Australia – Page 36 – Michmutters
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Sports

Contracts, driver market, Daniel Ricciardo future, Pierre Gasly contract clause, McLaren, Alpine replacement

The F1’s silly season has well and truly arrived, with the retirement of Sebastian Vettel last week sparking mid-season musical chairs as Fernando Alonso signed with Aston Martin.

Now widespread reports suggest McLaren will snap up rising Australian star Oscar Piastri, leaving fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo without a seat for next year.

It leaves Alpine on the lookout for a driver to replace Alonso and Ricciardo shaped as the most logical option, having previously worked together when the team was called Renault.

Lamonato: Likely to see Piastri in F1 | 06:01

But there could be a twist which opens up another alternative for Alphine, should they opt to go in a different direction.

A report back in June from RacingNews365claimed that AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly has a clause in his contract that would allow him to join a rival team in 2023 — with one condition.

That is that the team is placed higher than AlphaTauri on the standings and Alpine, currently sitting in fourth in the constructors’ championship, would fit that bill.

Now that report has been shared around again given it takes on even more relevance with Alonso’s shock exit.

Gasly’s path back to Red Bull is seemingly blocked after Sergio Perez re-signed until at least the end of 2024 and the Frenchman had been linked to McLaren earlier in the year.

But with Piastri seemingly on his way to McLaren, there would be an opportunity at Alpine should that be of interest to both parties.

MORE F1 NEWS

2023 GRID: How surprise twist could keep Ricciardo’s career alive after Piastri shock

‘DONE DIRTY’: F1 world stunned as ‘brutal’ Ricciardo sacking looms

AlphaTauri's French driver Pierre Gasly could hold the key.  (Photo by Jure Makovec / AFP)
AlphaTauri’s French driver Pierre Gasly could hold the key. (Photo by Jure Makovec / AFP)Source: AFP

Speaking back in June, Gasly said he was in “ongoing conversations” with Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko about his future.

“Well, at the moment, it is not a question of looking outside [Red Bull] or looking anywhere,” Gasly told media, per RacingNews365.com.

“I think my contract situation is pretty clear with Red Bull.

“It’s just ongoing conversation with Helmut and the management to know what’s best for all of us. But, as I said, it’s been very logical that they signed Sergio.

“He’s been competitive since the start of the year, so yeah, no surprise on that side. Obviously, it impacts what’s going to happen for my career in the coming years and, based on that, we just need to have normal conversation on what’s best going forward.”

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Business

Australian mum’s travel hate booms into $20m business Luxico

When it comes to holidaying, deciding whether to go with the expected comforts of a hotel or the relaxed amenities of an Airbnb generally comes down to the guest and the mood of the trip.

For mum and businesswoman Alexandra Ormerod, travel has always been high on the priority list – and she had no plans for that to change when she and husband Tom decided to start a family.

But with a little one in tow, the pair soon realized that the simple pleasures they once took for granted in a hotel room were no longer applicable for a young family.

“We have a lot of family overseas… we are avid travelers and after our first daughter was born we quickly discovered in our travels that hotels were dead to us and that came as a bit of a shock,” Ms Ormerod told news.com. ouch

“We soon found it very challenging to be traveling with a small child and finding accommodation that was of a standard better than a serviced apartment.

“We realized quite early on that places like Europe and Asia have a more mature market than Australia, so there are a lot more villas to hire in different locations. Whereas when you came to Australia and you effectively had the option of a holiday home. That home would be hired through a real estate agent and generally you were restricted to a coastal location and picking the keys up from the local fish and chip shop because the office was closed.

Ms Ormerod said the “disconnected experience” and “transactional approach” to hiring holiday homes in Australia meant guests “never really knew what they were going to get” on arrival.

With a background in advertising, Ms Ormerod said her work in travel and tourism along with her husband’s involvement in property development and real estate meant they identified a gap in the market for couples, friends and family groups seeking options in the luxury end of the holiday homes market.

