in the miso soup posted:

quote:

'Ghost tower' warning for Docklands after data reveals high Melbourne home vacancies

Docklands could become a suburb of ghost towers, experts have warned, after an analysis of water use data identified hundreds of apartments suspected of being empty in the CBD precinct.

The study found about 65,000 of 1.5 million properties in prime areas of greater Melbourne could be left empty at time when more than 22,000 Victorians are believed to be homeless.

These homes either used no water at all, or less than 50 litres a day over 12 months. A leaky tap is estimated to use up to 55 litres of water a day, according to the report.

The seventh annual Speculative Vacancies study was commissioned by tax-reform group Prosper Australia, which blames the glut in unused homes on investors who hoard properties for long-term profit.

Because these homes are not listed for rent, they say this data is not included in official short-term vacancy rates, which currently sits at 3.1 per cent in Melbourne.

Prosper Australia project director Karl Fitzgerald said, based on the water data, Melbourne's actual vacancy rate was closer to 7 per cent.

The urban-renewal suburb of Docklands had the highest number of speculative vacancies, with 489 or 17 per cent consuming no water Iin 2013. Another 290 used less than 50 litres of water on average each day, leading to assumptions that they were empty or rarely used.

With thousands more apartments planned for Docklands in the next five years, the report said the new developments risked "being dubbed 'ghost towers' should there be a marked decline in economic activity".

Savills national head of research Tony Crabb believes a more likely explanation for current collection of empty homes was travelling retirees and home buyers that were not yet ready to move in.

However Mr Crabb warned that the vacancy rates would climb in the future if overseas investors were to buy up the majority stake in apartment towers. Some of these foreign buyers may not consider it worthwhile to rent out their Melbourne properties, he said.

"Sometimes it might be more trouble than it's worth," he said. "There is no doubt the vacancy rates will jump in the coming years."

Hong Kong is already dealing with a property-hoarding problem, blamed on mainland Chinese investors.

Mr Crabb said Melbourne City Council should implement substantially higher rates for unoccupied properties. "Basically hurt money," he said.

Melbourne City Council recently found 85 per cent of apartments in the municipality were purchased by investors as a "financial product", while nationally, investor housing loans now account for about half of all housing loans (excluding owner-occupier refinancing).

Other inner-city suburbs experiencing high vacancy rates are Carlton South, West Melbourne and Abbotsford. In the outer south eastern suburbs, 12.4 per cent of Cardinia and Clyde homes reported no water use.

Prosper Australia are calling for the stamp duty paid on new homes to be replaced with a holding cost on land, making it less attractive for investors to keep empty properties.

Mr Fitzgerald said capital gains of $60,000, for example, were so lucrative that renting out a property for $17,000 was a lower priority for some investors.

"Not all investors do this but the super wealthy ones probably understand that if they left 10 to 20 per cent of their portfolio empty it enforces scarcity and pushes up rent and property prices," he said.

Quantum Mechanic posted:

Got arrested blocking buses out of Villawood this morning. Fun times.

You Am I posted:

Someone has knocked The Guardian website offline. Where can I get my leftie news now?

GoldStandardConure posted:

I saw the pictures on facebook, cops didn't bash you like they did last time? Hope you're ok, you're a loving champion.

Anidav posted:

So my Facebook account got banned for posting about the planes from yesterday. Reason Given: Suspicious Activity.

Anidav posted:

So my Facebook account got banned for posting about the planes from yesterday. Reason Given: Suspicious Activity.

quote:

Anti-Halal activists target Australian food manufacturers Thursday 13 November 2014 8:06AM

A South Australian dairy company was forced to ditch its Halal certification and abandon a supply deal with the Middle Eastern airline Emirates last week after a relentless online campaign by anti-Halal activists. Anti-Halal activists are targetting Australian food manufacturers who have sought Halal certification for their products, claiming the proceeds fund terrorism. Halal certification ensures food is prepared according to Muslim Sharia law, in a similar way that Kosher certification guarantees products are safe for consumption by the Jewish community.

Guardian posted:

Medicare co-payment: government accused of planning 'backdoor move'

The government may be about to bypass parliament and push through the controversial Medicare co-payment scheme in a “sneaky backdoor move”, the opposition has claimed.

Labor has highlighted a message from the health department to medical practice software companies telling them to prepare to incorporate changes to accommodate the $7 payment.

The opposition says any move to impose “a tax on sick Australians” should be ruled out unless it is “put to the people”.

