Latest news with #TransportAccidentCommission
Herald Sun
20 hours ago
- Business
- Herald Sun
$20m upgrade for TAC HQ targets working parents, access, inclusion
Centuria Capital Group has revealed a $20m planning refurbishment of the TAC building at 60 Brougham St, Geelong. A school zone for working parents to bring their children before and after school is one of the new features a planned $20m upgrade will deliver for workers at Transport Accident Commission's Geelong headquarters. The property's owner, listed $20B real estate funds manager Centuria Capital Group, plans to refurbish the 60 Brougham St building, delivering a suite of new facilities to encourage people into the office, improve its environmental credentials and hopefully win a new lease after 2029. The additions include a gymnasium with an indoor sauna, a cold recovery room and multipurpose room for pilates or yoga; and end-of-trip facilities such as showers, 180 lockers and parking for 80 bicycles. RELATED: New FOMO pressure facing Geelong buyers From shop to shortcut: Laneway wins award Global second-hand fashion fave eyes big entry to Geelong Gender-neutral toilets, a multi-faith room for reflection or prayer, multiple parents rooms with private spaces including microwaves, changing areas, wet areas and various forms of seating are designed to foster inclusion, while the school zone will be fitted with televisions, reading areas and desks. The refurbishment will upgrade the 16-year-old facade by removing panel cladding and coloured boxes around windows; install a new entrance lobby, upgrade bathroom facilities on each floor, including new dedicating facilities for people with a disability; and add a ground floor business hub and meeting areas. Parents room are one of the new features designed to woo office workers, including updated bathrooms and new dedicating facilities for people with a disability on each floor. New facilities will include a sauna, gender-neutral bathrooms and a cold recovery room. More multipurpose spaces will allow for activities within the building. The dormant Corio St retail precinct will have new landscaping, seating and decking, while community gardens and event spaces will maximise other outdoor spaces, including barbecue facilities on the refreshed level five balcony. Head of funds management Jesse Curtis said Centuria wants to make the building 'best in class' and bring 'Park Hyatt luxury to Geelong', with full electrification and targeting a minimum 5.5-star NABERS rating, a 6-star Green Star rating and a WELL Gold rating. 'We've had numerous examples where we've been able to refurbish buildings and retain tenants, and they've been extremely happy and occupied our buildings for a very long period of time,' Mr Curtis said. An artist's render shows how the $20m upgrade would change the exterior of the building at 60 Brougham St, Geelong. End of trip facilities will include storage for 80 bicycles, showers and 180 lockers. The upgrade was planned for the past five years ago, but was delayed by Covid, he said. The refurbishment comes as the TAC considers its next building lease in Geelong when its current lease expires in 2029. While remaining at 60 Brougham St is one option, there's still competition including from approved multistorey office projects within Geelong's CBD. Centuria has a $7B office portfolio across Australia and New Zealand, which focuses on suburban and campus-style buildings, such as the TAC headquarters. The new spaces at TAC are part of a reworking of the building's floorplates to improve efficiency. Landscaping will include decking and seating to activate spaces outside the building. A new-look lobby would welcome people to the building. While there will be an additional business centre and meeting spaces on the ground floor. 'What we've seen across our portfolio – this is probably more general than specific to TAC – is people's use of space is changing,' Mr Curtis said. 'People aren't necessarily taking less space, they're just changing the way they use the space. 'So where we can create a one-stop shop, where you have a gym and different outdoor areas, communal spaces and the ability to collaborate in different ways, or bring that family and home life to be a little more flexible, we're starting to change the way we use our buildings right across our portfolio.' The project is still in planning phase, but work is expected to start in the second half of 2025. 'We're anticipating minimum disruption to our occupied during that period.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
$20m upgrade for TAC HQ targets working parents, access, inclusion