As a result, ‘Luxico’ – which essentially combines hotels and holidays homes into one – was born in 2013.

“Luxico was a bit of an obvious outcome,” she explained of the company, which is now worth almost $20 million.

“We found there was a real niche for designer accommodation which we identified as not really existing at the time Luxico was born.”

Having a house on the Mornington Peninsula, Ms Ormerod said a lot of neighbors and Melbourne residents had “big homes” in the area which sat empty for most of the year. So she and Tom started renting out properties in the area which signaled a huge area of ​​demand for beautiful, high-end homes temporarily.

“We found there was a lot of demand for that $1000-a-night or more price point that was not being serviced,” she said.

“So we then built on that to try and service that demand, and try to take the experience away from a transactional offering to a more hospitality or hotel offering [within a luxury home].”

Each Luxico stay comes with a concierge service – essentially a local who ‘checks you in’ to the home. Each concierge acts as a point of call for guests, with no request too big, small or bizarre. The homes range from $250 to $15,000 or more per night.

“It’s bringing the human element back into that holiday home stay, and all our concierges are from the local area,” she explained of the company which exclusively manages $700 million worth of property across Australia.

“The extra services you can have – from chefs, to butlers and specialist touring – are all part of the optional extras.

“But for the everyday traveller, the feedback has been that the concierge had given them insider tips to the area … maybe told them of an amazing hidden gem they wouldn’t have otherwise known about that made their holiday.”

While celebrity clients make up a large bulk of the brand’s clientele, Ms Ormerod said “mums and dads” still make up the majority of bookings.

“Luxico is an end-to-end service so we exclusively manage all of the properties that we offer,” she said, adding that if a family is looking to book two or three hotel rooms – a home works out to be better value.

“So we are managing the guest experience not just through the booking process, but the experience they have in home and even afterwards.

“So from the slippers, to the towels to prepared toiletries, the concierge is going in there and provisioning and preparing the home so if you are traveling with small children we will bring in a toy box so they have something to play with. So it’s all those little touches that make the experience a continuance of the booking process.

“It’s more a holistic experience, connecting you with local products, experiences and service providers that will build on that stay.”

Read related topics:airbnb

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Sports

Washington Open 2022, results, semi-finals, Nick Kyrgios def. Mikael Ymer, final, time, tennis news

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios, seeking his first title in three years, advanced to the men’s final at the ATP and WTA Washington Open with a tight victory over Sweden’s Mikael Ymer.

Australia’s 63rd-ranked Kyrgios edged 115th-ranked Ymer 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 and will play for the crown Sunday against the later winner between top seed Andrey Rublev and Japan’s 96th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka.

Kyrgios, who won the most recent of his six ATP titles at Washington in 2019, has a 2-1 career mark against Rublev and a 3-0 record against Nishioka.

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Nick Kyrgios celebrates victory.  (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Nick Kyrgios celebrates victory. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“I didn’t get to sleep until 4.50am, I just had so much adrenaline after (the Tiafoe win),” Kyrgios said.

“I got some treatment and my body was just so sore after last night. It was an epic battle.

“I didn’t really do much today but I felt like my energy was a little flat early on today and it’s understandable, I’m only human.

“My adrenaline for the final is going to be right there and I’m super excited for it. I’ve got doubles tonight, work on my returns a little bit. I returned pretty poorly tonight I’m not going to lie, so hopefully I can turn it up a little tonight.”

Kyrgios then backed it up to book a spot in the final doubles shortly after alongside American Jack Sock, making it two victories in the space of around five hours.

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, trying to end a nine-year WTA title drought at age 37, and 60th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova will meet in the women’s final at the US Open tuneup.

World number 37 Kanepi eliminated Australia’s Daria Saville 6-3, 6-1 in 73 minutes while Samsonova routed China’s Wang Xiyu 6-1, 6-1 in 67 minutes.

Kyrgios won the last three points in the first-set tiebreaker, Ymer sending a forehand long to end an intense rally before Kyrgios added a service winner and overhead smash.

