Self-driving buses could hit NSW roads as soon as next year, with trials for the futuristic vehicles preparing to begin.
The Perrottet government has announced it will invest $5m for an on-road connected and automated vehicle (CAV) bus trial to kick off the beginning of the future on NSW roads.
With driverless vehicles predicted to hit our roads commercially in less than a decade, the government is working to set up a CAV-friendly road network to keep up with the likes of San Francisco, Paris and Singapore.
The state government says the trial will be subject to “robust testing” to ensure the buses will operate safely.
A government spokesperson said where and when the vehicles will pop up will depend on proposals from industry groups, which are being called on to get involved with the first 18-month trial in 2023.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello is hoping the project puts NSW on the map as a world-leading adopter of CAV technologies.
“Vehicle connectivity and automation are game-changing technological innovations with the potential to sustainably transform the future mobility of people and goods,” Mr Dominello said.
“Globally, these technologies are advancing rapidly and already appearing in vehicles on the market today.”
He said the move would put NSW “in the front seat” in the race to roll out of the new technology.
The strategy will introduce, test and deploy CAVS on the road network, shape policy, prepare the road network ready for the new models and develop physical and digital testing capabilities for the driverless cars.
Part of the project will also include supporting freight services and increasing knowledge of autonomous vehicles.
Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the strategy would “revolutionise the way we travel”.
“The CAV readiness strategy outlines six priority areas focused on integrating this new technology into our transport system,” Ms Ward said.
“This will include working within the national regulatory framework over the next five years so we’re ready for the safe commercial deployment of CAVS in Australia.”
Ms Ward said adopting the new technology would help the state keep up with constituents’ expectations.
“Getting ahead of the game will make it easier to upskill our transport staff so customers have a seamless service when it is officially on our roads,” she said.
Regional Transport and Roads Minister Sam Farraway said NSW had already set several national and international firsts in autonomous vehicle technology.
“This is big-picture thinking – by putting NSW one step ahead it will bring investment opportunities, knowledge and better customer outcomes,” he said.
The state introduced the world’s first fully automated shuttle service in a public setting through the Coffs Harbor BusBot trial, which was completed late last year.
“This builds on what NSW has already achieved through autonomous shuttle trials, partnerships with local universities and investment in the Future Mobility Testing and Research Center at Cudal,” Mr Farraway said.
Here’s when and how you can access the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta – The AU Review
Activision has recently announced exactly how and when fans can get their hands on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta. And the best news? It’s only a few weeks away.
The beta itself will be available at an earlier date for those who have pre-ordered the game, with two separate weekends providing access to the beta over a couple of days. We’ve outlined them for you below:
weekend 1
Saturday September 17th, 3am AEST until Tuesday September 20th, for both PS5 and PS4 owners who have pre-ordered the game.
Monday September 19th, 3am until Tuesday September 20th, for all PS5 and PS4 owners.
weekend 2
Friday September 23rd, 3am AEST until Monday September 26th for all PS5 and PS4 owners, and for Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/PC owners who have pre-ordered the game.
Sunday September 25th, 3am until Monday, September 26th, for all console and PC owners.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will launch on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Windows PC on the 28th of October, 2022.
More to Explore on the AU:
Matthew Arcari
Matthew Arcari is the games and technology editor at The AU Review. You can find him on Twitter at @sirchunkee, or at the Dagobah System, chilling with Luke and Yoda.
D-Link’s new Eagle Pro AI series of routers is looking to shake things on both sides of the market, from entry-level routers-to premium mesh systems. The R15 AX1500 Eagle Pro AI stands as the entry-level option, but provides some nifty value through its compact design, Wi-Fi 6 functionality and various smart features including Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice control commands, that this side of the market have been missing as of late. It might not jump out at users in any particular way, but still serves as a worthy upgrade for those looking for Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, or as a basic upgrade for those rather bare-bones routers provided by most internet and telco providers.
Design
Much like its sibling, the G415 4G Smart Router, the R15 is rather compact an unassuming, sporting a flat white paint job and four side antennas. Unlike the G415, the R15 does sit flat on its back rather than standing upright, meaning it might take up a little more room in some spaces. That being said, the R15 is one of the smallest routers I’ve ever used, so I can’t imagine both the size and orientation being too much of an issue for most users.
