Lower $A draws local investors back to Hamilton Island

Original article by Luke Malpass
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 17-Dec-14

New figures show that some $A54m worth of residential property has been sold on Hamilton Island in the last year, with turnover of properties reaching its highest level since 2007. Wayne Singleton of Hamilton Island Real Estate attributes the renewed interest to factors such as the falling value of the Australian dollar, low interest rates, the introduction of direct flights and improved infrastructure on the island

CORPORATES
HAMILTON ISLAND REAL ESTATE, AIRLIE BEACH AND WHITSUNDAY REAL ESTATE, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

Property curbs pave way for RBA rate cuts

Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 11-Dec-14

Martin Whetton of the ANZ Bank says the decision to implement measures aimed at curbing growth in loans for investment properties could lead a reduction in the cash rate. The bond market had anticipated such action by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, with the 10-year bond rate falling below three per cent and the three-year bond rate easing to 2.27 per cent

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, COUNCIL OF FINANCIAL REGULATORS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, TRIPLE T CONSULTING LIMITED

360 Capital grabs 7.7pc stake in rival REIT

Original article by Ben Wilmot
The Australian – Page: 21 : 8-Dec-14

Stockholders in smaller industrial real estate investment trust (REIT) vehicles in Australia are calling on their managers to seek consolidation deals, in order to better compete with major rivals such as Goodman Group, Dexus Property Group and Stockland. In response, 360 Capital Group has bought a holding of 7.7% in competitor Australian Industrial REIT. The portfolio of assets owned by the target is worth $A308m, while the 360 Capital Industrial Fund has properties valued at $A501m

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL REIT – ASX ANI, 360 CAPITAL INDUSTRIAL FUND – ASX TIX, 360 CAPITAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX TGP, GOODMAN GROUP – ASX GMG, DEXUS PROPERTY GROUP – ASX DXS, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, APN PROPERTY GROUP LIMITED – ASX APD, FIFE CAPITAL PTY LTD, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

Prime Trust directors banned

Original article by Sarah Danckert
The Australian – Page: 21 : 3-Dec-14

Federal Court of Australia judge Bernard Murphy has handed down the penalties for the board members of the failed Prime Retirement & Aged Care Property Trust, following a successful civil case by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. The breaches of the Corporations Act have resulted in bans from acting as a company director of two years and three months for chair Michael Wooldridge, 15 years for Bill Lewski, and four years each for Kim Jaques and Mark Butler. Fines of between $A20,000 and $A230,000 per individual have also been imposed

CORPORATES
PRIME RETIREMENT AND AGED CARE PROPERTY TRUST, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, VISION EYE INSTITUTE LIMITED – ASX VEI, PLACES VICTORIA, AUSTRALIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES LIMITED – ASX API, MONASH UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Doctors warn against selling hospital land

Original article by Harriet Alexander
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: 10 : 3-Dec-14

Doctors at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital are calling on New South Wales (NSW) Health Minister Jillian Skinner to honour a previously made promise not to divest part of the institution’s grounds. The real estate may generate a gain of $A97m for the NSW Government, but according to the medical practitioners will leave the facility unable to cope with growing demand as the population increases. Medical Staff Council representative Bruce Cooper notes that the hospital will exceed its current capacity in between three and four decades

CORPORATES
ROYAL NORTH SHORE HOSPITAL, NEW SOUTH WALES. MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Red-hot market means the only way is up for apartments … way up

Original article by Matthew Cranston, Michael Bleby
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 27-Nov-14

A number of residential property developers have proposed to build apartment towers of at least 260 metres in Australia’s major capital cities. AMP Capital and Billbergia plan to construct a 300-metre tower in Brisbane, while Fragrance Group intends to build a 302-metre apartment tower in Melbourne. In Sydney, Mirvac is teaming up with Coombes Property Group to develop a 260-metre apartment tower. The boom in apartment development is in response to factors such as Australia’s growing population and the trend toward inner-city living

CORPORATES
AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, BILLBERGIA PTY LTD, FRAGRANCE GROUP LIMITED, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, COOMBES PROPERTY GROUP, ASPIAL CORPORATION LIMITED, UEM SUNRISE BERHAD

Lot release ‘too slow in NSW’

Original article by Tim Binsted
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 26-Nov-14

Brickworks MD Lindsay Partridge believes that the limited supply of land for residential development is contributing to the rising cost of homes in New South Wales. He has urged the State Government to accelerate the release of new housing lots, arguing that it should be making 10 times more lots available than at present. Meanwhile, Brickworks achieved 14 per cent growth in revenue year-on-year in the first quarter of 2014-15

CORPORATES
BRICKWORKS LIMITED – ASX BKW, CIMB SECURITIES INTERNATIONAL (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD

No charges, but watchdog takes civil action after LM property collapse

Original article by Ben Butler, Roseanne Barrett
The Australian – Page: 19 : 21-Nov-14

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) is bringing a civil action against real estate investor Peter Drake, but it will not pursue criminal charges. His LM fund management firm raised $A800m-plus from small retail shareholders before failing in 2013. The watchdog alleges that Drake channelled $A26m to personal spending, and that director’s duties were breached in approving the loans by LM’s Francene Mulder, Eghard van der Hoven, Simon Jeremy Tickner and Lisa Maree Darcy

CORPORATES
LM INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, LM ADMINISTRATION PTY LTD, LM MANAGED PERFORMANCE FUND, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, MADDISON ESTATE PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS, ERNST AND YOUNG

Surge likely for China investment

Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 28 : 19-Nov-14

Ross Hamilton of Ernst & Young forecasts that Chinese investors will ramp up their investment in Australian commercial property to $A8bn a year due to the free trade agreement. He notes that Chinese investment in the sector has totalled just $A24bn over the last seven years. Greenland Australia MD Luo Xiaohua says the Chinese group has invested $A2bn in Australia to date

CORPORATES
ERNST AND YOUNG, SHANGHAI GREENLAND GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, WANDA GROUP

A-REITs outperform

Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 29 : 12-Nov-14

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 A-REIT Index gained 6.8 per cent in October 2014, recovering from a sharp sell-off early in the month. Morgan Stanley has an overweight position on a number of listed property trusts, while Goldman Sachs has a "buy" rating on Mirvac Group, DEXUS Property Group, GPT Group, Hotel Properties Investments and Goodman Group

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 A-REIT INDEX, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, GOLDMAN SACHS AND PARTNERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, GPT GROUP – ASX GPT, MIRVAC GROUP – ASX MGR, DEXUS PROPERTY GROUP – ASX DXS, GOODMAN GROUP – ASX GMG, HOTEL PROPERTIES INVESTMENTS – ASX HPI, BWP TRUST – ASX BWP, SCENTRE GROUP – ASX SCG, NOVION PROPERTY GROUP – ASX NVN, FEDERATION CENTRES – ASX FDC, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, NATIONAL STORAGE REIT – ASX NSR, ARENA REIT – ASX ARF, STANDARD AND POOR’S (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, INVESTA OFFICE FUND – ASX IOF, WESTFIELD CORPORATION – ASX WFD, CHARTER HALL RETAIL REIT – ASX CQR, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD