Australia's worst neighbours exposed

Daily Telegraph

12-06-2025

In the heart of suburban Australia, neighbours can be both a source of comfort and contention. While many enjoy the camaraderie and support that comes with sharing a street, others find themselves embroiled in disputes that test the limits of civility and legality.
This story delves into the unsettling world of bad neighbours, examining the lengths to which some will go to achieve their desired outcomes, and the impact these actions have on community cohesion and individual wellbeing.
The celeb realtor Vs two tiny sheds
In a case that has captured public attention, a US-based real estate agent, Julian Galbraith Johnston, has been portrayed as the ultimate bad neighbour.
Johnston allegedly arranged for the illegal demolition of two historic fishing shacks on the Fleurieu Peninsula to improve the view for his new development.
George Lavrentiadis, who carried out the demolition, was paid $5000 and believed the action was legal.
Lavrentiadis admitted in court that he trusted Johnston's claim that the shacks were not protected, as reported by The Advertiser .
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Barry Robertson, whose family owned one of the shacks, caught Lavrentiadis in the act and accused him of being 'vermin' for destroying the shacks for such a small sum.
Robertson also claimed Lavrentiadis stole $29,000 worth of personal and historic items.
The shacks were part of a dispute between Robertson and Johnston, who argued they were on Crown land next to his property.
Despite Johnston's denial of any wrongdoing, Lavrentiadis pleaded guilty to damaging property.
Prosecutors are now seeking jail time for Lavrentiadis, emphasising that the loss can't be fixed with money alone.
This case highlights the clash between development and preserving history, with Johnston's actions sparking debate about the impact of modernisation on treasured community sites.
Read more here.
Judge demands action in neighbour tree dispute
In a recent neighbourhood dispute in Budds Beach, Gold Coast, Rodney Ernest O'Kane took his neighbours Mark Francis Caughley and Roberta Rosina Battaglia to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) over flowering trees that hang over his rental property. Mr O'Kane claimed the trees blocked sunlight and dropped leaves into his pool, causing maintenance issues.
The tribunal ruled that the neighbours must prune the trees to form a hedge each winter, with the first trimming due by August 24, 2024, at their expense.
The dispute arose after Mr O'Kane complained about the trees damaging his landscaping and pool, claims which were denied by Mr Caughley and Ms Battaglia.
They argued that the trees were planted as a screening hedge 20 years ago and provided habitat for local wildlife.
The couple also stated that Mr O'Kane only raised issues about the trees after their relationship soured over a separate fence damage incident.
The tribunal's decision highlights the complexities of neighbourhood disputes and the importance of maintaining good relations with neighbours.
Read more here.
The `evil nun'
A North Queensland woman hung a bucket of rotting fish near her neighbours' kitchen window in actions 'unlike anything' seen by a seasoned magistrate, Cairns Magistrates Court heard.
The Cairns Post reported in 2023, Elizabeth Anne Sheean, 66, pleaded guilty to the stalking and common assault of her two neighbours over 14 months from August, 2021 to October, 2022.
The dispute stemmed from her claims of excessive noise and problems with their pet cat.
After the rotting fish incident, Sheean placed an image of an 'evil nun' from the movie The Conjuring on a window facing the couple's house — for over a year until one week before her first court appearance.
'She knew my wife was religious and would be very upset by this. She had been calling us evil for quite some time,' the neighbour said.
The court heard she once hit a phone out of the hand of one of the neighbours and told them she wished they would die of cancer.
Magistrate Kevin Priestly said he found Sheean's conduct 'self-righteous' and 'lacking insight'.
He sentenced her to three years' probation and ordered she have no contact with the neighbours.
Tanks but no tanks!
In 2020, Branko Soda of South Australia, won a legal battle to have a large rainwater tank moved away from his home.
Upon returning from holiday, Mr Soda found the 46,000-litre tank installed next to his house, blocking his veranda view.
Although the Campbelltown Council had retrospectively approved the tank, the Environment, Resources and Development Court ordered his neighbour, Bayden Greer, to move it at least 800mm.
Mr Greer agreed to relocate it 2.5 metres further north and an additional 600mm from the boundary.
Mr Soda spent over $6,500 on the legal challenge, which attracted national attention and divided public opinion.
The court order also requires planting creepers to screen the tank, and Mr Greer has voluntarily started building a 2.8m high fence.
Although Mr Soda regrets not pushing for a greater distance during mediation, he is relieved to regain some of his view.
While some supported his cause, others saw no issue with the tank's placement.
Read more here.
Neighbours at war over fence
In Brisbane, a neighbourhood conflict over a dividing fence reached boiling point in 2022, resulting in police intervention after nearby residents heard cries for help.
The dispute involved Reshael Sirputh and her neighbour Mitch McKee, who was caught on video dismantling a chain wire fence between their properties.
Ms Sirputh's recording also captured her desperate attempts to stop him.
Mr McKee claims his actions were part of plans to construct a new fence.
However, Ms Sirputh argues that when Mr McKee moved in five years earlier, he built a paling fence in front of the existing chain wire fence, only to later remove it. Following council advice, Ms Sirputh erected a bamboo fence on her side when she got a dog, which Mr McKee also tore down.
The situation further escalated when Mr McKee was recorded swinging a hammer at Ms Sirputh's dog, leading to claims of injuries to the animal, which Mr McKee denies.
The altercation included Mr McKee making threats against the dog, further heightening tensions between the neighbours.
Read more here.
Millionaire's court battle over palm trees
Two millionaires in one of Sydney's wealthiest suburb were locked in a court battle over palm, obstructing one of the homeowner's exclusive harbour views.