Ymer, who lost his only ATP final last August in Winston-Salem, botched a forehand volley in the third game of the second set to miss a chance to grab a break point.

Kyrgios earned the first break points of the match in the eighth game and took advantage on his third chance with a passing forehand winner to break for a 5-3 edge, then held to claim the match after 94 minutes on his 10th ace.

The Aussie fired 28 winners with only 15 unforced errors and dropped only four points on his second serve.

Nick Kyrgios returns a shot. Patrick Smith/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP

Rublev seeks his 12th career crown and fourth title of the season after Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade, hoping to match Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz for the most ATP trophies this year.

Nishioka, in his first ATP semi-final since 2020 at Delray Beach, won his only ATP title in 2018 at Shenzhen.

Nishioka and Rublev split two prior meetings, Nishioka winning at Sydney in 2019 and Rublev at last year’s ATP Cup.

Kanepi seeks her fifth career WTA title but her first since the 2013 Brussels Open. She won her only WTA hardcourt title at Brisbane in 2012.

Into her first WTA final since a 2021 Australian Open tuneup at Melbourne, Kanepi dominated Saville’s first WTA semi-final since 2018 at Acapulco.

“I played my best match,” Kanepi said. “Everything was very smooth for me. I hit a lot of lines.”

Kyrgios wins hearts with gift for fan | 00:37

Kanepi reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2017 at this year’s Australian Open and credited that for a confidence boost crucial to her success this year.

“It was amazing,” she said. “I never thought I would make quarters in Australia. I thought it’s not just my place. But I played really well, and then I continued playing well. I didn’t actually put any pressure on myself to achieve something special.”

Samsonova, 23, won her only meeting with Kanepi in last year’s first round at Wimbledon. Samsonova is into her first WTA hardcourt final, having won her only prior tour final at last year’s German Open.

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Sports

Inner West major to look into stadium safety after Leichhardt Oval grandstand crash

A Sydney Mayor who has lashed out at Dominic Perrottet for alleged rugby stadium “pork barreling” has reacted with shock after a grandstand collapsed at the weekend.

A disturbing video shows the moment a railing at a Leichhardt Oval grandstand collapsed under the weight of fans attending a schoolboy rugby match.

A number of fans went tumbling over the stand like dominoes and face planted onto concrete meters below.

Paramedic crews at the game treated some minor injuries but no one was taken to hospital, NSW Ambulance reported.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, who has campaigned for funding to upgrade the Leichhardt Oval, issued a media release just days before the collapse, accusing the state government of pork barreling for choosing to spend upwards of $300 million to build Penrith Stadium despite numerous commitments to fund suburban sports grounds.

“Dominic Perrottet is happy to spend $300 million in Stuart Ayres seat, to build a shiny, new Panthers Stadium for the exclusive use of one club,” Mr Byrne said, referring to the outgoing trade minister and MP for Penrith.

“But the Wests Tigers, and all of the other senior and junior, men’s and women’s Rugby League, Soccer and Rugby Union teams who regularly use Leichhardt Oval get nothing.”

The Council had plans to use part of a planned $250m slated for suburban sports grounds to upgrade and expand their grandstands.

“I call on Mr Perrottet to explain why this shocking pork-barrelling continues while most footy fans across Sydney get dudded,” the Labor mayor said.

Leichhardt Oval hosts more than 50 games a year across various rugby codes while Penrith Stadium will host just 11 Penrith Panthers games a year.

Mr Byrne took to his social media following the grandstand collapse to share his shock over the dangerous incident.

“The collapse of grandstand seating at Leichhardt Oval today during a schoolboy rugby match was incredibly dangerous,’ he said.

“The footage is shocking.”

Inner West councilor Philippa Scott jumped into the comment section to direct her anger at the state government.

“I am heartened to know that the spectators were sent home with only minor injuries, however I am incandescently angry at how our inner west infrastructure is treated by the state government,” she said.

We are being smashed by not being a marginal Liberal seat.”

