National

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A recently launched investment tool is giving self-managed superannuation fund members access to invest in real property with a lower capital outlay.
The Fractional Property Investment Platform, released by DomaCom in early March, allows investors to buy shares in any property on the market through an Australian Securities and Investments Commission-registered managed investment scheme (MIS).
“We are targeting the SMSF sector because that’s the sector that we know wants to invest,” DomaCom general manager of sales and marketing Warren Gibson said.
The average SMSF balance was just over $1 million at the end of the December 2013, according to Australian Taxation Office data. The median balance for the funds is around half that figure.
Gibson told Property Observer that the high cost to buy real estate meant most SMSFs wishing to invest in the asset class had to borrow to do so or invest through a syndicate or managed fund. Funds that did not wish to borrow risked having an undiversified portfolio.
“Syndicates are costly to set up, once you are in the syndicate you are there for the duration and there’s no liquidity for the structure. What we set about doing was introducing equity market concepts into the product,” Gibson said.
Investors can choose from the 18,320 properties already been listed on the Fractional Property Investment Platform, or request that any other property for sale be included. Around 17,000 of the properties currently listed are residential, 1,000 are commercial and 300 are rural.
The company aims to increase the number of listing to around 100,000 by the end of the year and eventually have all properties for sale listed, Gibson said.
After selecting a property, the investor bids on what proportion they would like to hold and a price range they believe it is worth.
The platform allows them to create a book build to buy the property with other investors who also wish to purchase a stake. When enough investors have joined the book build to account for the expected full value, DomaCom engages a buyers’ agent to acquire the property. Property valuers and conveyancers are also engaged.
After purchase, the property is placed into an MIS with sub-accounts set up for each investor. Rent and property-related costs are allocated to each investor in proportion to their holding.
The minimum amount to open an account is $20,000 but investors can put as little as $2,000 into each property.
Management fees to DomaCom are around 1% a year.
Gibson said the DomaCom platform also offered a secondary market where investors could sell their holdings in the MIS to others.
Investors can only access the structure through financial planners, who must be accredited to advise on the products.
DomaCom is also working on a product that will allow home owners to sell part of the equity in their property to investors. Gibson said the company hoped to release that product in the third quarter of this calendar year. 
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zfielding-GvX3Uq9KTa

New tool allows SMSFs to buy shares in properties

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A preliminary auction clearance rate of 78.0% was recorded across the combined capital cities this week having increased from 77.3% last week. There were 1,777 auction results reported this week with a total of 2,205 scheduled auctions showing that auction volumes have remained virtually unchanged when compared to the previous week (2,268). In comparison, over the same week last year 66.6% of the 1,991 homes taken to auction sold.
<a href="/images/2015/06/29/shana1.jpg" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
 <img src="/images/2015/06/29/shana1.jpg" alt="" width="820" height="620">
The preliminary auction clearance rate across Melbourne was 78.5% this week, down from the previous weeks final result of 79.3% and stronger than at the same time last year (68.3%). So far this year, Melbourne’s weekly auction clearance rate has been, on average, 10.6 per cent higher than over the comparable week one year ago. Across Melbourne’s individual sub-regions, the strongest preliminary clearance rate this week was across the North East region at 85.8%, followed closely by the Inner East region where the preliminary clearance rate was 85%.
 
<img src="/images/2015/06/29/20150628-Melbourne.jpg" alt="" width="796" height="539">
There were 887 Sydney homes taken to auction this week and a preliminary clearance rate of 83.5% across 747 results. Over the previous week, the final auction clearance rate was 82.4% with 862 auctions held across the city. At the same time last year, 71.1% of the 861 homes taken to auction recorded a successful result. This week, the strongest sub-region performance across Sydney’s sub-regions was the Ryde region, with 90.6% of the reported results clearing at auction.
<img src="/images/2015/06/29/20150628-Sydney.jpg" alt="" width="811" height="556">
Brisbane’s preliminary clearance rate was 51.1% this week, compared to 52.2% last week and 42.2% at the same time last year. Across Brisbane, a total of 140 auctions were held this week which is higher than last week (128), but lower than at the same time last year (153).
<img src="/images/2015/06/29/20150628-Brisbane.jpg" alt="" width="801" height="539">
 
