Boom-er and bust: Lifestyle's downsizer story undone by fee fight
If you listen to Lifestyle Communities' rivals, it is greed. The property owner with a stronghold of Victorian over-50s residential parks worked hard to keep rivals out of the state, charges fees that eat up tenants' capital gains and, now that it has fallen foul of the state's Civil and Administrative Tribunal, isn't deserving of sympathy.
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7NEWS
2 hours ago
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Ansett Australia revived as AI-powered travel platform two decades after carrier's collapse
The Ansett name 'is back', but not as Australians will remember the former airline. Ansett Australia was once the country's second-largest carrier but collapsed into administration after suffering financial troubles in 2001. Its final flight was recorded early the following year. Now, more than 20 years later, the brand is being revived not as an airline but as an AI-powered holiday booking platform called Ansett Travel. Melbourne-based entrepreneur Constantine Frantzeskos said it was designed to be a 'hyper-personalised' travel agent that suggests trips and itineraries based on your preferences, calendar events and budgets. 'I didn't just acquire a lapsed trademark and domain, I resurrected trust embedded deep in collective memory,' Frantzeskos said on Monday. 'The original Ansett served Australians beautifully for 65 years before collapsing in 2002, leaving a void in reliability and brand warmth. 'I believe that legacy still matters, and that it's deserving of being reimagined for modern travellers. 'Ansett Travel isn't about replicating the past, it's about re‑engineering it through AI as the core, not as an afterthought.' What Ansett Travel will offer Frantzeskos has previously worked with Emirates, Dubai Tourism and Visit Victoria, and this time partnered with Victorian travel start-up Travlr. He said the new platform is 'like the Costco of travel'. It is open to everyone 'but if you want the really good stuff' — flights, hotels and holidays at near-wholesale prices — you will need to join Ansett VIP, he said. An Ansett VIP membership is $99 a year. Not all AI features are up and running but Frantzeskos said plans for things like auto-generated itineraries, pre-trip alerts, and personalised loyalty experiences are on the cards. 'Today's travel platforms are reactive,' he said. 'You search, compare, click. Ansett seeks to flip that model. 'It's designed to anticipate when users need a break – school holidays, anniversaries, executive downtime, great weather for a weekend away – and offer options before you even think to ask. 'It's not replacing human agents; it's doing what scale, data and logic do best – with finesse, not friction.' The website is already live and offering travel deals for destinations including Las Vegas, Bali, Tokyo and Athens. Before its collapse, Ansett reportedly flew about 10 million passengers annually. More than 16,000 jobs were lost as a result of the company's downfall.
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
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New laws would allow the Albert Park Formula 1 precinct to be closed to the public for up to three weeks during race periods, extending the current maximum seven-day lockout. The proposed changes, to be introduced to parliament by the state government, are part of the Australian Grand Prix Amendment Bill. The new laws would permit a race 'declaration period' of between seven and 21 days to accommodate the set-up and dismantling of the race infrastructure. The community will be invited to provide feedback on the plan, which also includes updates to corporate and intellectual property rights, new permissions for non-motorsports events hosted by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, and an increased annual state payment to Parks Victoria for the ongoing maintenance of Albert Park. 'The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is one of the highest attended races on the Formula 1 calendar,' Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos said. 'This consultation will ensure we're listening to the community as we create a safer and more secure Albert Park.' The proposed changes come as the scale of the Melbourne Grand Prix continues to grow. The 2025 event broke attendance records, drawing 465,498 spectators over four days – an increase of more than 10,000 from the previous year. In 2023 and 2024, Victorian taxpayers paid $100 million each year to cover the shortfall in revenue which failed to meet the costs of staging the grand prix. The government says the new 21-day window will allow for safer, more controlled access for workers and reduced risk for park users during construction periods.
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Public lockout at Albert Park GP precinct set to triple in length
New laws would allow the Albert Park Formula 1 precinct to be closed to the public for up to three weeks during race periods, extending the current maximum seven-day lockout. The proposed changes, to be introduced to parliament by the state government, are part of the Australian Grand Prix Amendment Bill. The new laws would permit a race 'declaration period' of between seven and 21 days to accommodate the set-up and dismantling of the race infrastructure. The community will be invited to provide feedback on the plan, which also includes updates to corporate and intellectual property rights, new permissions for non-motorsports events hosted by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, and an increased annual state payment to Parks Victoria for the ongoing maintenance of Albert Park. 'The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is one of the highest attended races on the Formula 1 calendar,' Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos said. 'This consultation will ensure we're listening to the community as we create a safer and more secure Albert Park.' The proposed changes come as the scale of the Melbourne Grand Prix continues to grow. The 2025 event broke attendance records, drawing 465,498 spectators over four days – an increase of more than 10,000 from the previous year. In 2023 and 2024, Victorian taxpayers paid $100 million each year to cover the shortfall in revenue which failed to meet the costs of staging the grand prix. The government says the new 21-day window will allow for safer, more controlled access for workers and reduced risk for park users during construction periods.
