South Sydney enforcer Tom Burgess has taken the early guilty plea and will be sidelined for one week after he was sent off for a high shot on Saturday night.
A lazy swinging arm collected Sharks center Ronaldo Mulitalo high on the halfway line with three minutes left in golden point.
Burgess was charged with a careless high tackle and will miss next week’s clash against the Warriors.
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Burgess was sitting off in the loss.Source: FOX SPORTS
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The Rabbitohs were penalized over the shot and three tackles later Cronulla halfback Nicho Hynes’ slotted the match-winning field goal.
“High tackle Burgess, it’s a big problem, it’s on halfway,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League.
“No matter what it’s a penalty to Cronulla, but what is the aftermath.
Ooft, a bit of force in that from Burgess. The players from Cronulla have just seen a replay and that’s got them bubbling again.
“Gone. Sit off. Tom Burgess straight from the field and they will finish with 12 and they have three and a half minutes to hold on with 12.”
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Co-commentator Steve Roach believes Burgess was unlucky to be penalized, let alone sent off.
“He was just trying to do something for his team, a bit over the top but I don’t think he hit him in the head actually, it slid up,” Roach said.
Hynes kicked for touch and three tackles later sent the home crowd into raptures by slotting a golden point field goal.
“Nicho Hynes is ice cool, it’s Cronulla’s night, they’ve done it again at the death in the Shire,” Ginnane said.
“It might be the moment that catapults them into the final four.”
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Katherine Deves has slammed activists for their “disgusting conduct” after they confronted the former Liberal candidate during a night out at a Sydney pub.
Scott Morrison’s famous captain’s pick for the New South Wales seat of Warringah claimed she was verbally assaulted by a group of young men and women and then chased out of The Grand Hotel during a pub crawl with Young Liberals on Friday night.
A two-minute video shared to social media appeared to show a group chanting loudly inside the Hamilton St pub before the person filming is knocked to the ground.
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Ms Deves, who was not seen in the clip, told Sky News Australia she was invited by the Young Liberals – a centre-right youth movement of the Liberal Party – for a night out before they were allegedly confronted by the group.
“I showed up at the venue. They changed the location at the last minute for safety reasons,” she told The Outsiders program on Sunday.
“I only just walked in the door. I saw a lot of familiar faces.
“I was really excited to see these young people and catch up with what was going on with their lives as they assisted me in my campaign.
“And someone said, ