Michael Gove, says it is “simply wrong that public bodies have been wasting taxpayers’ time and money pursuing their own foreign policy agenda”. The declaration of principle is a canard. This frighteningly broad legislation has one specific target: the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The bill would allow ministers to rule that particular countries or territories do not come under the legislation – except in the case of Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, or the occupied Golan Heights. That would outlaw decisions from Swansea, Lancaster and Leicester councils, among others, targeting activity in settlements. The government’s own risk advice to businesses states that: “Settlements are illegal under international law … [there are] clear risks related to economic and financial activities [there], and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity.”
Mr Gove alleges that economic campaigns by public bodies lead to antisemitic rhetoric and abuse. Recent years have seen high levels of hate crime, and antisemitism cloaks itself in many guises. The Board of Deputies of British Jews has welcomed the challenge to “unnecessary and inappropriate targeting of Israel”. But legitimate criticism of illegal settlements and an increasingly extreme far right Israeli government must not be silenced, and economic sanctions are a reasonable means of expressing dissent. The Union of Jewish Students and other Jewish youth groups that oppose the BDS movement have nonetheless rejected this bill as infringing the democratic right to non-violent protest.
This is a cynical Conservative trap laid for the opposition. Principled objection to this alarming bill, from any level of the party, can be portrayed as evidence that Labour is just not serious about addressing prejudice in its ranks. But the legislation is not only a partisan diversion from the serious task of tackling antisemitism. It is also an assault on basic democratic freedoms.
The Guardian view on banning council boycotts: a blow to local democracy - The Guardian
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Monday, June 26, 2023
Anger from local MP over new Sydney flight paths - ABC News
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Anger from local MP over new Sydney flight paths ABC NewsAnger from local MP over new Sydney flight paths - ABC News
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Sunday, June 25, 2023
Everybody facing Nichols Place Darwin Local Court Monday June 26 - NT News
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Everybody facing Nichols Place Darwin Local Court, Monday, June 26 NT NewsEverybody facing Nichols Place Darwin Local Court, Monday, June 26 - NT News
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Local stand-offs in Guatemala's election - The West Australian
Polls have closed in Guatemala in an election unlikely to settle who will be the country's next president, and marred by some claims of voting irregularities.
Many Guatemalans expressed disappointment with their presidential choices after three opposition candidates were excluded by authorities. A large number of null ballots were expected, and experts said it could depress turnout.
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Video series & podcasts
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Local stand-offs in Guatemala's election - The West Australian
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Everybody facing Alice Springs Local Court Monday June 26 - NT News
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Everybody facing Alice Springs Local Court, Monday, June 26 NT NewsEverybody facing Alice Springs Local Court, Monday, June 26 - NT News
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Saturday, June 24, 2023
Funding pulled for local disability support organisation - Bay 93.9
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
Funding pulled for local disability support organisation Bay 93.9Funding pulled for local disability support organisation - Bay 93.9
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Western Australia has recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 for the first time during the pandemic, as an outbreak of...