Mayor Byrne said his team are working to make the site safe and will fully investigate the safety risks it raises.

Australia Rugby League boss Peter V’landys this week accused Premier Dominic Perrottet of reneging on his agreement after he redirected funds set aside for sports grounds to flood recovery.

Premier Dominic Perrottet has denied backflipping on his deal to upgrade Brookvale Oval, Leichhardt Oval and Shark Park.

“We won’t give up. We’re going to make sure the fans will get the facilities,” Mr V’Landys told 2GB radio this week.

A tense 24 hours of negotiations on Tuesday night had the ARL boss and the government tussling over whether the grand final would be moved from Sydney to Queensland.

Mr V’landys said in a radio interview at the weekend negotiations were ongoing and that a decision on the grand final would be made on Monday.

“We’re still negotiating with the NSW government, we don’t accept the excuse they’ve given us,” he said.

“The (ARL) commission will meet on Monday to decide the strategy it’s going to use … we don’t want to punish the NSW fans because the government isn’t meeting its commitments.”

Read related topics:sydney

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Sports

Kookaburras show flaws, but find a way to beat England 3-2 in men’s hockey semi-final at Commonwealth Games

The Kookaburras are human.

It is not something we have often seen at the Commonwealth Games, where they have won all six gold medals in the competition’s history.

But they almost missed the gold medal match, after an aggressive, inspired, and amped-up England side threatened to pull off an incredible upset.

The Kookaburras sailed through the pool stage, as they so often do, racking up big score lines and making big statements.

It was different against the Englishmen.

They smothered the world’s top-ranked team and stifled their flow.

They walked a fine line, and at times stepped over it too, receiving two yellow cards and a green card during the game.

“You play the Aussies, they come out hard, they look to throw punches, to knock you down, and kill the game,” England captain Zach Wallace said.

“The plan was to go out and throw punches back, and we did that. We got them running the other way. I just went at them, it was like a boxing match.”

If it went to a points decision, it might have gone in England’s favour, but the Kookaburras found a way to land the knockout blow, and come back from 2-0 down, to win 3-2.

Kookaburras grind to ‘ugly’ win

The hosts started with intent and looked especially dangerous on the counterattack.

Phil Roper put them ahead in the first quarter, then a penalty stroke in the second quarter saw Wallace give them a 2-0 lead.

“They play a bit different, a bit more of a marking team, so they definitely put us under pressure early,” Kookaburras midfielder Daniel Beale said.

“Ideally, we don’t like to go two goals down that early in the game. (But) we trust in this group to be able to come back from anywhere.”

And the comeback arrived, in a slow, measured grind, rather than in a blaze of glory.

The Australian men's hockey squad gather in a tight circle with their arms around each others' shoulders.
The Australians said they always believed they could come back to win the match.(Getty Images: Tom Dulat)

“Things don’t go your way, you have to crawl your way out, fight a little bit, you probably need a bit of luck” co-captain Eddie Ockenden said.

“I didn’t question that we would be able to do it. It’s not like we got on a big run, we just had to edge our way through a bit of attrition.”

“They started the game very well, and we were certainly on the backfoot,” Kookaburras coach Colin Batch said.

“I think they got a lot of confidence from that situation, so it was a huge challenge just to get up to our level and it took a long time to get there.”

One of the Kookaburras’ most reliable sources for goals, Blake Govers, again delivered when needed from a penalty corner to make it 2-1 at half-time.

And Jacob Anderson’s tomahawk drew them level, but the winning goal was the most contentious.

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Anderson took a quick free hit to penetrate the circle, and Beale capitalized to score.

It was reviewed to see whether Anderson had stopped the ball dead before taking the hit, and the goal stood.

“Probably one of the most timely goals in my career, very glad to put that one in the net and for the referral to stand,” Beale said.

England raided the Kookaburras in the final minutes, even substituting their goalkeeper for an extra field player to try and force a shootout.

