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Australia

CBD commercial occupancy rates have fallen across the country — so what will it take to get workers back into city offices?

Sydney skyline at night.

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a mass exodus of workers from central business district (CBD) offices — but, from this, came a new, hybrid work model that accommodated for employees’ unique needs.

While remote work remains the preference for many, some offices have struggled to convince their staff to make the trek back into central business districts and, experts say, it has come at a cost to newcomers.

In almost every major Australian city, during the month of June, new data from the Property Council of Australia shows commercial occupancy rates fell.

That rate is the measure of the area of ​​rented space compared to area of ​​total space available.

Melbourne’s commercial occupancy rate dropped from 49 per cent to 38 per cent, while Sydney’s fell from 55 per cent to 52 per cent.

Brisbane’s fell from 64 per cent to 53 per cent, while Adelaide’s dropped from 71 per cent to 64 per cent.

The only markets to record an increase in commercial occupancy were Canberra and Perth, where the rate rose from 53 per cent to 61 per cent and 65 per cent to 71 per cent, respectively.

Is working from home to blame?

The main culprit, according to the Property Council’s chief executive, Ken Morrison, is illness.

Mr Morrison said the results were disappointing, but not surprising.

“Office occupancy numbers have gone backwards for the first time in six months as a wave of [COVID-19’s] Omicron and flu cases kept workers away from the office,” he said.

A man addresses an event in a ballroom at night standing at a glass podium
Ken Morrison says illness likely triggered the fall in occupancy rates.(Supplied: Property Council of Australia)

“We have been seeing a steady increase in the number of workers returning to offices, but this stalled in June and has now declined in most capitals.

With winter nearly over, he said, it was encouraging that the latest COVID-19 wave had nearly run its course and that “recovery momentum can resume.”

Remote work not a ‘zero-cost exercise’

When occupancy rates drop off, small businesses, such as cafes, can miss out on a vital revenue stream.

Mr Morrison said governments needed to be mindful that encouraging people to work from home was not a “zero-cost exercise”.

“The costs are real and we see them in the vibrancy of our CBDs,” he said.

“We know office occupancy has been slow to recover, unlike other indicators, which snap back quickly.”

Are falling occupancy rates here to stay?

Tom Broderick — who heads up CBRE’s capital markets research — doesn’t think so.

“I think this appears to be a bit of a blip, with these most recent figures,” he said.

A man with short gray hair wearing a black and white suit and tie smiling
Tom Broderick says having fewer people in offices makes it harder to collaborate. (Supplied: Tom Broderick )

The July survey found the preference for greater flexibility, including working from home, was a better driver of occupancy levels, but this decreased from 63 per cent to 48 per cent.

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US

CDC eases Covid guidance as US has more tools to fight the virus and keep people out of the hospital

CDC eases Covid guidance as US has more tools to fight the virus and keep people out of the hospital

A sign outside of a hospital advertises COVID-19 testing on November 19, 2021 in New York City. On Friday vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention voted unanimously in recommending a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccines for all adults in the United States six months after they finish their first two doses.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its Covid-19 guidance on Thursday, saying the virus now poses a much lower risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death compared to earlier in the pandemic.

The CDC is no longer recommending testing to screen people with possible asymptomatic infections in most settings, such as schools. However, screening is still recommended in certain high risk settings such as nursing homes and prisons.

And people who are not up to date on their vaccines no longer need to quarantine if they have been exposed to Covid-19, according to the new CDC guidance. Instead, public health officials now recommend that these individuals wear a mask for 10 days and get tested on day five.

Greta Massetti, a CDC epidemiologist, said the US has the vaccines and treatments needed to fight the virus. As a consequence, the virus now poses a much lower threat to public health, according to the CDC. But it remains crucial for everyone to remain up to date on their vaccines, according to the public health agency.

“This guidance acknowledges that the pandemic is not over, but also helps us move to a point where COVID-19 no longer severely disrupts our daily lives,” Massetti said in a statement.