The back of the router also sports three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, and a single Gigabit Ethernet port for even faster transfer speeds, the latter of which is now becoming a standard for all levels and tiers of internet routers. Beyond this, there’s admittedly not much going on with the router, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Its smaller size allows it to be tucked away, while the only thing I can truly point out regarding the overall appearance and design of such a router, is that the flat white colourway may stand out, particularly if your internet setup is located in a central position in the home.
Performance
In terms of performance, the R15 plays things relatively straight. With the ability to hit speeds of up to 1,201Mbps on 5GHz band and 300Mbps on the traditional 2.4GHz, most Australian users will find the router capable of transmitting the fastest speeds our internet companies and telco providers have to offer. Unlike most entry-level routers and routers provided by the aforementioned internet and telco companies, the the R15 can cover a whopping 230 square meters, making it a no-brainer for both smaller and larger households alike, without the need to purchase any external or additional extenders.
That being said, the R15 does play friendly with the Eagle Pro AI range, meaning such extenders and even additional routers can easily be paired to the R15 via the Eagle Pro AI app. Much like the G415 4G Smart Router, the Eagle Pro AI Engine also keeps users tuned to the most reliable band at any given time, be it the 2.4GHz or 5GHz band, allowing multiple uses to consistently access the most efficient and reliable method of connectivity .
Software
Thankfully, the Eagle Pro AI app is incredibly friendly and easy to use. As we’ve covered most of the apps functionality and features in our D-Link G415 AX1500 4G Smart Router Review, we have included the relevant excerpt below, outlining a nearly identical experience in relation to the R15:
“It’s incredibly easy to navigate, and is responsible for additional features, including the aforementioned AI Mesh Optimiser and the handy AI Parental Control. As the name suggests, AI Parental Control allows users to monitor and manage their children’s online activities. From here, you can create a profile for individual users to block and minimize access to the internet. Aside from the rampant virus exposure that may be a cause for concern for some parents, certain sites can even be curbed thanks to a web filter.”
“The Eagle Pro AI App also allows for voice control through multiple platforms including the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. This might feel unnecessary for some, but is a welcome inclusion for those looking to turn their home into a smart, interconnected haven. The included AI Assistant can also whip up weekly reports for you incusing user activity and general internet traffic, with recommendations on how to solve the issues that may arise as a result. Overall, the app is incredibly easy to navigate and continuously informative at every step.”
Verdict & Value
Overall, the D-Link R15 AX1500 Smart Router is a reliable router for the entry-level price tag. Thanks to the Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, Eagle Pro AI app and compact design, it’s admittedly hard to pass this one up, should you be upgrading from a basic router provided by your internet provider, or imply looking to the future for Wi-Fi 6 support, which is arguably provided here at one of the cheapest price points in the market today. Impressive range will negate the need for extenders in most homes, while such a solution is incredibly easy to set up given the seamless functionality of the Eagle Pro AI app. If you’re looking for a solid all-rounder for an entry-level price tag, you might not need to look any further.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
highlights: lowlights: White coloring can stand out, particularly if internet setup is in a central location manufacturer: D Link Price: A$199 Available:Now
Layla was only in grade eight when she found herself on the streets.
Key points:
Youth homelessness is on the rise in Tasmania
Support groups say there is a big disparity between the Youth Allowance and rental prices
There are calls to increase access to social housing for young people
After family conflict, she spent four months homeless, couch surfing, going to shelters and even sleeping rough.
Now, at 16, she understands more than most about what lies behind a statistic.
“When I was on the streets, I think I went to school three times the whole time I was out there. I didn’t have a social life … I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said.
“Towards the end of it, I was at a house that wasn’t the nicest of houses, but I had a roof over my head most nights,” she said.
It was an incident she does not want to detail that prompted her to seek a different path.
“One thing opened up my eyes and I didn’t want to stay out there, so I packed up my crap and just went home.”
Layla then stayed with her sister and began rebuilding her life.
Homelessness on the rise
The latest Census data on homelessness will not be released until next year, but support groups say it is already apparent the issue has worsened over the past five years.
