Thursday 2 August 2012

An alternative perspective on the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission


According to the Mid-North Coast Greens, an analysis of 461 development applications considered by the supposedly independent NSW Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) since the O’Farrell Government came to power in 2011 shows:


This would appear to be a remarkably high number of complying applications and, an unusual number of developers fervently embracing the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 and other relevant planning instruments.

Perhaps Brad Hazzard as Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and, current Commission members Gabrielle Kibble AO (Chair), Donna Campbell, John Court, Lindsay Kelly, Garry Payne AM, Dr Neil Shepherd AM, Emeritus Professor Kevin Sproats, Janet Thomson, and Richard Thorp ( along with Dr Lloyd Townley, Emeritus Professor Jim Galvin, Dr Steve Perrens, and Dr Graeme Batley), might like to explain this almost unnatural behaviour on the part of developers of projects as diverse as coal mining and high-pressure natural gas pipelines through to shopping centres, residential subdivisions and marinas.

Their explanations would make for fascinating reading.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Are Clarence Coast homeowners becoming too greedy?


National Australia Bank (NAB) Quarterly Australian Residential Property Survey: June 2012:
"According to the survey, national house prices fell -2% in the June quarter, from -1.3% in Q1’12, with all states reporting price falls in the 3 months to June.
House price declines were most pronounced in Victoria, down -2.9% (-1.8% in Q1’12). Heavier falls were also seen in NSW (-2.3%), compared with -0.4% fall in Q1’12. Capital values held up best in WA, although they also fell -0.6% (-0.1% in Q1’12). Marginally slower price declines were recorded in Queensland (-1.7%) and SA/NT (-1.6%).
The housing sector is expected to remain under pressure in the next year, with property professionals expecting national prices to fall by -0.7% (-0.2% forecast in Q1’12). There is, however, wide variance between the states.
Prices are expected to continue falling in Victoria (-2.1%), NSW (-1.5%) and SA/NT (-0.5%), but grow in WA (1.6%) and Queensland (0.5%)."
ANZ Research is slightly more optimistic; "prices, capital values and property market confidence in NSW should edge gradually higher through the second half of 2012 in the absence of further deterioration in the global economy."
These reports might explain why First National Real Estate Yamba in its July 2012 property update flyer is stating “some vendors pricing does not reflect the current market” as contributing to the fact that only forty-five homes have been recorded as sold in Yamba in the last six months.
Apparently many of those million dollar plus waterfront ‘mansions’ are only worth a million dollars plus in the eyes of their owners at the moment. Which might explain why they have been very publicly languishing in online property listings representing around three hundred and twenty Yamba properties currently for sale.

Australian Carbon Price Liable Entities - 24 July 2012 Update


The Clean Energy Regulator has released an updated list of corporations and councils liable to pay a price for their greenhouse gas emissions in the financial year 2012-13.

Clarence Valley Council appears to be the only Northern Rivers local government on this list, presumably due to landfill emissions.

Full list
here.

Update:

As usual the Federal Nationals local Cassandra Luke Hartsuyker is yelling the sky is falling over the issue and making sure not to mention Council's new residential and business waste management scheme which will divert 60% of the valley's domestic waste away from landfill and see greenhouse gas emissions begin to reduce from 30 July 2012.

Residential supply customers carrying the can for gold-plated electricity industry infrastructure upgrades


Granny Herald
points out the blindingly obvious on 27th July 2012:

"If any further evidence were needed to demonstrate how the power companies, both state-owned and private, have been foisting unnecessary price hikes on their customers, it can be found in the industry's own energy forecasts.
Forecasts of demand for electricity have a significant impact on the price of electricity. The higher the forecasts, the more money earmarked by industry for network upgrades in order to cater for this supposed increase in demand. In turn, the higher the financial returns for the industry players.
Ironically, as the transmission and distribution companies earn a regulated return on their assets, they have a perverse incentive to spend for the sake of spending.
Yet the great conundrum of the radical rise in Australian electricity prices
- up 70 per cent in six years and poised to ratchet another 30 per cent higher this year and the next - is that consumer demand has actually been falling, and falling for years.
Actual consumption in the National Electricity Network has been way out of whack with forecasts. For the past three years, the industry has had to downgrade its forecasts, and by a considerable margin. Still, they persist with forecasting large rises in energy consumption, even in the face of a clear downtrend in actual demand - and huge price rises at the retail level to boot.
Not only has the electricity industry failed to recognise a change of trend in total demand, but in peak summer demand and peak winter demand too."