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Barefoot Investor Scott Pape unleashes at the Reserve Bank for lowering interest rates

Barefoot Investor Scott Pape unleashes at the Reserve Bank for lowering interest rates

Daily Mail​20-05-2025
The Barefoot Investor has taken a swipe at the Reserve Bank of Australia, claiming young people should be 'p**sed off' the bank decided to cut the cash rate because it would cause house prices to surge.
On Tuesday afternoon, the RBA eased the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3.85 per cent - a low which has not been seen since June 2023.
Scott Pape said while the cash rate cut would alleviate mortgage repayments for millions of Aussies it would have a negative impact on young people trying to get into the property market.
Mr Pape said young Aussies should be 'pissed' at the decision as it means property prices would inevitably increase.
'If I was a young person right now I would be pretty pissed off,' Mr Pape told news.com.au.
'Every time a young person gets close, it just keeps getting more expensive.'
Mr Pape also took aim at the Albanese government for introducing a five per cent deposit scheme for first-home buyers,' labelling the policy as 'totally stupid'.
Experts have warned the policy, which is set to come into effect from January 1, 2026, would ultimately push house prices up.
'People shouldn't be buying a home in one of the most expensive cities in the world if they can't afford it,' Mr Pape said.
'I don't understand how a responsible government can stand by and say this is a good thing.'
SQM Research Managing Director Louis Christopher said he expects property prices to rise from now and into 2026, with a 10 per cent increase by the end of the year.
Mr Christopher said auction clearance rates would skyrocket due to the rate cut and advised first-home buyers to try and enter the market before the end of 2025.
'First home buyers are in a better buying position compared to six months ago,' Mr Christopher said.
'Their purchasing and borrowing power has increased. However, if I am right about price rises, they will need to move quickly, otherwise they will be back to square one on affordability.'
An owner-occupier borrower with an average $660,000 mortgage would save $107 on their monthly repayments with the latest rate cut, as typical variable home loan rates with the major banks fell under six per cent.
ANZ became the first of the Big Four banks to announce it would match the RBA's latest rate cut with a 25 basis point cut to its variable rates.
This means its online-only rate is falling to 5.59 per cent on May 30.
Westpac followed seven minutes later, matching ANZ's equally lowest online-only mortgage rate but from June 3.
The Commonwealth Bank matched its competitors shortly after, with borrowers getting relief on May 30.
Australia's biggest home lender updated its forecasts to have more rate cuts in August and November, with relief at the RBA's next meeting in July a 'live' possibility.
NAB's lowest online-only rate is falling to 5.94 per cent on May 30, but it's available for borrowers with a small five per cent deposit.
Ms Bullock acknowledged the 13 rate rises in 2022 and 2023 were challenging for borrowers, who copped the most aggressive pace of monetary policy tightening since the late 1980s.
'I know this period of relatively high interest rates has been and continues to be challenging for many households and businesses but it was essential that we brought inflation down,' Ms Bullock said.
The RBA declined to suggest more rate cuts were coming but left the door open for further relief as inflation is expected to fall into the target band.
'Inflation has fallen substantially since the peak in 2022, as higher interest rates have been working to bring aggregate demand and supply closer towards balance,' RBA said.
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‘We knocked £100k off our second home but locals don't want to buy it'
‘We knocked £100k off our second home but locals don't want to buy it'

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

‘We knocked £100k off our second home but locals don't want to buy it'