Adelaide hosted 81 auctions this week and across the 48 reported results, CoreLogic RP Data’s preliminary auction clearance rate is 70.8%. Last week, Adelaide’s clearance rate was 63.5% across 83 auctions in the city, while at the same time last year 62.7% of the 79 homes taken to auction were sold.
<img src="/images/2015/06/29/20150628-Adelaide.jpg" alt="" width="844" height="566">
For Perth, the number of homes taken to auction this week was 29, less than last week (47) and last year (39). Meanwhile, Perth’s clearance rate of 57.1% this week was higher than last week (38.9%) and last year (50.0%.
Across Canberra 72 homes were taken to auction this week and the preliminary clearance rate across 32 auctions was 81.3 per cent.
There were 22 auctions across Tasmania this week, with 10 successful results out of the 20 reported.
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smiller-vwPjRHTkST

National auction clearance rate rises: CoreLogic RP Data's Shana Miller

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Got a bee in your bonnet about an issue and want some national attention? Go harass the federal government and they’ll create an inquiry.
It’s not hard to achieve. The ruling junta will believe almost anything, particularly if there’s been a bit of media hysteria to put the issue front and centre.
Certainly the property industry is having no trouble getting federal politicians to waste time and taxpayers money on talkfests about some of their pet topics.
Last week there was a housing affordability roundtable. According to the “communiqué” issued from Parliament House in Canberra, this was prompted by the belief first home buyers can’t afford to get into the market. It also stated that: “a major driver of increasing house prices and declining affordability is the under-supply of housing.”
In other words, a major talkfest involving government and industry leaders was based on real estate’s biggest furphies.
These are (a) that the only explanation for the low levels of first home buyers is a lack of affordability, (b) that affordability is declining, and (c) that there’s a housing shortage and that’s been forcing up prices.
All are red herrings which have been dragged around by some of the industry’s representative bodies for the past several years. (The true reason for lower first home buyer numbers is a major demographic shift that everyone seems to be missing).
<blockquote>
It’s a stunt to talk politicians into making decisions favourable to the industry, such as reduced taxes, faster approvals and favourable development policies.
</blockquote>
The prime mover behind this monumental waste of time was the Real Estate Institute of Australia, which is determined to oust the Housing Industry Association as the voice of insanity in the residential property industry.
The REIA has a serious obsession with first home buyer numbers. The reasons for that are obscure, given that major markets around the nation are rising and the institute’s members are having their best time of it in several years.
The institute hasn’t bothered to do any research into why first home buyer numbers are lower than normal. It has simply assumed that the only explanation is that they can’t afford to buy. This is surprising because the REIA is joint-publisher of a quarterly index that shows affordability has improved markedly over the past five years and is currently as good as it’s been any time in the past decade.
Why do they bother producing the report if they’re going to ignore its findings? Especially as the findings (that affordability is particularly strong at the moment) is supported by a host of other research reports, including those by the Housing Industry Association, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canstar and CommSec.
Apparently federal politicians don’t read because, despite the weight of evidence that we don’t have an affordability problem, they’ve accepted the industry line that young buyers “are finding it increasingly difficult to enter the housing market”.
They’ve also swallowed real estate’s biggest lie – that we have a serious housing shortage.
Given that price growth over the past decade has been lower than wages growth and not much bigger than inflation, and that there has been negligible rental growth in most of our major cities in the past couple of years, it’s clear we do not have the much-touted housing shortage.
Indeed, the most serious current issue is oversupply in some of our major markets.
Unless the forces of supply and demand no longer apply to real estate, how can the REIA and other industry bodies explain the lack of price and rental growth (keeping in mind that only Sydney had major growth last year, its first growth year in a decade) when they’ve been claiming a “chronic housing shortage crisis” for the past five years or so?
It’s a stunt to talk politicians into making decisions favourable to the industry, such as reduced taxes, faster approvals and favourable development policies.
The housing affordability roundtable follows the recent announcement that elements in the industry have managed to talk federal politicians into an inquiry to examine how foreign investors (read Chinese) are forcing up Australian property prices and dooming a whole generation of young Australians to a lifetime of renting.
If the inquiry is genuine, it will discover that the impact of foreign investors on the mainstream market populated by Aussie home buyers is zero and that they’ve wasted a lot of time and money.
<a href="https://mailto:ryder@hotspotting.com.au" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">ryder@hotspotting.com.au</a>
<a href="https://www.twitter.com/hotspotting" target="_blank">twitter.com/hotspotting</a>
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terryryder-YECXbqmri2