Shelter Tasmania’s Pattie Chugg says the state has the highest proportion of people who are homeless.(ABC News: Scott Ross)
A recent Mission Australia survey found that, during the COVID pandemic, more than one in 30 young Tasmanians experienced homelessness for the first time in their lives.
Pattie Chugg from Shelter Tasmania said 6,600 people a year accessed housing services and that number was increasing all the time.
“Tasmania has the highest proportion of people [who] are homeless because they haven’t got affordable rental, and for young people that’s exacerbated very much for them when they are on lower incomes, part-time [or] casual wages or Youth Allowance,” Ms Chugg said.
“It’s a really simple equation in some ways. We’ve got a lot of people on low incomes. We’ve got rents that are rising and then those two things come together. It is the people with the least amount of resources [who] are the ones missing out the most.
“We’ve got this perfect storm really of not enough affordable housing to house people in Tasmania.”
Middle group emerging
Tania Hunt from the Youth Network of Tasmania has called for more social housing for young people.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)
Advocacy group Youth Network of Tasmania is concerned there is an emerging group of young people who are homeless because they do not qualify for the public housing waiting list.
“We are seeing young people {who]are not necessarily eligible for social housing, and can’t afford to enter the rental market. So, what do we do for those individuals?” Youth Network chief executive Tanya Hunt asked.
“They need to be allocated more social housing in my view. They need to be prioritized, to reduce homelessness in our community.
“We know that there is high youth unemployment in Tasmania. We know that underemployment is a significant issue. [There’s] transport disadvantage, low incomes — there’s a range of challenges that contribute to housing insecurity and homelessness for young Tasmanians.”
Ms Hunt said the COVID-19 pandemic had also taken a toll.
“Young people experienced unprecedented job losses and a range of other challenges that resulted in housing insecurity and homelessness.”
She said it was difficult to know the exact number, but young people were over represented in the homeless population.
“The problem in Tasmania is often hidden, with young people couch surfing with friends and family, sleeping in their cars and sleeping rough.”
Both Shelter Tasmania and Youth Network say that increasing the Youth Allowance is key to keeping young people off the streets.
“Very few people know how little Youth Allowance is: It’s only $500 a fortnight,” Ms Chugg said.
“Why is Youth Allowance so low and less than an adult’s income on unemployment and other benefits when all their other costs are the same?”
Support groups say there is a growing disparity between government youth payments and rental prices.(abcnews)
State government urged to do more
Hobart City Councilor Jax Fox was behind a move to cap new, short-stay accommodation in an effort to increase rental stock, a measure that is now before the Planning Commission.
In the past, they have also couch surfed and lived in tents, but they say it was “very much on the light end” of homelessness.
“When I was younger my family would just kind of camp, we moved around a lot. It was very socially isolating,” Cr Fox said.
Hobart City Councilor Jax Fox has experienced couch surfing and living in tents.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)
“Housing is the first thing that you need to survive.
“If you don’t know somebody who is going through this, or has gone through this, you are deliberately not looking, because it’s everywhere.”
The Tasmanian government has promised to build 10,000 homes in the next 10 years but Cr Fox says even that is not sufficient.
“There are 4,000 families — not individuals, families — on the [waiting] list now. So, if we are going to build houses just for them without the list growing, it is going to take four or five years for the current demand to be met.”
Cr Fox wants more money for emergency housing, access to hotels and a vacancy tax.
“Aside from building more housing, we need a vacancy tax. There are heaps of empty houses around Hobart,” Cr Fox said.
“If people can sit on houses as investments and incomes when others are starving on the streets, how detached from reality do you have to be to think that’s an OK thing to do?
“We should ban short-stay accommodation altogether.”
Data shows that, once a young person experiences homelessness, they are more likely to do so again in later life.
Layla, pictured with her support worker, Heidi, is no longer homeless and tries to help others who are.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)
And being homeless brings with it complications that are hard to overcome.
Understanding much of that, Layla is now looking out for others in the same predicament.
“We’ve got a friend down at the supermarket who is homeless and we help him out every time we go down there. Every day he is there,” Layla said.
“Everyday he’s there and he lives up in a tent in South Hobart and he’s freezing at the moment.
“We bought him some tuna and stuff last night and he can’t even get Centrelink because he doesn’t have a home address. It’s a bit sad.”