People with healthy immune systems, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate for five days after testing positive for the virus, but you can end isolation at day six if you have not had symptoms or if you have not had a fever for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved, according to the guidelines.

After leaving isolation, you should wear a high-quality mask through day 10 after your positive test. If you have had two negative rapid antigen tests you can stop wearing your mask earlier, according to the guidelines. But you should avoid people who are more likely to get sick from Covid, such as the elderly and people with weak immune systems, until at least day 11.

People with weakened immune systems, those who have been hospitalized with Covid, or those who have had shortness of breath due to the virus should isolate from others for 10 days. But people with weakened immune systems and those who were hospitalized should also consult a physician before ending isolation.

If you end isolation but your Covid symptoms worsen, you should return to isolation and follow the guidelines from scratch again, according to the CDC.

The US is currently reporting more than 107,000 new cases a day on average, according to the CDC. That’s likely to be a significant undercount because many people are now testing at home and results are not picked up in official data.

About 6,000 people with Covid are admitted to the hospital a day on average, according to the CDC data. Nearly 400 people are still dying a day on average from the virus.

CNBC Health & Science

Read CNBC’s latest global health coverage:

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US

Karine Jean-Pierre roasted over ‘Orwellian’ tweet touting ‘0% inflation’

Karine Jean-Pierre roasted over 'Orwellian' tweet touting '0% inflation'

President Biden’s top spokesperson was accused of lying on Wednesday in a tweet touting “0% inflation in July” — even as federal data indicated that the consumer price index rose by 8.5% year over year.

“We just received news that our economy had 0% inflation in July,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted on Wednesday.

“While the price of some things went up, the price of others, like gas, clothing, and more, dropped.”

Jean-Pierre also hailed the dip in gasoline prices, which she called “the fastest in a decade” which was “saving American families with two cars $106 per month on average.”

In the same tweet thread, Jean-Pierre wrote that “real wages went up for the first time in almost a year.” She also urged the House to pass the Inflation Reduction Act “as soon as possible” in order to “lower health care, prescription drug, and energy costs.”

But Twitter users pushed back against Jean-Pierre’s claims.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre toed the administration line that the country saw "0% inflation in June."
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre toed the administration line that the country saw “0% inflation in July.”
REUTERS
Twitter users pushed back on Jean-Pierre's tweets on Wednesday.
Twitter users pushed back on Jean-Pierre’s tweets on Wednesday.

“Great. No need for the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ anymore…” tweeted Yossi Gestetner.

Another Twitter user, Kevin Dalton, posted a link to a news article indicating that inflation was 8.5% in July, writing: “Other than the complete lie you just told, I totally believe you…”

Joel Griffith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, posted a tweet showing the increased prices of key goods.

“Inflation this past year of 8.5% is near a 40-yr high,” he noted.

One Twitter user went so far as to add a “clown face” filter to a clip of Jean-Pierre touting the strength of the economy from the White House press room podium.

The rate of inflation was 8.5% in July -- hovering around record levels not seen in four decades.
The rate of inflation was 8.5% in July — hovering around record levels not seen in four decades.

Supporters of the administration, however, tried to clarify Jean-Pierre’s tweet. One noted that the press secretary meant that “inflation over the last month has been 0%” and that it “hasn’t increased in the past month.”

But another Twitter user responded: “You don’t compare inflation month to month. It is compared year to year. But you wouldn’t know that.”

Last month, Jean-Pierre was widely mocked for claiming that “we are stronger economically than we have been in history.”

Americans continue to be saddled with higher-than-usual food prices.
Americans continue to be saddled with higher-than-usual food prices.
Levine-Roberts/Sipa USA

She cited low unemployment as well as “more than 8.7 million new jobs created” — though critics noted that it was due to the end of pandemic-related lockdown measures and Americans returning en masse to the workforce after the vaccination drive.

The 8.5% rise in inflation last month was lower than the sharp, 9.1% increase in June, but still hovering at a high not seen since four decades ago.