And while overall the Kookaburras weren’t at their best, they still produced what was required when needed.

There were crucial saves from goalkeeper Andrew Charter, Flynn Ogilvy alerted on the post to bat away an attempt off a penalty corner, Jeremy Hayward blocking a shot on goal at the death, and Ockenden an overall calming presence to take the sting out of England’s bite .

An England hockey player in red lies on the astroturf with his hands over his face and his hockey stick lying next to him.
England captain Zach Wallace was distracted after losing the match.(Getty Images: Clive Brunskill)

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Sports

AFL news 2022: Kane Cornes slams Buddy Franklin for contract saga, Sydney Swans

Former Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes has accused Sydney Swans forward Lance Franklin of selfishness, suggesting the eight-time All-Australian’s contract saga is distracting his teammates ahead of the finals.

Earlier this week, Nine journalist Michael Atkinson reported that Franklin was considering turning his back on the Swans for a deal with the Brisbane Lions.

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But on Saturday, Franklin’s management released a statement confirming the 35-year-old was still “undecided” about his future in the sport, officially putting contract talks on hold and hinting at a possible retirement.

“At this stage conversations have been paused around my contract so I can put all my focus on playing footy,” Franklin said.

“No further comment will be made until the season is done and I have decided about my future.

“I am still undecided and need time after the season to make a family decision about whether I continue to play next year.”

Speaking on Channel 9’s AFL Sunday Footy ShowCornes argued that Franklin’s “very strange” statement didn’t stop speculation about his future in the sport, but rather fanned the flames.

“It was a very ‘me, me, me’ thing to do, I thought, from Buddy Franklin when the Sydney Swans are flying,” he said on Sunday morning.

“They’d paid him $10 million over nine years… I’m not sure you need to release a statement prior to the game.

“What was the point of Buddy doing that?

“It didn’t alleviate any of the talk. It made the talk fester more.

“The day before a game to release a statement like that, I thought it was very strange.”

Franklin has been in excellent form this season, kicking 41 goals in 17 games for Swans. However, the ongoing contract drama has become a significant distraction for John Longmire’s side as they approach September.

Lions coach Chris Fagan believes that if Franklin is considering a move to Queensland it would be more likely to be for retirement rather than continuing his football career.

“I would have thought if they are moving to Queensland, that’s perhaps an indication that Bud’s going to retire from AFL football,” he said on Friday.

“If it came to pass down the track that they do move here, and. someone reaches out from his camp and suggests that he still wants to play, then we would be remiss as a footy club not to go and have a conversation with him.

“As far I’m concerned he’s a Sydney Swans player, and if any of that was going to happen, it would happen when the season’s all over.

“My latest communication with him was a text message I sent to him when he kicked his 1000th (AFL) goal which was four months ago.

“I don’t know what will play out in the future but the way I see it right now is if he is moving to Queensland to live, I would suggest that he’s going to retire.”

Franklin joined the Swans from the Hawthorn Hawks in 2014 on a nine-year, $10 million deal.

While he has been injured prone in recent years, the scenes of fans flooding onto the SCG when he kicked his 1000th career goal showed he is still one of the sport’s biggest drawcards.

The Swans will face North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the first bounce scheduled for 1.10pm AEST.

Read related topics:AdelaideSydney

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Australia

SpaceX to ‘check out’ outback space junk site, saying fall to Earth ‘within expectations’

A SpaceX representative says a team will travel to Australia after the recent discovery of a large piece of space junk on an outback property, saying the incident is “within the expected analyzed space of what can happen.”

Fragments of the SpaceX Dragon capsule were found in the NSW Snowy Mountains, after locals heard a loud bang on July 9, believed to be caused by the spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Addressing reporters during a live streamed media conference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center on August 4, senior director of the SpaceX Human Spaceflight Program Benjamin Reed acknowledged the incident.

“We did get reports of debris of the Dragon trunk that had landed in the outback of Australia,” he said.

“We actually have a team that’s going to check that out.”