Major talkfests based on nothing but industry's biggest furphies

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We’ve now entered the traditional pre-budget softening-up period in which treasurers engage in expectations management ahead of the fiscal set-piece of the year in May. But even given that, Joe Hockey is treating us as complete idiots.
The line Hockey has been pushing for some days now, and which he gave a big push to yesterday in a flurry of media appearances, is that not merely did Labor hide the level of deficits in the current budget cycle, but that it left a series of hidden spending commitments in the unpublished years beyond forward estimates. Hockey has been circulating a document to journalists portrayed in the media as a “Treasury analysis” that shows how “the Coalition inherited an unsustainable budget position” and Labor “hid [expenditure] from the public”. Hockey would like us to see him as a budgetary innocent who has found himself in the middle of a fiscal minefield planted by Labor.
<a href="https://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BRIEFING-NOTE.pdf"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-431677" src="https://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-01_11-33-411.jpg" alt="" width="520" height="180"></a>
Well <a href="https://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BRIEFING-NOTE.pdf" target="_blank">here’s the document</a>, and it isn’t a “Treasury analysis” — it’s prepared by Hockey’s media adviser, former Australian Financial Review journalist Gemma Daley. And if Hockey seriously expects us to believe his latest argument, he must have nothing but contempt for us. This is Hockey yesterday: “We didn’t anticipate that everything else would be of equal or larger scale as a tsunami coming across the water. The fact is Labor’s left us with a massive forecast increase in foreign aid, a massive increase in defence – for example in one year, there’s meant to be a real increase in defence spending of 13%, a 66% increase in foreign aid.”
<blockquote>
Hockey would like us to see him as a budgetary innocent who has found himself in the middle of a fiscal minefield planted by Labor.
</blockquote>
At another media conference, he said: “If no action was taken on the budget, what the fifth-year deficit would look like, contrary to what both Labor promised was a surplus, if no action was taken, based on the approximately 6% increase in expenditure between the fourth year and the fifth year, which Labor locked in on NDIS, on Gonski, on overseas aid, on hospitals, on defence …”
Well, um, tsunamis are actually tiny when they’re on the ocean — but never mind that, let’s look at the detail. Labor in fact revealed the funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme — or DisabilityCare as it had been renamed — in the budget last May, with new spending broken down out to 2019:
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-431667" src="https://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-01_11-24-28.jpg" alt="" width="501" height="179">
In addition to the numbers in the budget papers, there was a specific “glossy” with funding graphs for <a href="https://budget.gov.au/2013-14/content/glossy/NDIS_policy/download/NDIS.pdf" target="_blank">DisabilityCare</a> and one for <a href="https://budget.gov.au/2013-14/content/glossy/gonski_policy/download/NPSI.pdf" target="_blank">education funding</a> as well, which was still being finalised in deals with the states. The increase in foreign aid was also in both the budget papers and a <a href="https://budget.gov.au/2013-14/content/ministerial_statements/download/AusAid_MS.pdf" target="_blank">ministerial statement by Bob Carr</a>  — not that the government got any credit for it, because it was actually a reduction, with the government’s Millennium Development Goal commitment to lifting foreign aid to 0.5% of gross national income put back another year to 2017. The government spelt out its planned increase in foreign aid up to and including 2017-18.
In fact in question time last week, Labor invited the Prime Minister to spell out the government’s MDG policy, which he duly did: aid is to reach 0.5% of GNI when the budget returns to surplus. Which raises the question of why, in Hockey’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook in December, Hockey left Labor’s MDG aid funding increase intact, in defiance of the government’s own policy. The answer, of course, was that it would inflate the budget deficit for 2017 and beyond.
As for defence, the Gillard government <a href="https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2013/05/14/minister-for-defence-budget-2013-14-defence-budget-overview/" target="_blank">gave the portfolio a “guidance”</a> that it would receive around $220 billion in the six years from 2017-18, which Hockey’s document proposes to mean funding would leap 13% in 2017, when in fact the “guidance” reflects a growth rate in defence spending from 2017 lower than the average between now and 2017 of nearly 7%. And remember that Labor was repeatedly criticised fordecreasing defence spending — every armchair general and arms industry lobbyist in the joint was whinging about how we weren’t spending enough taxpayer money on buying gear from the US military-industrial complex. “Military spending slumps to 1930s level,” The Australian’s <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/military-spending-slumps-to-1930s-level/story-e6frg74x-1226352458112" target="_blank">Paul Kelly shrieked</a>. The 1930s theme — hint,appeasement!­ —  was picked up by the Coalition, including Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce. Abbott “aspired”, he said, to lift defence spending to 3% of GDP.
So, Labor were both neo-Chamberlain surrender monkeys for not spending enough on defence when in government and now, magically, reckless spendthrifts who committed too much to defence at the same time.
Hockey’s fiscal innocent act is a little hard to believe given we were told what an exhaustive, indeed exhausting, shadow ERC process Hockey was leading within the opposition at the time to establish its fiscal credibility.
And above all, there’s this point: if Hockey seriously believes his own claims about the budget beyond forward estimates, why did he remove Labor savings measures that offset future spending? Why did he remove the 15% tax on superannuation income over $100,000 a year, costing the budget billions beyond forward estimates, for the benefit of high income earners? Why did he restore the Fringe Benefits Tax rort on novated leases — remember Joe being photographed in front of a sports car? And why have Hockey and his leader pushed for the abolition of the mining tax, which even in its crippled form, according to Hockey’s own MYEFO, is worth more than $3 billion over forward estimates? Eventually it will be the only way of recovering some of the profits offshore owners of LNG and iron ore projects will make and ship overseas (over 60% of these projects are foreign owned or controlled).
Then there’s the silly decision to hand $8.8 billion of borrowed money to the Reserve Bank in one hit, when it doesn’t need the capital. And the sale of Medibank Private — a $4-5 billion contribution to the budget — will be spent on roads because Abbott wants to be an “infrastructure prime minister”, when it could cut the budget deficit or the debt. That could be $13-14 billion off the deficit and debt right there — or an interest saving of more than half-a-billion dollars a year.
Hockey is talking about sharing the budget burden around, but that’s only after the government plans to increase its own spending for political purposes and sought to hand billions of dollars in tax revenue back to foreign mining companies, large carbon emitters and the well-off in the community — revenue that would have offset exactly the spending on education, disability and foreign aid that Hockey is now claiming to have only just discovered.
This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.crikey.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Crikey</a>.
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bkeane-XQ2u7CA6bB

