Inside track: Property & Real Estate: In the media, reports, cases and legislation

In the media Commonwealth

ICA app shares property hazard data The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) will introduce a mobile app giving residents access to the latest hazard data for their homes. ICA says MyHazards, available early next month, will help reduce "information asymmetry" between insurers and their customers, and increase pricing transparency (06 May 2019). More...

Legaltech giant makes managing large-scale projects easier GlobalX has made managing large-scale projects easier with the launch of Matter Centre Projects. The new service helps law firms and property developers efficiently manage the sale process of multi-lot developments and large-scale infrastructure projects (04 May 2019). More...

Other countries around the world are planning new cities - so why aren't we in Australia? Future Australian city planning and development focuses largely on enlarging and intensifying the footprints of existing major cities. The current urban policy trajectory is in-fill development and expansion of the existing state capital mega-city regions, where two-thirds of the population live. But what is lost through this approach (02 May 2019). More...

Growing cities must be federal policy priority The Property Council of Australia has called for cities policy to be a priority for the next federal government. Ahead of the 18 May federal election, the Property Council has released a policy platform which includes several proposals to create great Australian cities (01 May 2019). More...

The biggest ever change to building Green Star ratings The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is preparing to evolve its Green Star rating system, encouraging the built environment to achieve net zero carbon emissions (30 April 2019). More...

Alleged false or misleading and unconscionable conduct by Quantum Housing The ACCC has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd (Quantum) alleging unconscionable conduct and false, misleading or deceptive representations to investors and property managers about its own rights, as well as the potential losses investors would face if they did not use Quantum's approved property managers (29 April 2019). More...

Construction, waste management facing tough time Insurers are re-engineering portfolios and applying exclusionary language around cladding and aluminium composite material exposures following London's Grenfell Tower disaster and a recent Victorian court case related to the Lacrosse building fire in Melbourne (29 April 2019). More...

Investors caught up in messy battle with housing group A housing group is facing allegations of unconscionable conduct and false, misleading or deceptive conduct relating to the National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS). According to the ACCC, the housing group also issued guidelines to investors and their existing property managers setting out how property managers could become approved by Quantum (29 April 2019). More...

NSW

Private developers pay millions for Sydney's 'air rights' above heritage sites As development and density reaches capacity in Sydney, purchasing the empty skies above heritage-listed sites remains one of the few avenues for developers to outgrow planning controls (02 May 2019). More...

Queensland

Queen Street Mall pub site put up for tender by Brisbane City Council Brisbane's Queen Street Mall is set to lose its Pig 'n' Whistle pub, after Brisbane City Council approved a decision to evict the popular watering hole and put out a tender to demolish the site and install a new tenant (08 May 2019). More...

Inner Brisbane Apartment Market to Stabilise in 2019 Brisbane's apartment market has been steadily declining since 2016, but as supply and demand rebalance, inner Brisbane's apartment market is expected to stabilise this year and into 2020 (06 May 2019). More...

Queensland Government's Safer Buildings Program on track The Queensland Government's Safer Buildings Combustible Cladding Checklist program has...