Core inflation, which excludes food and gas prices, rose by 5.9% annually and by 0.3% compared to June.

Analysts said that a drop in demand has led to falling gas and energy prices, though that trend can easily reverse itself given volatile geopolitical conditions, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as possible hurricanes in the US.

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Categories
US

Trump’s bond with GOP deepens after primary wins, FBI search

Trump's bond with GOP deepens after primary wins, FBI search

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump ‘s pick for governor in the swing state of Wisconsin easily defeated a favorite of the Republican establishment.

In Connecticut, the state that launched the Bush family and its brand of compassionate conservatism, a fiery Senate contender who promoted Trump’s election lies upset the state GOP’s endorsed candidate. Meanwhile in Washington, Republicans ranging from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene defended Trump against an unprecedented FBI search.

And that was just this week.

The rapid developments crystallized the former president’s singular status atop a party he has spent the past seven years breaking down and rebuilding in his image. Facing mounting legal vulnerabilities and considering another presidential run, he needs support from the party to maintain his political career. But, whether they like it or not, many in the party also need Trump, whose endorsement has proven crucial for those seeking to advance to the November ballot..

“For a pretty good stretch, it felt like the Trump movement was losing more ground than it was gaining,” said Georgia Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who is urging his party to move past Trump. But now, he said, Trump is benefiting from “an incredibly swift tail wind.”

The Republican response to the FBI’s search of Trump’s Florida estate this week was an especially stark example of how the party is keeping Trump nearby. Some of the Republicans considering challenges to Trump in a 2024 presidential primary, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, were among those defending him. Even long-established Trump critics like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan questioned the search, pressing for details about its circumstances.

But even before the FBI showed up at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was gaining momentum in his post-presidential effort to shape the GOP. In all, nearly 180 Trump-endorsed candidates up and down the ballot have won their primaries since May while fewer than 20 have lost.

Only two of the 10 House Republicans who supported Trump’s impeachment after the Jan. 6 insurrection are expected back in Congress next year. Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, R-Wash., who conceded defeat after her Tuesday primary, it was the latest to fall. Leading Trump antagonist Rep. Liz CheneyR-Wyo., is at risk of joining her next week.

The Trump victories include a clean sweep of statewide primary elections in Arizona last week — including an election denier in the race for the state’s official chief elections. Trump’s allies also prevailed Tuesday across Wisconsin and Connecticut, a state long known for its moderate Republican leanings.

In Wisconsin’s Republican primary for governor, wealthy Trump-backed businessman Tim Michels defeated former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, an establishment favourite. And in Connecticut, Leora Levy, who promoted Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen, emerged to an unexpected victory over a more moderate rival after earning Trump’s official endorsement.

On Monday, just hours after the FBI search, Trump hosted a tele-town hall rally on his behalf. Levy thanked Trump in her acceptance speech, while railing against the FBI’s search for her.

“All of us can tell him how upset and offended and disgusted we were at what happened to him,” she said. “That is un-American. That is what they do in Cuba, in China, in dictatorships. And that will stop.”

Despite his recent dominance, Trump — and the Republicans close to him — face political and legal threats that could undermine their momentum as the GOP fights for control of Congress and statehouses across the nation this fall.

While Trump’s picks have notched notable victories in primaries this summer, they may struggle in the fall. That’s especially true in several governor’s races in Democratic-leaning states such as Connecticut and Maryland, where GOP candidates must track to the center to win a general election.

Meanwhile, several Republicans with White House ambitions are moving forward with a busy travel schedule that will take them to politically important states where they can back candidates on the ballot this year and build relationships heading into 2024.

DeSantis plans to boost high-profile Republican contenders across Arizona, New Mexico, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Former Vice President Mike Penceanother potential 2024 presidential contender, is scheduled to appear next week in New Hampshire.

On the legal front, the FBI search was part of an investigation into whether the former president took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence. While Republicans have rallied behind Trump, very few facts about the case have been released publicly. Trump’s attorneys have so far declined to release details from the search warrant.