Mr Reed told the conference SpaceX had been working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Australian Space Agency as part of this process, saying the incident fell within expectations.

“The important news is of course there was no injury or damage,” he said.

“Also importantly is this was all within the expected analyzed space of what can happen.”

a dog looks at a piece of space junk
This piece of space junk is estimated to be about three meters long.(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

Companies require permission from the US government prior to launching space craft, which includes filling out an orbital debris report.

Mr Reed alluded to that as part of his response.

“You have an expected path of where things may come down and this particular debris was within that analyzed space,” he said.

“It’s part of the process we do with NASA, with FAA, internally and we use models that are all jointly approved to predict and plan for these things.”

Mr Reed’s comments to the August 4 conference appear to be the only public comments that have been made by SpaceX about the incident so far. The ABC has contacted SpaceX.

so arrogant

The discovery of SpaceX debris has triggered both intrigue and concern from space experts about whether space activity needs to be better managed.

Space Law Lecturer at UNSW Canberra Duncan Blake says the explanation from Mr Reed about the incident was too vague.

“I’m not satisfied with that response,” he said.

“I think it’s a bit dismissive and I think that SpaceX ought to be doing more than simply saying that it was within their analysis.”

a man smiles at the camera sitting in a lab
Duncan Blake is a space law lecturer at UNSW Canberra.(Supplied: Duncan Blake/UNSW Canberra)

Mr Blake believes the comments imply that SpaceX was aware before hand of the possibility of space debris would land in somewhere like Australia, and decided the risk was acceptable.

He says the company needs to be more open and communicative with Australia if that’s the case.

“I wonder whether they coordinated with Australia when they made that risk assessment,” he said.

“If they didn’t, then that seems somewhat arrogant to make a decision that affects Australia without consulting Australians.”

Coverage cost

Confirmation that SpaceX will eventually visit Australia has been welcomed, with an expectation the pieces will have to be repatriated back to the US.

“They need to come to Australia,” Mr Blake said.

“The space object belongs to SpaceX and they may want the space debris returned to them.”

“If there are any costs involved in doing that, in cleaning up, then they’re obliged to cover those costs.”

a man stands in a paddock holding space junk
Jock Wallace found this piece of space junk on his sheep farm.(ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

As part of the media conference, SpaceX’s Mr Reed noted that there was always room for improvement.

“We look very closely at the data, we learn everything that we can,” he said.

“We always look for the ways we can improve things but again, this was within analyzed space, within expectation.”

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Categories
Business

Construction industry collapse: Sign sector is heading for a bust

In the history of Australia, the nation’s economy has often been defined by booms and busts. From the 1890s depression driven by a collapse in wool prices and housing price crash, all the way through to the current boom in thermal coal prices, Australia’s economy has thrived and dived on boom and bust cycles.

In October 2019, the Reserve Bank warned of yet another boom that would turn to a bust, this time in the construction sector. At the time RBA Deputy Governor Guy Debelle made a speech to warn of falling activity in the industry, stating that it would subtract around 1 percentage point from GDP growth and that there was some risk the decline could be even larger.

Around that time investment bank UBS was equally concerned, warning that construction job ads were pointing to around 100,000 jobs potentially being lost in the industry as activity levels dropped from its peak.

With every boom comes a bust

Looking at the data, it’s clear why Debelle and the RBA were concerned about the direction of the industry. Between April 2012 and November 2017, the construction sector underwent an enormous boom following a period of rapidly falling activity resulting from the end of projects driven by the Rudd and Gillard government’s first homeowner grants. During this period dwelling approvals rose by 119 per cent and the construction sector enjoyed a period of strong growth even while other parts of the economy struggled.

But the continued strength of the construction sector was not to be.

Between November 2017 and the pre-pandemic lows of January 2020, dwelling approvals fell by 41.5 per cent. Naturally in time, dwelling commencements also fell from their peaks, dropping by 31.8 per cent between March 2018 and September 2019.