Unemployment and transport disadvantage are some of the factors at play in youth homelessness.(ABC News: April McLennan)
Pattie Chugg has urged young people to seek out support services by contacting Housing Connect.
“It’s important to make contact through school, support services. There is help there and it’s important our youngest citizens are looked after.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said his governments’ plan for 10,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years was “a number that is no doubt a challenge, but we will get there.”
He said the government “recognizes the pressures of homelessness [and we are] looking behind the reasons for homelessness, the mental health pressures, people’s health and wellbeing.”
Mr Rockliff said the government would “engage with key stakeholders such as the Tasmanian Council of Social Service and other advocates in ensuring we have the right policy settings and investment is targeted in the right areas.”
While some Australians may rejoice at the idea of a drop in house prices, interest rate rises mean home owners face the prospect of their asset dropping in value at the same time their mortgage repayments steadily increase.
Key points:
House prices in Australia are dropping at their fastest pace since the global financial crisis
Those who bought houses at the peak now face a double whammy of dropping asset prices as rising interest rates
Financial counselors are anticipating a spike in demand as interest rates increase
And those who bought recently, at the peak of the market, are more likely to have the most left to pay off on their loans, meaning interest rate rises will cause them the most pain.
Bobby Graham bought a house in January in Hobart’s outer suburbs for slightly more than he had hoped to pay, after saving for the past five years.
Just months before his purchase completed, as late as October, the Reserve Bank of Australia was still saying it expected interest rates would not rise until 2024.
There have now been three months of straight rate rises, and another due today.
While he is not struggling to meet payments, Mr Graham says the changing circumstances have meant he needed to adjust something else — his expectations.
He has had to make tweaks to his lifestyle and reassess his living expenses.
“It’s the perfect storm — you pay the higher price because you bought at the peak of the market then there is an increase in interest rates,” he said.
“And it becomes obvious that everything else is becoming more expensive due to inflation.”
He described the increases in his mortgage repayments as “a bit of a kick”.
Mr Graham has had to re-examine his budget and adjust his expectations.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
As part of his changes he has had to cancel several interstate trips planned for this year in a bid to save money and meet home and mortgage commitments.
“You pay so much of your income, just to maintain your house,” he said.
His advice to others in his situation is to take a thorough look at the household budget and adjust expectations.
Home prices dropping but interest costs going up
According to figures released on Monday by property analysis firm CoreLogic, median house prices in most capital cities are falling at a steady rate — and are expected to continue the trend.
In Hobart, there was a 1.5 per cent drop in house and unit prices in the past month, in line with similar falls in Sydney and Melbourne.
CoreLogic compares the downswing to the same drop experienced during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and the 1980s recession.
The RBA has increased interest rates for three straight months, with another increase expected this afternoon.(abcnews)
The Reserve Bank (RBA) is acting to stem inflation by increasing the cash rate, which in turn is being passed onto consumers via higher mortgage rates.
The RBA is expected to lift the rate again when it meets today.
The head of research at CoreLogic, Eliza Owen, warns potential home buyers while they may feel like they are buying a house at a discounted price, the reality of interest rate increases will see more spent on repayments.
“The interest you pay on the debt you take out will be more,” she said.
Financial counselors expect demand spike
Anglicare financial counselor Fiona Moore said people should call the National Debt Hotline if they were struggling.(Supplied: Anglicare)
Anglicare financial counselor Fiona Moore said home buyers had experienced years of high prices, with a lot of people borrowing money while interest rates had been low.
“With interest rates rising, and property prices decreasing, it’s going to cause a big problem,” she said.
Anglicare is expecting its client list to grow.
“People should rationalize their spending such as personal loans and credit cards and look at options to cut other payments down,” she said.
She said people who were struggling could also call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
House prices in Australia are dropping at their fastest pace since the global financial crisis — and market conditions are “likely to worsen” as interest rates continue to rise, according to property analytics firm CoreLogic.
Key points:
Economists predict Australian house prices could fall between 12 and 20 per cent
The median property value dropped 8.5pc during the GFC
Rents have arisen 9.8pc in the past year
The latest data shows that the nation’s median property value has dropped by 2 per cent since the beginning of May, to $747,182 (a figure which includes houses and apartments).