Prosecutors in Washington and Georgia are also investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election he falsely claimed was stolen. The Jan. 6 congressional commission has exposed damning details about Trump’s behavior from Republican witnesses in recent hearings, which have prompted new concerns, at least privately, among the GOP establishment and donor class.

And on Wednesday, Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination as he testified under oath Wednesday in the New York attorney general’s long-running civil investigation into his business dealings.

Trump’s legal entanglements represent a distraction at best for Republican candidates who’d rather focus on President Joe Biden’s leadership, sky-high inflation and immigration troubles to help court moderate voters and independents in the general election.

“Today, every Republican in every state in this country should be talking about how bad Joe Biden is, how bad inflation is, how difficult it is to run a business and run a household,” said Duncan, the Georgia lieutenant governor. “But instead, we’re talking about some investigation, we’re talking about Donald Trump pleading the Fifth, we’re talking about Donald Trump endorsing some conspiracy theorist.”

Trump critics in both parties are ready and willing to highlight Trump’s shortcomings — and his relationship with midterm candidates — as more voters begin to pay attention to politics this fall.

“This is, and always has been, Donald Trump’s Republican Party,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said in an interview, condemning “MAGA Republicans” and their “extreme agenda” on abortion and other issues.

At the same time, the Republican Accountability Project and Protect Democracy launched a $3 million television and digital advertising campaign this week across seven swing states focused on Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. The ads, which will run in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, feature testimonials from Republican voters who condemn Trump’s lies about nonexistent election fraud that fueled the Capitol attack.

One ad features congressional testimony from Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who has publicly declared that Trump should never hold public office again.

Still, Cheney faces her own primary election against a Trump-backed challenger next week in Wyoming. One of Trump’s top political targets this year, she is expected to lose. Anticipating a loss, Cheney’s allies suggest she may be better positioned to run for president in 2024, either as a Republican or independent.

Trump’s allies are supremely confident about his ability to win the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2024. In fact, aides who had initially pushed him to launch his campaign after the November midterms are now encouraging him to announce sooner to help freeze out would-be Republican challengers .

“It’s going to be very difficult for anyone to take the nomination away from him in 2024,” said Stephen Moore, a former Trump economic adviser who has spoken with Trump about his 2024 intentions. “He is running. That is a certainty.”

Rep. Tom Rice, RS.C., predicted that Trump would “lose in a landslide” if he sought the presidency again, adding that the former president’s overall grasp on the party is “eroding on the edges.”

“In a normal election, you’ve got to win not just the base. You’ve got to win the middle, too, right, and maybe crossover on the other side,” said Rice, who lost his recent primary after voting in favor of Trump’s second impeachment.

Rice warned that Trump far-right candidates could lead to unnecessary losses for the party in November. “Donald Trump is pushing things so far to the right,” he said in an interview.

Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, eyeing a 2024 bid himself, warned against making bold political predictions two years before the Republican Party selects its next presidential nominee.

“We’re sitting here in August of 2022,” Christie said in an interview. “My sense is there’s a lot of water over the dam still to come before anybody can determine anybody’s individual position in the primaries of ’24 — except to say that if Donald Trump runs, he will certainly be a factor.”

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Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

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Categories
US

87K new agents won’t target middle-income Americans

87K new agents won't target middle-income Americans

The head of the Internal Revenue Service said that the tax collecting agency will “absolutely not” use $80 billion in new funding to step up audits of low- and middle-income Americans.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig tried to reassure the US Senate in a recent letter about the 87,000 new agents who will be hired as part of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.

The legislation includes $45.6 billion for “enforcement-related funds”, which makes up more than half of the appropriations.

Nonpartisan tax observers say that most of the funds that the IRS will collect will come from small and medium-size businesses.
Nonpartisan tax observers say that most of the funds that the IRS will collect will come from small and medium-size businesses.
Newsday via Getty Images

“The resources in the reconciliation package will get us back to historical norms in areas of challenge for the agency — large corporate and global high-net-worth taxpayers — as well as new areas like pass-through entities and multinational taxpayers with international tax issues. , where we need sophisticated, specialized teams in place that are able to unpack complex structures and identify noncompliance,” Rettig wrote in the letter.

