Property & Projects - What's News in Property & Projects - 26 June 2012

In the media – National

New sustainability rating tool set to transform Australia's cities and communities The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has released Green Star – Communities, an independent, national rating tool which will drive more sustainable, productive and liveable communities. The official ministerial launch of the tool will be made by Minister for Transport and Infrastructure in Canberra (14 June 2012) More...

Foreign investment squeeze on property developments Foreign investors could be forced to rethink pouring capital into Australian property developments with returns set to be squeezed from next month. Developers with offshore investment partners will face tighter margins from July 1 when the withholding tax rate doubles to 15 per cent for distributions from managed trusts (12 June 2012) More...

Capital city dwelling values continue to fall Dwelling values fell by 1.4 percent over May, according to the RP Data-Rismark Home Value Index. The 1.4 percent fall brings the cumulative decline from January to May 2012 to 2.2 percent. Overall values have decreased (11 June 2012) More...

Cost efficiency still drives sustainability in the property industry More than 54 per cent of property industry respondents rate cost and other efficiencies as the most important sustainable feature of a building, compared with just 25 per cent who felt achieving NABERS and Green Star ratings to be the most important sustainable feature, according to a new survey (06 June 2012) More...

Property sector welcomes further consultation on energy efficiency reporting The Property Council of Australia has welcomed the announcement of a 12-month delay to the extension of Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO) reporting to greenfield developments, and the additional consultation period should be used to properly target the scheme (06 June 2012) More...

Native title laws to be reviewed The Federal Government is proposing changes that it says will restore the balance in native title law, streamline the claims process, and make agreements more flexible. The National Farmers Federation chief executive Matt Linnegar says any move to rethink extinguishment of native title on pastoral leases would be a real concern for farmers (06 June 2012) More...

In the media – Victoria

Latrobe regional airport project a downpayment on economic diversification Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean said a $3 million grant from the $200 million second round of the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF) for the $6.2 million second stage of the Latrobe Regional Airport project was a downpayment on the economic diversification of the region (13 June 2012) More...

Victorian Government defers National Energy Retail Law to safeguard consumer protections The Victorian Coalition Government has decided it will defer its transition to new national laws regulating the retailing of electricity and gas to ensure there is no reduction in key protections for Victorian consumers (13 June 2012) Victorian Government defers National Energy Retail Law to safeguard consumer protections

A logical approach to planning for Melbourne's growth A thorough investigation of Melbourne's growth boundary has concluded, which will help to ensure Victoria has the best-planned and most competitive land supply in Australia, according to the Planning Minister. The completion of this review will lead to urban growth boundary modifications to ensure adequate long-term land supply and enable planning for population growth to be completed well ahead of time. (13 June 2012) A logical approach to planning for Melbourne's growth

Government shifts green wedge boundary The Baillieu government is set to open up thousands of hectares of green wedge and farmland for housing on the metropolitan fringe, adding to a glut of Melbourne housing lots ready for development. Planning Minister Matthew Guy will unveil long-awaited plans to extend Melbourne's urban boundary in growth areas including in the cities of Casey, Whittlesea, Hume, Melton and...