At the same time, the Abbott government is facing a budget crisis as the treasurer, Joe Hockey, warns of falling revenue combined with a Senate logjam on the Coalition’s budget cuts, leaving a bigger financial hole.

“It’s not so much a [budget] hole,” said Hockey, “as a case of … falling revenue, but it’s not about panic, it’s not about responding with a whole range of further cuts, it’s about ensuring that we recognise what the problem is.”

Even though the Medicare legislation has yet to be introduced in parliament, the health department has reportedly written to software companies informing them changes were required to ensure medical practices can check when a concessional patient has reached 10 visits to a GP, pathology or diagnostic imaging service.

Hockey refused on Thursday to rule out bypassing parliament to implement the $7 co-payment, defending budget cuts such as the deregulation of higher education fees.

“I am not going to speculate on what the outcome is,” he told the ABC.

Hockey admitted the government was facing a sharp drop in revenue, which will be outlined in the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, due in December.

“If we make a contribution now through a copayment on Medicare or through a range of other initiatives including higher education fee deregulation, if we make that contribution now we will get the benefit in the future as a nation,” Hockey said.

The government has failed to get through a number of its budget measures in the Senate, including a petrol indexation rise, the deregulation of higher education fees, the Medicare co-payment and the changes to the rules around unemployment benefits.

Three weeks ago, the government announced it would bypass the Senate and introduce the petrol tax hike via a regulation, which would then have to be approved by the Senate retrospectively.

The government is facing a double whammy of revenue write-downs due to the fall in iron ore prices combined with the failure to get budget cuts through the Senate. Labor, the Greens and the Palmer United party have all pledged to block the welfare changes, higher education deregulation and the Medicare co-payment.

The political situation is further complicated by PUP senator Jacqui Lambie refusing to pass any government legislation in protest against a below-inflation defence force pay deal, possibly causing a split within Clive Palmer’s party.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the Abbott government was up to their “sneaky old tricks” by not ruling out bypassing the parliament to “put a tax on sick Australians”.

“This is a government who doesn’t negotiate. They cajole and bully,” Shorten said.

“We say to the government, stick to what you said at the election. If you want to introduce taxes and changes and unfairness, take it to the people of Australia. Don’t do it through sneaky back doorman manoeuvres.”

Throughout the term of the Labor government, the Coalition said the budget problem was not lack of revenue but too much spending.

In his 2013 budget reply speech, then opposition leader Tony Abbott referred to the “supposed revenue shortfall” outlined by the former treasurer Wayne Swan, who said the failure to achieve surpluses was a result of falling government income.

“The treasurer spent much of his speech complaining that he was the victim of a sudden collapse in government revenue,” Abbott said at the time.

On Thursday, Hockey said the drop in revenue was a result of a 30% fall in iron ore prices since the budget and admitted he had not been conservative enough in estimating how far national income would fall.

“The iron ore price that we had in the May budget was below the consensus of the market. Previously Labor always over-estimated and then pretended to have a surplus.

“We were sceptical about market consensus and we took a lower price and you know what’s happened, it’s absolutely lower than that.”

A spokesman for the Department of Human Services, which administers the Medicare co-payment, said the proposed changes in medical software were not just related to the copayment but also resolved “a technical issue”.

“The implementation of all government measures, especially those involving ICT, require considerable forward planning. Even where legislation has not been passed, forward development work of this nature is standard procedure for the department.”

Cartoon posted:

And yet hate groups like anti halal flourish and actually hurt businesses.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/anti-halal-activists-target-australian-food-manufacturers/5887522
I really want to start an anti anti halal campaign (Well actually I just want the racist hate mongers to hug and make up).

Laserface posted:

For unknown reasons, a post from a bogan dickhead in bankstown entered my newsfeed. it was on KFCs wall and he was complaining that his "the double" was not served with bacon because the bankstown store is halal certified.

He made the comment 'I think thats a bit racist' at the end of the post.



I mean how loving stupid do you have to be to live in Menai, which has its own, non-halal KFC, and then go to the one in bankstown, a pretty well established Muslim community, and not expect them to cater to a significant portion of the market there?

Do you reckon when he goes to Danny's (lol like he will ever afford that) that he makes sure that its not Kosher certified? just to stick it to those racist, bigoty jews?

@latikambourke posted:

PM Abbott on China-US climate deal. 'I'm focusing not on what might happen in 16 years' time.'

Anidav posted:

So my Facebook account got banned for posting about the planes from yesterday. Reason Given: Suspicious Activity.