The letter was first reported by CNBC.

The IRS will likely receive $80 billion in funding after Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend.
The IRS will likely receive $80 billion in funding after Senate Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend.
AP

Rettig then added: “These resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans.”

He wrote that “our investment of these resources is designed about the Department of the Treasury’s directive that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000.”

Last week, the nonpartisan watchdog Joint Committee on Taxation said it anticipates that between 78% and 90% of the estimated $200 billion that the IRS will collect as a result of the bolstered workforce will come from small businesses.

President Biden and the Democratic Party have insisted that Americans earning less than $400,000 annually would not have to pay a cent more in taxes.

But the Joint Committee on Taxation disputes this, saying that between 4% and 9% of the money collected will come from businesses that earn above $500,000 a year.

“The IRS will have to target small and medium businesses because they won’t fight back,” Joe Hinchman, executive vice president at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, told The Post.

“We’ve seen this play out before … the IRS says ‘We’re going after the rich’ but when you’re trying to raise that much money, the rich can only get you so far.”

Hinchman told The Post that it is easier for the IRS to collect from small- and mid-size businesses since they are less likely to incur legal expenses in order to fight the agency — whereas larger and wealthier companies are much better equipped to do battle.

“The approach here is to double the IRS workforce, take the leash off, and see how much they can collect,” Hinchman adds. “I think they’ll collect it but it will be quite painful.”

Additional reporting by Lydia Moynihan

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Categories
Business

WA bucks trend as Omicron wave sends office return backwards

WA bucks trend as Omicron wave sends office return backwards

A wave of COVID-19 cases and flu infections over winter has been blamed for a significant drop in office occupancy rates across most major cities.

Melbourne had the lowest return-to-office rate in July, according to data from the Property Council of Australia released on Thursday.

The figures show the occupancy rate of Melbourne offices dropped from 49 per cent in June to 38 per cent in July, while in Sydney the rate fell from 55 to 52 per cent, in Brisbane from 64 to 53 per cent and Adelaide from 71 to 64 per cent

Canberra and Perth were the only markets to record an increase in office occupancy, from 53 to 61 per cent and 65 to 71 per cent, respectively.

Property Council Chief Executive Ken Morrison said a rise in illness during the winter season was a contributing factor in the decline.

“Office occupancy numbers have gone backwards for the first time in six months as a wave of Omicron and flu cases kept workers away from the office,” he said.

“We have been seeing a steady increase in the number of workers returning to offices, but this stalled in June and has now declined in most capitals, which is disappointing but unsurprising.”

Office occupancy rates in Melbourne have remained below 50 per cent since the start of the pandemic, while in Sydney and Brisbane occupancy rates peaked during a lull in COVID-19 cases in early to mid-2021.

Victorian opposition jobs spokesman David Southwick said the state government should lead by example.

“Hybrid working may be here to stay, but it’s clear Daniel Andrews’ three-day-a week target for public servants isn’t close to being met,” he said.

“Melbourne will never be the world’s most liveable city once again with only one in five people showing up throughout the week.”

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Categories
Business

REIWA house price figures reveal Broome and Busselton top WA regional areas for increases

REIWA house price figures reveal Broome and Busselton top WA regional areas for increases

A record low rental vacancy rate is driving up property prices in Broome, with WA’s North West town becoming the top performing regional center for median house sale price growth in the most recent industry figures.

Real Estate Institute of WA data for the June quarter shows median house prices in the holiday hot spot increased by 4.7 per cent to $649,000 and shot up by 18 per cent in the 12 months to June.

The town was behind only Port Hedland which saw a 28.2 per cent growth in the same period.

Broome’s dire rental vacancy rate was recorded as zero by REIWA in March, appears to be forcing would-be tenants to buy instead.