The pandemic effect

At the start of 2020, it was all very much looking like the RBA’s concerns about the future of the construction sector were justified. But when the pandemic arrived on Australia’s shores just a few months later everything changed.

In just a few months the fortunes of the construction sector changed dramatically, from a slowly dwindling pipeline of projects to unprecedented levels of government support for the industry.

From June 4 2020, the federal government’s ‘HomeBuilder’ program provided a $25,000 grant for eligible new builds and large scale home renovations on homes that met the government’s criteria. According to the federal Treasury as of March 2022, HomeBuilder had cost a total of $2.1 billion and received more than 137,000 applications (113,113 for new builds and 24,642 for renovations).

According to an analysis from Master Builders Australia, the value of building work supported by HomeBuilder amounted to $41.6 billion.

Various state and territory government grants for new homes also helped increase the number of new homes under construction to all time record highs.

Meanwhile, as the way Australians live and work changed dramatically as a result of the pandemic, demand for home renovations surged. According to the ABS during 2021 Australians spent $12.3 billion on renovating their homes, up 33 per cent compared with 2020.

Amid all this stimulus and pandemic driven activity, the construction sector has at times suffered from materials and labor shortages as it attempted to keep pace with rising demand.

But with HomeBuilder and various state and territory grants now in the rear view mirror, a concerning picture of the future is now slowly emerging.

Concerning signs

Since peaking in March 2021, dwelling approvals have failed by 29 per cent as of the latest data for June this year. After hitting an all-time record high in June 2021, dwelling commencements are following approvals down, falling 27.5 per cent as of the March quarter.

While a relatively strong pipeline of work remains and tradies are still in huge demand across much of the nation, the various forward looking indicators for the industry are showing similar concerning signs to those displayed in 2019.

However, unlike 2019 the broader economic circumstances are quite different and there are risks that the fortunes of the construction sector could deteriorate more swiftly. With mortgage rates currently rising at their most rapid relative rate in Australian history and inflation tipped by Treasury to hit 7.75 per cent by the end of the year, in time Australians may be much more reticent to take the plunge and pull the trigger on building a brand new home.

In 2020 the construction sector became the latest example of the “Lucky Country’s” good fortune coming to the rescue at exactly the right time. But now with a very different backdrop of economic circumstances, the sector has become even larger and activity levels even higher than the previous peaks, from which the RBA and UBS warned that the falls from could prove quite challenging.

Ultimately, despite the deteriorating forward looking indicators it is still very much early days for the construction sectors eventually slow down. More government stimulus or social housing construction may yet still come to somewhat fill the gap, but whether the sectors good fortune will hold, remains very much up in the air.

Tarric Brooker is a freelance journalist and social commentator | @AvidCommentator

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Sports

Ricky Stuart spray, Jaeman Salmon history, Ricky Stuart son, Cronulla Sharks juniors, Penrith Panthers, weak gutted dog, news

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has confirmed an investigation will be launched into Ricky Stuart’s stunning spray aimed at Panthers young gun Jaeman Salmon — as details of the history between the pair has been revealed.

Speaking on the Big Sports Breakfast, Abdo said the NRL Integrity Unit would be looking into the matter, and The Daily Telegraph’s Buzz Rothfield also explained ARLC chairman Peter V’landys is “aware of the full background”.

The bad-blood reportedly stems from Salmon’s time in the Cronulla Sharks junior system 12-years-ago and an incident with Stuart’s son, who played in the same team, according to the SMH.

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Stuart’s son was reportedly reduced to tears following an incident with Salmon in 2010.

Stuart then made comments which saw Salmon’s father get involved.

The dads then had a heated exchange and had to be separated.

“Not pleasant, I spoke to Ricky late last night and I have spoken to him again this morning,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast.

“He knows that this happened a long long time ago, involving junior football and his son and I think that is common knowledge.

“But Ricky last night chose the wrong platform to speak out about it, and his choice of words were probably inappropriate.”

Sims distract after Tracey KO | 00:37

Rothfield also called for all parties to sit down and mediate the situation which has “lingered on for a long time”.