A school zone for working parents to bring their children before and after school is one of the new features a planned $20m upgrade will deliver for workers at Transport Accident Commission's Geelong headquarters. The property's owner, listed $20B real estate funds manager Centuria Capital Group, plans to refurbish the 60 Brougham St building, delivering a suite of new facilities to encourage people into the office, improve its environmental credentials and hopefully win a new lease after 2029. The additions include a gymnasium with an indoor sauna, a cold recovery room and multipurpose room for pilates or yoga; and end-of-trip facilities such as showers, 180 lockers and parking for 80 bicycles. Gender-neutral toilets, a multi-faith room for reflection or prayer, multiple parents rooms with private spaces including microwaves, changing areas, wet areas and various forms of seating are designed to foster inclusion, while the school zone will be fitted with televisions, reading areas and desks. The refurbishment will upgrade the 16-year-old facade by removing panel cladding and coloured boxes around windows; install a new entrance lobby, upgrade bathroom facilities on each floor, including new dedicating facilities for people with a disability; and add a ground floor business hub and meeting areas. The dormant Corio St retail precinct will have new landscaping, seating and decking, while community gardens and event spaces will maximise other outdoor spaces, including barbecue facilities on the refreshed level five balcony. Head of funds management Jesse Curtis said Centuria wants to make the building 'best in class' and bring 'Park Hyatt luxury to Geelong', with full electrification and targeting a minimum 5.5-star NABERS rating, a 6-star Green Star rating and a WELL Gold rating. 'We've had numerous examples where we've been able to refurbish buildings and retain tenants, and they've been extremely happy and occupied our buildings for a very long period of time,' Mr Curtis said. The upgrade was planned for the past five years ago, but was delayed by Covid, he said. The refurbishment comes as the TAC considers its next building lease in Geelong when its current lease expires in 2029. While remaining at 60 Brougham St is one option, there's still competition including from approved multistorey office projects within Geelong's CBD. Centuria has a $7B office portfolio across Australia and New Zealand, which focuses on suburban and campus-style buildings, such as the TAC headquarters. The new spaces at TAC are part of a reworking of the building's floorplates to improve efficiency. 'What we've seen across our portfolio – this is probably more general than specific to TAC – is people's use of space is changing,' Mr Curtis said. 'People aren't necessarily taking less space, they're just changing the way they use the space. 'So where we can create a one-stop shop, where you have a gym and different outdoor areas, communal spaces and the ability to collaborate in different ways, or bring that family and home life to be a little more flexible, we're starting to change the way we use our buildings right across our portfolio.' The project is still in planning phase, but work is expected to start in the second half of 2025. 'We're anticipating minimum disruption to our occupied during that period.'
The Age
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Victoria pockets another $1 billion from the TAC
The Transport Accident Commission will deliver Victoria another billion-dollar windfall this year, an $800 million improvement on forecasts in last year's budget. The Allan government insists the TAC remains financially sustainable as it receives its second dividend above $1 billion in as many years and forecasts a similar payment in 2029. But the opposition has criticised the move as it lowers the commission's insurance funding ratio, from well above its target to the middle of the range. State budget papers show that in the 2024-25 financial year, the state government will receive a $1.13 billion dividend from the Transport Accident Commission, up from forecasts of $300 million in the last budget. Loading It is the second billion-dollar payment to come from the TAC in as many years after then-treasurer Tim Pallas requested a $1.08 billion dividend in 2023-24 which was approved. The treasurer has the power to request a dividend or 'capital repayment' from the insurer, after consultation with the organisation and TAC minister. The most recent dividend means the Victorian government has now received $2.87 billion from the TAC since 2019, including capital repayments of $255 million in that year and $400 million in 2022. The budget is also forecasting another $1.15 billion dividend in 2028-29, revising previous estimates that would have delivered yearly contributions in the hundreds of millions.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Young drivers mimic risky parent phone use behind the wheel