Ray White Broome sales consultant Giles Tipping said real estate agents in the region could foresee the trend, even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“The supply of rental properties available for all the Government departments and the like to lease was drying up every year, so we got to a point, I think it was in about July 2019, where there was probably only about approximately 40 houses available to rent in the whole of Broome,” he revealed.

“With that low supply of rental housing obviously rentals were climbing higher and higher and there was less choice for tenants so more tenants were sort of filtering into the sales market and as rent were climbing as well, it was becoming better value to buy.”

The trent was further compounded by the pandemic, with closed borders exposing Broome to a new wave of buyers from across the country, as well as a lagging building industry placing further pressure on supply issues.

“Those influences are coming together and creating this pressure for the sales market,” Mr Tipping added.

In Busselton, which was the second highest regional performer for the June quarter with a 4.5 per cent growth in its median house sales price, the opportunity to work remotely is drawing in a new wave of Perth buyers looking for a lifestyle change.

Busselton Jetty.
Camera IconThe Busselton Jetty. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Busselton’s house median, which now sits at $610,000, is also being pushed up by interstate investors and buyers with the airport and direct flights to Melbourne a major drawcard.

First National Real Estate Busselton general manager Matthew Snaddon said these factors were fueling the market, with the popular coastal town bucking the national trend of increasing supply.

“We are having conversations with buyers and they’re making the comments that they’ve got the opportunity to work remotely so lifestyle following COVID is one of the primary factors that buyers are looking at when choosing property now,” he said.

Camels at sunset on Cable Beach, Broome. Picture: Tourism Australia
Camera IconBroome’s Cable Beach. Credit: Tourism Australia/TheWest

While Broome and Busselton were the standouts, the REIWA data showed a total of eight regional centers recorded median house sale price growth during the quarter.

Additionally, all nine regional centers experienced median house sale price growth on an annual basis.

Meanwhile, in Perth, the stock of properties listed for sale in July was 4.6 per cent higher than a year ago but new listings last month were down 15.7 per cent compared to June, according to the PropTrack Listings Report July 2022.

“The stock of properties listed for sale in Perth is still down around 15 per cent compared to the average over the past 10 years. While that means options are somewhat limited, it is an improvement compared to recent conditions and the stock of properties listed for sale is up 4.6 per cent compared to a year ago,” PropTrack Economist and report author Angus Moore said.

“Even so, buyers in Perth are facing fewer options than is the case for buyers in Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra, where the total stock listed for sale is back around, or even above, the decade averages.

“By comparison, buyers in Adelaide and Brisbane have even fewer options, with the total number of properties listed for sale in both those cities down more than a third compared to the decade average.”

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Categories
Entertainment

Jerry Hall asks judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch

Jerry Hall asks judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch

Jerry Hall last night asked judges to dismiss her divorce case against Rupert Murdoch, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The former supermodel asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to cancel the divorce petition she filed just five weeks ago, meaning the case appears to be at an end.

The notice was filed by Miss Hall’s California lawyer Ronald Brot and was dated Tuesday, August 9.

The document says the divorce should be dismissed without prejudice, meaning that it can be revived.

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Categories
Business

Bunnings Warehouse worker shares new twist in staff apron pocket saga with new TikTok video

Bunnings Warehouse worker shares new twist in staff apron pocket saga with new TikTok video

A Bunnings worker has sparked a debate about what the clear pockets on the front of staff aprons are actually used for.

Sharing on TikTok, the employee wrote: “Okay… Here’s what the Bunnings pouch is really for.”

Watch above: Bunnings worker shares new apron twist

For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>

After shoppers discovered the pockets were used to display team member’s name tag, the worker said there was another hidden purpose for the clear pouches.

She claimed there’s a second “secret compartment” in the pocket that holds a small notepad which is unique to each Bunnings store.

“Name badge yes, however we have a notepad for every store,” she said in the video.

The Bunnings worker said the pocket also holds a store notepad in a ‘secret compartment’. Credit: rhiannonsean/TikTok

In the footage, you can see the Bunnings team member pull out the green notepad from the hidden compartment.