“I think they (NRL) will have to (investigate), I think there has been quite a significant public outrage over Ricky’s choice of words and again the platform of a press conference,” Rothfield said.

“They will certainly investigate it.

“I would like to see them do it properly and maybe get all parties involved, because it has obviously lingered on for a long time and it is not good for the game when things like that blow up like it did last night.”

MORE NRL NEWS

‘WEAK GUTTED DOG’: Ricky’s stunning spray aimed at Panthers star over low blow

‘OPTICS DON’T LOOK GREAT’: Stuart under fire over ‘very personal’ outburst

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Stuart labeled the Panthers playmaker a “weak gutted dog” in his post-match press conference, referencing his previous run-ins with Salmon.

The 23-year-old was placed on report for kicking out at Canberra dummy-half Tom Starling in a tackle.

“But where Salmon kicked Tommy (Starling), it ain’t on,” Stuart said.

Canberra Raiders press conference | 06:28

“I have had history with that kid (Salmon). I know that kid very well.

“He was a weak gutted dog as a kid and he hasn’t changed now. He is a weak gutted dog person now.”

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary chose not to respond to Stuart’s comments, and Rothfield explained the Raiders coach’s biggest problem is his inability to control his emotions.

“I am very close to Ricky and we know how emotional he gets,” Rothfield said.

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“Ricky’s biggest problem as a football coach and even when he was a player, he is one of those guys that gets so emotionally worked up.

“He has never been good at controlling those emotions, and you can say it wasn’t in the heat of battle, but after you have lost an important game you are still worked up.

“You aren’t thinking as clearly.

“I am not defending him at all, but it is a difficult one for the NRL to manage, I know Peter V’landys is aware of the full background so it is going to be an important story.”

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St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt on Ben McEvoy trade, Hawthorn Hawks, 250th game against Gold Coast Suns

St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt has described his former club’s decision to trade away Ben McEvoy to Hawthorn as “mind-boggling.”

McEvoy, who played his 250th AFL game in Saturday’s win over Gold Coast, was dealt to the Hawks at the end of 2013 and has been an invaluable addition, winning two premierships and getting appointed captain in 2021.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Best on GroundRiewoldt, who was Saints skipper at the time of the trade — which saw the club acquire Shane Savage and a first-round pick (Luke Dunstan) — says McEvoy was pushed out.

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Suns succumb to Hawks hot streak | 02:07

“He didn’t leave, the club traded him. At the time it felt like the people in charge making those decisions were saying, ‘look how clever we are. Let’s trade this bloke and this bloke and we’ll get in some picks, we’ll show how clever we are with recruiting’,” Riewoldt said.

“You’ve got to get your picks right, and they didn’t… it was mind boggling, and still is.

“He’s been a superstar and it was still at St Kilda — a bit of a void of leadership is the criticism at times — he would’ve been perfect.

“But good luck to him, he’s gone on to great things.”

McEvoy was carried off after his milestone match and embraced by Hawks fans and teammates with his kids on the ground in great scenes.

Fellow Saints great Leigh Montagna also praised his former teammate post-game — a match that ended in the tough ruckman’s head bandaged after a knock.

McEvoy carried off after his 250th match (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS

“Congratulations to Benny McEvoy, big contested mark in that last minute, the headband, he’s everything we’ve seen from him over 250 games,” he said on Fox Footy.

Hawks star Jack Gunston said of McEvoy: “You always love a good that you want to follow, and Ben is that guy. Headband today, of course he did. He’s just such a genuine good block, but such a competitor as well.

“It’s not an easy gig playing in the ruck I wouldn’t have thought, he’s just a good fella and I’m glad we got the win for him.”

McEvoy gave a shout out post-match to Dylan Moore playing in his 50th match in true selfless McEvoy style.

“It wasn’t pretty today, but sometimes you’ve got to win ugly. So pleased to get a result in mine and Moorey’s 300th.”

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