Former Allianz chairman John Curtis took his neighbour businessman Winardi Pranatajaya to the NSW Land and Environment Court in 2024 over the palm trees, which he claims are obstructing the harbour views he has 'enjoyed since purchasing his property in 1993'.
He argued that the trees breached an agreement on the property title limiting the height of items on Pranatajaya's land.
However, the NSW Land and Environment Court, led by Acting Commissioner David Galwey, determined that the palm trees did not severely obstruct Curtis' views and were important for maintaining Pranatajaya's privacy.
The court found that while the trees moderately affected views from Curtis' patio, they did not significantly impact views from other parts of his property.
The Trees Disputes Between Neighbours Act requires that trees must severely restrict sunlight or views to justify removal or pruning.
Galwey highlighted the trees' landscape value and privacy benefits for Pranatajaya, suggesting that the parties might consider replacing the palms with bamboo, which could be kept at an appropriate height.
Curtis' sandstone home, purchased for $1.62 million in 1993, is a historic five-bedroom residence built in 1856, featuring a grand drawing room, formal dining room, and a swimming pool with harbour views. The property is now estimated to be worth over $20 million.
Read more here.
Millionaire goes to war over size of boat
If you think size doesn't matter – it does! Just ask Gold Coast resident, Maxwell Gordon Leslie, who has been embroiled in a dispute with his millionaire neighbours, Robert and Janice Buttner, over a pontoon and boat size at their Sanctuary Cove property.
According to an article published online by the Courier Mail, Leslie claims the Buttners violated community by-laws with their pontoon and building works, prompting the body corporate to take action against the Buttners at the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
However, Leslie's request to join the tribunal case was denied, as the tribunal deemed his involvement unnecessary.
The body corporate alleges the Buttner's pontoon exceeds approved dimensions and encroaches into the harbour.
They also claim the Buttners have not provided necessary information about the vessel and an engineering certificate for the pontoon.
Additionally, the tribunal will consider whether a guest bedroom window in the Buttner's home complies with body corporate standards.
Leslie, who has a history of legal disputes with the Buttners, argues that their actions have negatively impacted his privacy and home amenity.
Despite his concerns, the tribunal ruled that Leslie's previous legal actions indicated he intended to address broader renovation issues beyond the pontoon and window.
Read more here.
As it turns out, not even celebrities are immune from neighbour disputes.
Little appreciation for 'Fort Guy'
Guy Sebastian's massive Maroubra mansion on Sydney's eastern beaches – nicknamed 'Fort Guy' by locals – has been at the centre of a battle with his neighbour in the area for several years.
Various claims have allegedly passed between singer Sebastian and his immediate neighbour Phillip Hanslow since 2017, of which some have ended up in court.
Sebastian spent $3.3m on the property in 2013 and set about making a huge home. Building costs are said to be around $7m.
His home sits on 1400 sqm, while Hanslow has a 325sqm block.
'We didn't grow up in houses like this,' Sebastian has said of the home.
'Every day, we (he and wife Jules) look at each other and say, 'Why is this us?'
'But there is beauty in feeling like an alien in your own space. You never fail to appreciate it.'
It seems his neighbour, doesn't share the same appreciation.
'He's (Sebastian) paranoid about security and has a large security camera outside so anywhere I go outside on the property, he can see,' Mr Hanslow has claimed.
'We're going to have to sell. We're too old for this.'
Read more here.
Billionaire is 'blocking the way'
Aussie richlister Clive Palmer has come under fire after a decision to block access to a golf course left locals fearing for the safety of native wildlife and motorists, sparking a feud with his neighbours.
News.com.au reported last year, Residents of Yaroomba on the Queensland Sunshine Coast claim billionaire owner of the luxury course, Palmer, is putting the lives of eastern grey kangaroos at risk after he blocked the animals from accessing the course safely through an underpass.
With a tall metal gate fitted with spikes and padlocks preventing the kangaroos from entering the Palmer Coolum Resort, locals said the animals have been left to use an alternative route to cross a major highway.
If the gate were to be opened, it would allow local wildlife to pass between the east and west sides of David Low Way.
Those petitioning for the mining magnate and former politician to open the gate said three kangaroos and a joey have been killed on the nearby road, with some fearing it's only a matter of time before someone is involved in a serious accident or killed.
While some believe the safety of local wildlife has compromised the development in the area, others believe it is a direct result of the blocked thoroughfare which was previously used for golf cart access.
Read more here.
Jennifer Hawkin's reno 'the biggest thing ever'
Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins and her husband Jake Wall copped criticism last year from enraged neighbours over their $30 million mansion construction.
Hawkins and Wall, who together own the design and construction firm J-Group, are building a mega mansion in the exclusive suburb of Whale Beach, 40km north of Sydney's CBD.
The celeb couple do not intend to live in the property, with reports the home has been already sold to a mystery buyer for a little under $30 million.
As renovations continue, the constant stream of construction trucks and alleged illegal parking has left local residents fuming.
According to media reports, one local resident had his driveway blocked off for hours a day on several occasions while another had his lawn destroyed by cement mixers.
Aerial pictures show the enormous scale of the home – dwarfing nearby dwellings and appearing more than three times the size of its nearest neighbours.
Work on the $30 million compound began in 2022 after receiving approval from Sydney's Northern Beaches Council for $3.3 million worth of construction.
One upset resident says they were sick of the ongoing construction and described it as 'the biggest thing in the whole peninsular at the moment', reports the Daily Mail Australia.
'It's so huge, it's out of character with Whale Beach, it's too big and unnecessary. I have anxiety now,' the resident said.
Read more here.