She added: “I’ve worked in probably eight Bunnings stores in my eight years, and I’ve always gotten one.”

Bunnings fans have been in a spin over the easy-to-miss detail after Australian comedian Luke Donkin raised the issue in a recent viral TikTok post last month.

“I honestly have no idea what this pocket is used for,” he said.

“I’ve always wanted to put like a trail mix in it and then just (motions to eat it) throughout the day. But I’d probably get in trouble.”

At the time, it was confirmed that the clear pouch was used to hold the staff member’s name tag.

She said the notepads are unique to each Bunnings store. Credit: Rhiannonsean/TikTok

But just when you think you may know all there is to know about the pockets on the front of Bunnings staff aprons, there appears to be yet another twist.

While another worker pointed out there’s yet another secret compartment.

“My apron has three pockets there… you showed two,” they said.

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Categories
Australia

6PR host Liam Bartlett opposes change to frosted glass on balconies of Nedlands homes across from his property

6PR host Liam Bartlett opposes change to frosted glass on balconies of Nedlands homes across from his property

Radio 6PR host Liam Bartlett is opposed to group homes opposite his house having clear glass on their balconies because he doesn’t want to look at their washing.

Owners of five terrace homes being built in Nedlands want a condition to have frosted glass on their balcony balustrades — to stop people looking into their houses — removed. The side of Bartlett’s house is opposite the houses, which are being built.

Mr Bartlett — who lives opposite the homes — has objected to the move saying he didn’t want to see the residents’ “bikes” or “washing” on the balconies.

Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Mr Bartlett told the council when the development was approved last year, they had negotiated the preservation of an “important tree” and the frosted glass.

6pr presenter Liam Bartlett has objected to removing a condition for frosted glass.
Camera Icon6pr presenter Liam Bartlett has objected to removing a condition for frosted glass. Credit: 6pr.com.au/6pr.com.au

“We were more than happy to see height to see density. To have four separate apartments opposite our house. To lose parking. To see more bins and less amenities,” he said.

Mr Bartlett said his house was elevated behind his wall and had four windows that looked out onto the property.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not fond of looking out onto people’s balconies and their bikes and their washing or whatever else they want to stick up on their balcony or what they’re doing behind their balconies,” he said.

“That’s the reason we had this compromised position.”

Bartlett said the staff recommendation to allow clear glass was “beyond the pale”.

“I can’t understand why we paid rates for 29 years at that property. The first I hear about this is an email saying administration has recommended it,” he said.

Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands
Camera IconGrouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now

The City of Nedlands approved the construction of five grouped homes, with one on the corner of a Nedlands street and the other four on the adjoining avenue, in May 2021.

Each was sold for $690,000 last year and are all currently under construction.

City staff have recommended the condition to use “either opaque material or frosted glass” be removed.

They said the “cone of vision” for the home on the corner block was confined to the street and it did not overlook any other residential property behind the street setback area.

“Passive surveillance from the balcony on to (the streetscape) is a positive outcome, as it is generally a good planning principle to promote safety through providing opportunities for ‘eyes on the street’,” staff said.

Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands
Camera IconGrouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now

Staff said the application for the other four homes “satisfies all the relevant deemed-to-comply provisions” for visual privacy and reiterated “street surveillance is seen as a positive outcome.”

One of the homeowners, Geoffrey Nathan, spoke on behalf of himself and the owners of three other homes being built.

Mr Nathan said the condition for frosted glass was placed after they had bought their homes individually and all the sales material showed clear glass.

“The builders weren’t aware that this motion (to impose frosted glass) was coming through,” he said.

Mr Nathan said it was a “matter of aesthetics” but frosted glass would cut off their natural light and view of the street.

Staff estimated it would cost the city between $30,000 to $50,000 if the council refused to remove the condition and an owner took the matter to the State Administrative Tribunal.

The council is scheduled to vote on whether or not to remove the condition at its August 23 meeting.

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