The second home council tax premium has 'decimated' local property markets, with house prices falling and the number of homes for sale soaring. The policy was supposed to make homes more affordable for those living there by encouraging second home owners to sell up. But sellers in tourist hotspots have told Telegraph Money that this isn't working: they argue that properties being sold as a result of the changes aren't suitable for first-time buyers, and few are being bought by local residents. More than 200 local authorities across England introduced a 100pc council tax premium on second homes in April, and many in Wales had also raised it previously. The Telegraph is calling for the surcharge, which was introduced by the Tories, to be cut or abolished. Property prices in the Cotswolds have fallen 4pc this year, according to analysis by estate agency Hamptons, while in holiday home hotspot the South Hams in Devon, prices have fallen 2.6pc. 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They feel very connected to their Welsh home, coming regularly year-round, spending every August there, sharing Anchor Cottage with their three children and five grandchildren, and are involved with the local church and community. But now, faced with an annual council tax bill of more than £8,000, they have regretfully put their four-bedroom detached cottage overlooking the Gann Estuary on the market. They initially listed it for £850,000, but have since reduced the price by £100,000 to encourage buyers. 'The justification of the council tax rises is to encourage people to sell to young folk, but they're not in the market for homes like ours,' he says. 'We understand this, we have three quarters of an acre of sloping land. We even looked into the possibility of building a pair of semi-detached properties or a little row of three houses to help provide local homes. But we're in a National Park so planning would have been an issue.' 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He's selling two apartments in The Crescent, a prestigious row of early Victorian properties in South Bay. These two-bedroom properties will likely sell to downsizers or retirees, rather than first-time buyers, he believes. Harris, 62, owns a construction company in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, and his wife, Heather, 55, a graphic designer, have been prompted to sell up after the council brought in a 100pc premium for second homes in April. 'My wife is gutted to be selling the flat because we love going there,' says Harris, who describes the policy as 'a blunt instrument'. He adds: 'Scarborough is built on second home ownership, in fact the whole of The Crescent was built all those years ago by families from Sheffield. I don't think it's going to help families moving into Scarborough.' The reasoning, that the second home tax was supposed to help young families buy homes in their local area, is totally flawed, agrees Peett. 'Most second homes are either far too expensive for young local families even if prices drop. [In our area of Wales], most second homes cost over £500,000 and therefore are never going to drop down to an affordable level. The average price for a property in Pembrokeshire is circa £245,000 which is the level locals can afford.' In Wales, councils were given the power to increase second home owners' bills by as much as 300pc in 2023. In the pretty harbour town of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, second home owners pay a council tax premium of 150pc. It was set at 200pc in April 2024, but only six months later, the council dropped it back due to 'the devastating consequences on the local economy,' Peett says. The consequences have hit hard as offloading second home owners flood the market; Tenby's current average sale price of £275,068 is 21pc down on the previous year, according to Rightmove. Harris argues that targeting second home owners has a highly detrimental knock-on effect on businesses such as restaurants, cafes and shops, which will of course employ local people, many of them younger seasonal workers. 'The fact is, people coming here to stay in their own properties spend their money locally; they go out for dinner. Also, they don't need doctors, or dentists or put any pressure on local services.' A spokesman for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'There is a desperate need for more housing, and having too many second homes in an area can exacerbate this crisis by driving up housing costs for local people and damaging public services. 'That's why councils can choose to add up to 100pc extra on the council tax bills of second homes to help local leaders protect their communities. This is not a mandatory requirement, and it is for councils to decide whether to do this and take account of local circumstances.'

Work from home to soon become a legal right for millions of Victorians
Work from home to soon become a legal right for millions of Victorians

Daily Mail​

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Work from home to soon become a legal right for millions of Victorians

The Victorian government is set to enshrine the right to work from home in law, with sweeping reforms that will apply across both the public and private sectors. Premier Jacinta Allan will unveil the landmark policy at the annual state Labor conference, describing it as a progressive move to modernise the workforce and support families. 'Working from home works for families, and it's good for the economy,' she will say. 'Day after day, unions are being contacted by workers who have been denied reasonable requests to work from home. 'Across the country, Liberals are drawing up plans to abolish work-from-home and force workers back to the office, and back to the past. 'That's why the Allan Labor government is acting. Enshrining work from home in law means this life-changing practice isn't something you or your loved ones have to politely ask for. It's a right you'll be entitled to.' The proposed legislation would give workers a legal right to request remote work two days a week if they can 'reasonably' perform their duties from home. Employers would be required to give the requests proper consideration, with a formal consultation process set to begin soon as the legislation is introduced later this year. Ms Allan also pointed to the cost of living relief the policy would offer, estimating it could save workers around $110 per week, or more than $5,300 a year in commuting and related expenses. 'Work from home supports women with children, carers, and people with a disability to work,' she said. 'Thanks to work from home, workforce participation is 4.4 per cent higher than before the pandemic.' Opposition Leader Brad Battin has dismissed claims the Liberals opposed the laws, telling Daily Mail the party supports work-from-home flexibility. 'The Victorian Liberals and Nationals recognise that working from home has become a valuable option for many workers and families,' Mr Battin said. 'We support measures that help Victorians enjoy a better work-life balance and will review any legislation closely, to ensure it supports flexibility, productivity, and personal choice.' His comments contrast with those of former federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who was forced to retreat from a policy limiting work-from-home rights for public servants after widespread backlash during the last election campaign. In addition to the proposed work-from-home reforms, Victorian Labor will also debate a raft of controversial policy ideas at the state conference on Saturday, including new taxes and major social reforms. More than 600 party delegates, including MPs, grassroots members and union representatives, will vote on a series of proposals that could shape the ALP's platform ahead of the 2026 state election. Among the most contentious items is a push to raise taxes on Victorian residents, despite the state already being the most heavily taxed in the country. Other proposals include introducing a super profits tax on land sales and legalising cannabis for recreational use. The outcomes of the weekend's debate will play a critical role in defining Premier Jacinta Allan's policy agenda over the next 18 months, with an election set for November next year.