“Although the housing market is only three months into a decline … the rate of decline is comparable with the onset of the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008, and the sharp downswing of the early 1980s,” said CoreLogic’s research director Tim Lawless.
But he noted that, on average, prices had jumped 28.6 per cent from mid-2020 (the low point of the housing market during the COVID-19 pandemic) to April 2022 (when national prices hit their peak).
Regional Australia had an even bigger surge, with prices up 41.1 per cent in two years — as smaller towns outside the capital cities experienced a huge influx of city-dwellers seeking better lifestyles (as working remotely became the new normal).
“In Sydney, where the downturn has been particularly accelerated, we are seeing the sharpest value falls in almost 40 years.”
Property prices in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart fell sharply in July.(CoreLogic)
The median price in Australia’s most expensive city fell by 2.2 per cent in July (taking its quarterly loss to 4.7 per cent). Despite that, an average house in Sydney still costs around $1.35 million, while an average unit may fetch about $806,000.
Melbourne and Hobart also recorded steep falls, with prices in both cities down 1.5 per cent last month, while Canberra prices dropped 1.1 per cent.
Prices in Brisbane and regional Australia fell 0.8 per cent (their first monthly decline since August 2020).
At the other end of the spectrum, Darwin, Adelaide and Perth were the only capitals where prices actually went up in July (by between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent). However, it has been a sharp slowdown since May, when the Reserve Bank began to aggressively lift the cash rate from its record low levels.
short and sharp
“I think this downturn will be similar to the global financial crisis in that it will be quite short and sharp,” Mr Lawless told ABC News.
Australia’s median property price fell by around 8.5 per cent over an 11-month period during the GFC, according to CoreLogic.
Adelaide property prices jumped 3.6pc in the past three months.(CoreLogic)
Mr Lawless said the property downturn is “accelerating”, and that he would not be surprised if “the current decline gets worse than what we saw during the GFC”.
He noted the main difference is that governments and central banks are currently determined to withdraw trillions of dollars worth of stimulus, in a desperate bid to lower inflation (instead of pumping it into the global economy, liked they did after the 2008 crisis).
Many analysts are predicting Australian property prices, on average, will fall between 10 and 20 per cent (from peak to trough) — with the two most expensive cities Sydney and Melbourne likely to suffer the biggest declines.
But even if the worse case scenario eventuates, it will not drastically improve housing affordability.
“If we saw say, a 15 per cent drop in national housing values, it would take prices back to where they were in about April 2021.”
How quickly (and by how much) prices fall will depend on how aggressively the RBA decides to lift its cash rate target in the next few months.
Brisbane and Adelaide tenants are experiencing the sharpest rent increases.(CoreLogic)
Since May, the RBA has lifted its cash rate target from 0.1 to 1.35 per cent.
If the central bank delivers another double-sized rate hike on Tuesday (0.5 percentage points), as widely expected, that would bring the new cash rate up to 1.85 per cent.
Buyers’ market and surging rents
“The market has moved to being very much more in favor of buyers over sellers now, especially in markets like Sydney and Melbourne,” Mr Lawless said.
“Buyers are getting back in the driver’s seat. They have more choice, and there’s less urgency.
“But for sellers, it means they need to be much more realistic about their pricing expectations, and they should expect there’s going to be more negotiation.”
Renters are also disadvantaged in the current property market. As their landlords’ mortgage repayments increase (and more foreign workers and students) return to Australia, rents have surged rapidly.
“Rental markets are extremely tight, with vacancy rates around 1 per cent or lower across many parts of Australia,” Mr Lawless added.
“If you consider the history of rents, it’s very rare to see dwelling rents rising at more than say 3 – 4 per cent per annum.”
But in the past quarter, the national average rent jumped 2.8 per cent — and they are up nearly 10 per cent in the past year.
Looking forward, Mr Lawless said renters may be under increasing pressure to rent out any spare bedrooms to more flatmates, look for cheaper rents in apartments (rather than houses), or “stay at home with mum and dad longer.”
“There’s definitely going to be some negative social outcomes from such high rents, which aren’t showing any signs of slowing down at the moment.”
