“APPROVALS for new detached houses across Australia are at their lowest ebb since late 2013,” according to Shane Garrett, chief economist of Master Builders Australia. 

ABS figures which have just been released indicate that detached house approvals fell by 2.1 percent during September to record their weakest monthly result since December 2013. There was better news for apartment and other dwelling approvals which benefited from a 10.7 percent bounce during September. 

“The descent to a five-year low for detached house approvals is an unwelcome milestone and reflects a number of unfavourable factors,” Mr Garrett said. 

“House prices are continuing to fall in Australia’s two largest markets and this makes it more difficult to deliver new housing supply. The results of last week’s MBA industry survey also demonstrated how the ongoing Royal Commission has led to tougher financing conditions in recent months,” he said. 

“The unprecedented level of new home building over the past five years has substantially expanded the capacity of the Australian economy by boosting the number of construction jobs and allowing greater numbers of workers in all sectors to put a roof over their heads.

“With new home building activity starting to flag, it is vital that government policies remain focused on allowing our industry to provide enough new homes to meet our future demands,” Mr Garrett said. 

During September 2018, approvals for new dwellings saw the largest increase in Victoria (+30.5 percent), followed by Tasmania (+15.7 percent) and South Australia (+7.8 percent).

The largest reduction in approvals hit Western Australia (-19.0 percent), followed by Queensland (-10.5 percent) and the ACT (-8.4 percent). There were also fewer approvals in New South Wales (-6.8 percent) and the NT (-6.9 percent) during September 2018.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has welcomedf the $5 billion Future Drought Fund to support farmers and communities in rural and regional Australia.

Ms Carnell said the focus on expanded mental health services and support is particularly important, for farming family enterprises and the many small business owners who are also doing it tough.

“Running a farm or a small business during an extensive period of drought is one of the toughest situations to be in as a business owner," Ms Carnell said.

“While this new fund will deliver crucial water infrastructure and drought resilience projects, it will also provide more access for more people to mental health services and support.

“Never underestimate the importance of mental health. We know that one in five Australians will experience a mental health issue at some stage in their life.

“For farmers, many experience high levels of stress for a prolonged period of time and beyondblue research shows male farmers die by suicide at rates significantly higher than the general population and non-farming rural males.

“This is why additional mental health services are so crucial. The more support for farmers and small business owners facing high rates of stress and depression, the better.”

The increase to funding for mental health services by $15.5 million will go towards early intervention and community well-being services.

“Early intervention is key. A further $3.6 million will expand Medicare Benefit Services to enable local doctors to offer mental well-being support services via telehealth to rural and remote patients,” Ms Carnell said.

The government has also pledged $30 million to key charities to provide support to at least 10,000 households facing hardship.

“As long as these funds are used within the drought-affected communities, it should provide a much needed injection back to those who need it most; the small and family businesses trying to keep afloat during these periods of prolonged drought,” Ms Carnell said.

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE House of Representatives Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee has commenced a new inquiry into automated mass transit, focusing on developments in the use of automation and new energy sources for land-based mass transit.

Committee Chair John Alexander said that automation would make our mass transit systems “better, stronger and faster”, by making them safer, more efficient and more reliable than they are today.

“International experience of automated metro systems shows what they could do to improve connectivity within our rapidly growing cities,” Mr Alexander said.

“Automation and platooning present real opportunities to make bus networks more reliable and responsive, as well as more efficient, creating real competition between different modes of transport.

“In addition, new fuel sources—such as electricity and hydrogen power — have the potential to make mass transit cheaper, reduce our carbon footprint, and reduce our reliance on the importation of fossil fuels.”

The Committee will inquire into and report upon current and future developments in the use of automation and new energy sources in land-based mass transit, including:

• Rail mass transit
• Road mass transit
• Point-to-point transport using automated vehicles
• Commonwealth roles and responsibilities in the development of these technologies.

Submissions are open until Friday 7 December 2018. For more information about how to make a submission, contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference, is available on the Committee’ website.

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THE Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is holding further public hearings into the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Lowering Voting Age and Increasing Voter Participation) Bill 2018.

This Bill as proposed by the Greens would extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds on a voluntary basis, allow enrolment for 14 and 15 year-olds, and permit a provisional vote on election day for unenrolled citizens.

Chair of the Committee, Senator James McGrath said that given the evidence from the initial hearing, held in September in Melbourne, the Committee was interested to hear further evidence from both young people and academic and legal experts.

The hearing will be held at Glenala State High School, enabling young people to engage with the committee process.

The full program can be found on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details:

Date: Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Time: 10:00am –  1:45pm
Location: Glenala State High School, Durack, Brisbane

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live

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