Joe Hockey treating Australian public as fiscal fools ahead of the federal budget

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Modern governments believe that during budget framing, it is politically savvy to parade the pain. We saw it with Labor and the Coalition is doing the same.
There are scary scenarios of what would happen without remediation, with warnings about problem areas. Some surprises will be held for the night, but other measures will be strategically “leaked” beforehand.
Tony Abbott, in Perth campaigning for the West Australian Senate election, let it be known he was chairing Wednesday’s meeting of cabinet’s expenditure review committee.
Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen declared it was the first time in Australian history a PM had chaired the ERC, claiming it showed dysfunction at the highest level.
This was nonsense. The government could quickly counter that Bob Hawke, John Howard and Kevin Rudd had also done so.
But it was surprising Abbott gave such a high profile to this “razor gang” meeting.
The ERC is all about nasties and, after all, Labor is making the prospect of deep budget cuts a centrepiece of its WA Senate campaigning. Abbott seemed to be providing ammunition. On the other hand, he could take the view Labor had the bullets anyway so he might as well play the longer game.
Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson publicly chimed into the pre- budget debate with a speech reinforcing the government’s lines about spending growth in the big areas.
But Parkinson also sent a public message to the government for later about what it should do on taxation.
With Hockey shining attention on health and pension costs, Parkinson documented the escalation.
Total Commonwealth spending on health is set to rise from $64.7 billion in nominal terms in 2013-14 to $74.6 billion in 2016-17, and to $116 billion in 2023-24.
The Commonwealth’s three main pension payments - for the aged, those on disability support and carers – will grow at an annual 6% in nominal terms over the forward estimates, adding $13 billion to annual payments by 2016-17, and another $39 billion by 2023-24. “Of this nearly $52 billion in additional payments in 2023-24, compared to 2013-14, over half is a result of indexation with the remainder due to increases in the number of recipients.”
That seems a fair hint that both drivers are being looked at. It should be remembered that successive governments have been trying to curtail the numbers on the disability pension but it has seemed a losing battle. It’s never as easy as it looks in theory.
Parkinson then turned to the tax side. His argument, aimed well beyond this budget and directed squarely at the political masters he will leave in December, is crystal clear. Australia needs a tax system it relies more on indirect tax, less on direct tax. The king of indirect taxes is, of course, the GST.
Parkinson pointed to one rather surprising fact, given the tax debates we’ve been through over many years. “Despite reforms that broaden the tax base (such as the GST), and decisions that have lowered corporate and personal tax rates across the decades, the share of direct and indirect taxes (as well as Australia’s reliance on income taxes) has changed little since the 1950s.”
Australia had relatively high reliance on direct taxes as a proportion of revenue raised compared with other OECD countries, he noted, before observing that: “Research consistently says that reduced reliance on income taxes and increased reliance on other, more efficient sources of revenue, including indirect taxes, can support higher growth and higher living standards by increasing workforce participation and lifting productivity.”
The problem is that “without conscious change, Australia’s tax mix will move in the opposite direction as personal income tax increases through fiscal drag”.
“We will move even further in this direction if, as we anticipate, the relative share of total indirect taxes (including GST) continues its long-term decline. Contributing to this decline is the non-indexation of fuel excise (unlike other excise rates) and a rising proportion of consumption outside the GST net, for example, in increased health expenditure.”