Going to waste: two years after REDcycle's collapse, Australia's soft plastics are hitting the environment hard
Going to waste: two years after REDcycle's collapse, Australia's soft plastics are hitting the environment hard

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Going to waste: two years after REDcycle's collapse, Australia's soft plastics are hitting the environment hard

Two years on from REDcycle's collapse, 94% of Australia's soft plastics are still headed for landfill. Collection has restarted at supermarkets, and 42 warehouses of plastics have been cleared, but experts say the packaging industry must take responsibility for the mess. By July, supermarkets had mostly cleared the stockpiles, which by November 2022 reached 11,000 tonnes of soft plastics at 44 sites across the country, hoards accumulated as collections outstripped available recycling capacity and export restrictions increased the amount of plastic waste in Australia. The remainder – 3,500 tonnes at two sites, in Victoria and in South Australia – is due to be processed in the first half of 2026, according to the supermarket members of the Soft Plastics Taskforce. But as more than 100 new collection points have been rolled out since June in selected Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores across New South Wales and Victoria, taskforce members have been careful not to collect more than can be processed. 'The biggest challenge still remains that there is simply not enough soft plastic recycling capacity in Australia to support full, nationwide collections,' a spokesperson for the taskforce told the Guardian. Soft plastic is defined by its ability to be scrunched into a ball, unlike 'rigid' plastics, which are moulded to hold their shape. Even at the peak of its operations in 2022, REDcycle was collecting about 7,500 tonnes – less than 2% of the 538,000 tonnes of plastic bags, food wrappers, bubble wrap and other 'flexible' plastic waste produced in Australia each year. 'We still have a real problem in that we consume too much [soft plastics], we discard too much and we don't buy back anywhere near enough,' says Gayle Sloan, the chief executive of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia. While recyclers are increasing their capacity to process the material, Sloan says other problems remain: the vast quantities produced, design packaging that is too complex to recover and the lack of demand from packaging companies and other consumers for Australian-made recycled plastic. She says the onus should be on plastic manufacturers to invest in facilities to take back their own material. 'We've got to stop putting it on consumers to solve the problem.' Despite national packaging targets set by governments in 2018 for 70% of plastic packaging to be recycled by 2025, only about 6% of used and discarded soft plastics were being baled, sorted, shredded, washed, melted – or chemically processed – and turned into new products, according to data published in December by Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia. The rest has headed to landfill. Consumer plastics collected by households, while the most visible, are only one part of the story. Soft plastics are embedded in so many aspects of modern life, says David Hodge, the managing director of recycling company Plastic Forests. The material is widely used, for example, in sectors such as agriculture for storing grain and preventing weeds, and in transport for wrapping pallets. Consumer materials, particularly those used for foods – frozen produce bags, cereal liners or bread bags – are 'tremendously hard to recycle, some of them impossible', he says. They are often 'super technical', comprising different types of plastic, and contaminated by inks used for advertising, or food residues. While there is value for recyclers in processing plastics, such as PET (or polyethylene terephthalate) in drink bottles collected in container deposit schemes, Hodge says 'the economics is broken in soft plastics' because the energy, labor and transport required to collect, process and recycle them costs more than importing new materials. The lack of incentives or mandates for products made from recycled content – such as fence posts and garden edging, electrical cable cover and plastic sheeting – mean they often struggled to compete with non-recycled products. 'There has to be support for the purchase of products. That will create the pull through,' Hodge says. 'Bunnings needs to be given a federal government mandate to support Australian made recycled products,' he says as an example. 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According to its summary, 80% of stakeholders supported regulation, and 65% supported an extended responsibility scheme that would make plastics producers responsible for the entire product lifecycle. The government is now 'working with industry and state and territory governments to deliver fit-for-purpose packaging regulations as part of Australia's transition to a circular economy', a departmental spokesperson said. Sloan says voluntary approaches have failed. 'We need to have clear design standards and they need to be enforceable, and we actually need those who make this to be held accountable and invest in facilities to take it back,' she says. 'We've got to stop putting products out on the market that have no home and can't be recovered.'

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