Toowoomba economic growth

Details

Published: Monday, 25 September 2017 15:26

Paddock to Port to Plate

The vision - To supply the best fresh Australian produce from 'Paddock to Plate' in Asia within 24hrs.

Topline: This is another huge logistical infrastructure step in the 'big hairy audacious goal', to enable wider Australia and the region to supply fresh produce to the tables of Asia.

Major infrastructure projects planned in the Darling Downs will have huge impact on local agribusiness and industrial property sector.

The food supply chain is dependent on a range of infrastructure for continuity of production, processing, distribution and retail—power, water, financial services, communications and transport services - Extrapolate the economic impact and the job opportunities and find out more about Toowoomba

A $13 billion economic bonanza for Toowoomba has the city scurrying to lure new residents to fill jobs.

The Darling Downs city, dubbed Too-boom-ba, is preparing plans to lure workers to live there as a raft of huge infrastructure projects and other developments create a looming skills shortage.

"That’s the biggest challenge we have at the moment," Shane Charles, CEO of Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise, said. "There are 500 jobs unfilled. We need people to relocate here."

The business group is considering a crowd-funding campaign to recruit workers from areas of high unemployment in Queensland and other parts of Australia.

“We have work opportunities, we’re the most family-friendly city in Australia and the median house price is still only $375,000,’’ Mr Charles said.

The latest lift for Toowoomba came with this week’s Federal Government announcement that the inland rail route from Melbourne to Brisbane would take it right past the city’s Wellcamp Airport and three enormous industrial and logistics parks being constructed.

Source: The Courier-Mail September 22, 2017

Cash rate unchanged at 1.50%

Details

Published: Tuesday, 06 June 2017 13:38

At its meeting today, June 6 2017, the RBA Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent.

According to the RBA - The broad-based pick-up in the global economy is continuing. Labour markets have tightened further in many countries and forecasts for global growth have been revised up since last year. Above-trend growth is expected in a number of advanced economies, although uncertainties remain.

In China, growth is being supported by increased spending on infrastructure and property construction, with the high level of debt continuing to present a medium-term risk. Commodity prices are generally higher than they were a year ago, providing a boost to Australia's national income. The prices of iron ore and coal, however, have declined over recent months as expected, unwinding some of the earlier increases.

Conditions in the housing market vary considerably around the country. Prices have been rising briskly in some markets, although there are some signs that these conditions are starting to ease.

In other markets, prices are declining. In the eastern capital cities, a considerable additional supply of apartments is scheduled to come on stream over the next couple of years. Rent increases are the slowest for two decades.

Growth in housing debt has outpaced the slow growth in household incomes. The recent supervisory measures should help address the risks associated with high and rising levels of indebtedness. Lenders have also announced increases in mortgage rates, particularly those paid by investors and on interest-only loans.

Is Super gearing on borrowed time?

Details

Published: Thursday, 27 April 2017 08:39

Australia's property sector is confident

Details

Published: Wednesday, 26 April 2017 23:16

Confidence in Australian property still remains high despite talk of a housing bubble and tighter lending conditions.

ANZ’s survey of Property Council members for the June quarter showed that respondents in the sector are staying bullish in the face of some headwinds. Sentiment remains high in NSW, and the latest data reveals a surprising boost in confidence for the WA market.

See Graphs below

Read more: Australia's property sector is confident

Making it harder to obtain a mortgage.

Details

Published: Wednesday, 12 April 2017 16:05

APRA - The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority is a statutory authority of the Australian Government and the prudential regulator of the Australian financial services industry.

"Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) views a higher proportion of interest-only lending in the current environment to be indicative of a higher risk profile,” said APRA Chairman Wayne Byres. “We will therefore be monitoring the share of interest-only lending within total new mortgage lending for each [lender], and will consider the need to impose additional requirements ... when the proportion of new lending on interest-only terms exceeds 30 per cent of total new mortgage lending.”

What does that mean to investors?

Read more: Making it harder to obtain a mortgage.