Parkinson warned that “continued increases in the personal income tax burden will hit lower and middle income earners with higher marginal and average tax rates. This will have adverse labour force participation impacts, while sharpening incentives for tax minimisation by higher income earners”.
The globalised economy meant Australia would be under pressure to cut the company tax rate.
“Given the pressure to return fiscal drag and to reduce the burden of corporate income tax, it will be a challenge to maintain the current levels of revenue over the medium term, let alone the increases required to achieve the budget projections.”
In the past, Parkinson said, tax reform had largely been pursued through broadening tax bases as an offset for lowering tax rates.
“However, a key challenge for the upcoming White Paper on Taxation will be to consider the mix of taxes, including whether there is a role for a greater contribution from indirect taxes.”
The opportunity were there to plot a path to a better tax system and the dangers clear if it was not done.
“If we do not start making these changes and simply keep drifting along we will be increasingly vulnerable to the next global crisis and will also lose out on the opportunities presented by the rising Asian middle class. The exceptionalism of this ‘lucky country’ will become just a distant, ironic memory and our children may really end up ‘doing it tough’”.
So there you have it. Parkinson, axed by the government (though extended until year’s end) won’t be around for the battles after the white paper, which has a long time table.
But he has signposted another lot of unpalatable truths. In terms of painful decisions ahead, this budget is only the start of it for the Abbott government, which hates the idea of tax increases, fears the politics of a robust debate about needing a higher, broader GST and has promised to take any major tax changes to the election.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/25161/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="line-height: 1.3em;">
Michelle Grattan is professorial fellow at the <a href="https://www.canberra.edu.au/" target="_blank" style="line-height: 1.3em;">University of Canberra</a>.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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jake-cSmGT7VXVf

Treasury boss hints at the need for a broader GST

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Across Australia, it's not a secret that rent has generally been ticking upwards - much to the dismay of renters - with revealingly stronger growth in some areas than others.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics details show that Western Australia is the state that has grown more than any other, with a 77% uptick from 2006 to 2011. In 2006, it was recorded at $170 per week, however in 2011 it was noted as $300.
Speaking of growth in the statistics, the ABS director of rural and regional statistics, Lisa Conolly, said that while Western Australia overall grew the most, the area with the biggest uptick was in Queensland.
This was a terrifying headline figure of 570% growth over the period in Weipa, in Queensland's far north, and the picture overall looks fairly drab on the surface for renters.
<blockquote>
Rental costs increased from $191 in 2006 to $285 in 2011 - an increase of 49%. Mortgage repayments have increased 39% during this time.
</blockquote>
"Rental costs have also increased by twice as much as wages with the median weekly household income increasing from $1,027 in 2006 to $1,234 in 2011, up 20%," she explained.
However, Conolly said that it wasn't quite the unexpected drastic growth, for Weipa at least, that the figure suggests.
"Local government areas in Western Australia recorded some of the biggest growth in median rent payments in Australia, with eight out of the 10 fastest growing regions located in Western Australia. However, Weipa, in far north Queensland, came in at the top, reflecting a change from employer owned housing to private rental arrangements," recorded Conolly.
Despite this, in what will come as a surprise to almost no one, it remains local government areas (LGA) in Sydney that record the highest rent. And, as can be attested by the overwhelming 'red' on all of the zoomed in capital cities, it's costly to rent in Australia's capitals.
 