It's no secret children copy their parents. They watch, they learn and they do. But what happens when what they're learning is a dangerous driving habit? A new road safety study has revealed teens are far more likely to use mobile phones behind the wheel if they've seen mum or dad do the same. Children who observe their parents taking photos or videos while driving are nearly five times more likely follow suit. Even hands-free usage is having an impact, with young drivers 140 per cent more likely to adopt the behaviour. If parents are seen to be texting while driving….well, their children are 187 per cent more likely to do the exact same thing. Road Safety Education Australia general manager Maria Lovelock explained the numbers were 'not entirely unexpected'. 'Through our Ryda program, we've been tracking concerning patterns in road safety attitudes across generations,' she said. 'What's particularly striking is how the data reinforces what we've observed in our workshops – that safety behaviours are heavily influenced by what young people witness during their formative years' The findings come amid a growing concern over mobile phone usage behind the wheel. In Victoria, the Transport Accident Commission revealed that 52 per cent of drivers use their mobile phone while driving. Surprisingly, Lovelock said the most dangerous habit wasn't texting but the 'quick check' of notifications while driving. 'Parents often justify these moments as necessary or harmless, but they establish a pattern that young drivers then replicate, often with more severe consequences due to their inexperience behind the wheel,' she said. Despite hands-free use being legal, Lovelock said it does deserve more scrutiny. 'I believe we need to follow the evidence. Current research strongly indicates that the cognitive distraction of phone conversations, even hands-free, significantly impairs reaction time and hazard perception,' she said. 'At RSE, we're advocating for a comprehensive approach that recognises all forms of distraction – physical, visual and cognitive – as significant road safety issues requiring attention in both policy and education.' Road Safety Education (RSE) head of program delivery John Elliott said while the research revealed an 'uncomfortable truth', there is hope. 'The data clearly shows that when young people observe their parents using phones while driving, they're dramatically more likely to normalise and ultimately replicate these behaviours,' he said. 'Encouragingly, over 95 per cent of Ryda students indicated they were likely to use, or have already started using, Ryda strategies for managing phones while driving, including switching on do-not-disturb mode or switching the phone off completely, and keeping it out of sight in the glove box.' Elliott warned that parents need to be aware of their actions. 'Parents need to understand that every time they reach for their phone, they're not just putting lives at immediate risk - they're programming future driving behaviours that could have consequences for decades,' he said.
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- News.com.au
Slater and Gordon reach settlement with Ryan Meuleman over 2013 crash with Dan Andrews' vehicle
A cyclist left injured after a collision with former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' car more than a decade ago has agreed to settle a lawsuit against his former law firm. Ryan Meuleman launched legal action against Slater and Gordon alleging it failed to act in his best interest when negotiating an $80,000 compensation settlement with the Transport Accident Commission. Mr Meuleman, who was 15 at the time, was seriously injured in January 2013 after colliding with the then-Labor opposition leader's Ford Territory, which was being driven by his wife Catherine at Blairgowrie. Mr Andrews and the couple's three children were in the car at the time. The family have consistently denied any wrongdoing, and no charges were laid following an investigation by Victoria Police. Mr Meuleman spent 11 days in hospital after the crash. He has alleged the car struck him, while the Andrews' have repeatedly insisted the cyclist crashed into their car. On Wednesday, Mr Meuleman's lawyer, Marcus Clarke KC, confirmed the lawsuit had been settled after Ryan received a confidential offer 'too good to refuse'. Details of the settlement are confidential, however, in a statement, Mr Meuleman said it felt incredible to be 'supported and believed'. 'For years, I never thought I could get here, where people are listening and want to know what really happened,' he said. 'I've got a bit of work to do on myself, and I can now afford some counselling which Mum and Dad reckon will be worth it. But to be honest, I feel good anyway, just knowing people care.' Mr Meuleman has previously suggested he could launch defamation action against the Andrews family to pursue the truth of what happened that day, saying they 'should have owned up to it years ago'. Mr and Mrs Andrews were not party to Mr Meuleman's case against Slater and Gordon. How police handled the investigation was later subject to a probe by the independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) which found there were no 'deficiencies or areas of concern' in 2017. After Mr Andrews' triple-0 call following the collision was made public late last year, the former Victorian Premier and his wife released a joint statement maintaining 'we did nothing wrong'. 'This matter has been comprehensively investigated over many years by Victoria Police Professional Standards Command and IBAC,' they said. 'While we are sorry that the cyclist was injured in the accident, we did nothing wrong.'