LGAs with the highest rent: (Note: the suburb linked to each LGA is that closest to the relevant council chambers. For more specific suburb data, you can use <a href="finding/location/suburb-data" target="_blank">our free data tool here</a>) 
New South Wales and ACT
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/nsw.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Ku-ring-gai</a> - $575 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Woollahra </a>- $550 per week</li>
</ul>
The LGA in New South Wales with the fastest growth over the period was <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Gwydir</a>, and it was noted that while areas outside of the capital city had lower overall rental payments, they showed the most significant growth over time.
The ACT was noted as having the highest median rent overall across Australia - recorded at $380 per week. The<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank"> Queanbeyan</a> area grew from $185 per week in 2006 to $289 per week in 2011, a 56.2% increase.
Western Australia
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/wa.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Cottesloe</a> - $450 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Perth</a> - $440 per week</li>
</ul>
The fastest growth costs in Greater Perth occurred in <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Serpentine-Jarrahdale</a>, which doubled from $155 per week to $306 per week, or a 99.4% rise, however it is noted that the LGA has one of the highest proportion of home ownership (with a mortgage) areas across the country, with just 14.7% rentals.
Victoria
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/vic.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Melbourne</a> - $400 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Bayside</a> - $390 per week</li>
</ul>
The LGA across the state with the fastest growth was <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">West Wimmera</a>, despite maintaining a lower rent than other LGAs. In Greater Melbourne, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Maribyrnong</a> saw the fastest recorded growth with a 64.7% increase to $280 per week from $170 per week.
Queensland
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/qld.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Brisbane</a> - $350 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Gold Coast</a> - $350 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Redland</a> - $350 per week</li>
</ul>
In Greater Brisbane, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Somerset</a> was one of the fastest growing, rising 60% to $240 per week, from $150 per week.
Northern Territory
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/nt.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Darwin</a> - $360 per week 
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Palmerston</a> - $360 per week</li>
</ul>
The LGA with the fastest growth across the territory was <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Palmerston</a>, which grew 89.5% over the recorded period.
South Australia
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/s.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Adelaide</a> - $320 per week</li>
</ul>
The fastest growing LGAs across South Australia included <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Peterborough</a>, and <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Southern Mallee</a>, which both saw a 66.7% uptick, while in Greater Adelaide it was <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">West Torrens</a>, 54.4% growth to $247, from $160 per week, that took out the growth record.
Tasmania
<img src="/images/2014/04/09/tas.jpg" alt="">
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Kingborough</a> - $275 per week</li>
</ul>
The fastest growing LGA in Tasmania was in the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Central Highlands</a> and the <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Tasman</a>, with a 60% uptick. In Greater Hobart, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/property-observer" target="_blank">Brighton</a> rose 58.1% to $185, from $117 per week.
 
Conolly reminded viewers of the statistics that the cost of renting in a region can change due to a number of factors.
These may include:
<ol>
<li>Workforce demand</li>
<li>Population growth or decline</li>
<li>Changing tenure arrangements</li>
</ol>
"Nationally, rental costs increased by more than mortgage repayments with the median weekly household rent rising from $191 in 2006 to $285 in 2011 - an increase of 49%. Whereas mortgage repayments have increased 39% during this time," she said.
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Revealed: The areas with the highest rent across the country

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The housing market, in at least Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin, has seen growth recently, and it's causing a knock-on effect, according to the ANZ Research team, with developer confidence now picking up.
However, they also said that it would be the mining states that record the most pronounced growth rate for gross state product in the coming years.
All non-mining states saw growth rates strengthen in the second half of 2013.
Cherelle Murphy, Dyslan Eades, Tony Morris and Zoe McHugh, from ANZ Research, recently provided a market analysis that pointed to five factors lifting the growth rates and outlooks in all states and territories.
THE FIVE FACTORS
<ol>
<li>Improved global economic conditions 
</li>
<li>Low interest rates 
</li>
<li>The lower Australian dollar 
</li>
<li>Better business confidence 
</li>
<li>Better consumer confidence</li>
</ol>
"The mining states, which are on the cusp of an export expansion, will continue to record the strongest growth rates over the coming years in our view. But the non-mining states are expected to improve most compared to the growth rates recorded over the past few years," they recorded.
Interestingly, they also noted that the convergence in growth rates between the states is as expected.
"The mining states are coming off very strong economic performances as the resources construction pipeline dries up, while the non-mining states are steadily firming."
MINING STATES
Queensland: Major LNG projects still under construction, recording high activity levels.
Western Australia: More advanced through resources contruction work, seeing a more rapid slowdown.
Northern Territory: The exception, seeing a boost from INPEX Ichthys LNG Project.
NON-MINING STATES
New South Wales: The best performer, with trend unemployment falling to 10 month low (5.5%) in March. Business conditions have picked up.
Victoria, Tasmania: Sluggish but recently improving outlooks. More exposed to manufacturing, which continues to shrink. Business conditions have picked up.
South Australia: Sluggish but recently improving outlooks. More exposed to manufacturing, which continues to shrink.
Australian Capital Territory: Sturdy, but "will shortly bear the brunt of the not yet wholly known Commonwealth fiscal tightening."
All states, they noted, saw a sharp pick-up in housing market activity "related in part to the expansionary setting of monetary policy," they noted.
<blockquote>
FIVE FACTORS LIFTING GROWTH RATES
IMPROVED GLOBAL ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
LOW INTEREST RATES
THE LOWER AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR
BETTER BUSINESS CONFIDENCE
BETTER CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
</blockquote>
"Prices have bounced off their lows and have risen especially sharply in Sydney, Melbourne, and Darwin. This has translated to an improvement in developer confidence, with residential building approvals rising strongly, implying dwelling investment is likely to contribute solidly to growth going forward," they said.
Among all the non-mining dominated states and territories, the non-mining business investment is not forecasted to see any notable improvement until next year.
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Mining states expected to see strongest growth rates over coming years: ANZ Research

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National auction market stable despite a strong rise in the number of properties taken to auction.
A preliminary auction clearance rate of 65.4% was recorded this week across capital cities compared to 65.0% last week and 67.3% this time last year.
The auction clearance rate has maintained a stable performance despite a 42% rise in the number of properties taken to auction this week and concerns the federal budget may have a negative impact on buyer demand.
<a href="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Capital-city.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3246" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Capital-city-580x429.jpg" alt="Capital City auction results: 19 May 2014" width="580" height="429"></a>
In the Sydney market a weaker preliminary clearance rate of 70.9% was recorded compared to 73.3% last week highlighting improving conditions for buyers.
<a href="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Sydney.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3242" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Sydney-580x382.jpg" alt="Sydney auction results: 19 May 2014" width="580" height="382"></a>
In Melbourne a preliminary clearance rate of 64.5% was recorded compared to 61.9% last week. Auction numbers rose steeply this week and it is significant that the clearance rate didn’t drop below the lows of the last fortnight.
<a href="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Melbourne.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3243" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Melbourne-580x377.jpg" alt="Melbourne auction results: 19 May 2014" width="580" height="377"></a>
In Brisbane a preliminary clearance rate of 49.5% was recorded compared to 46.7% last week. Adelaide recorded a clearance rate of 65.5% compared to 62.3% last week. In Canberra a clearance rate of 52.6% was recorded and in Perth there were eight auction sales from 17 results. In Tasmania there was two sales from five results.
<a href="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Brisbane.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3245" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Brisbane-580x377.jpg" alt="Brisbane auction results: 19 May 2014Brisbane" width="580" height="377"></a>
 
<a href="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Adelaide.jpg" rel="wp-prettyPhoto[g3240]"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3247" src="https://blog.rpdata.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140518-Adelaide-580x385.jpg" alt="Adelaide auction results: 19 May 2014" width="580" height="385"></a>
 
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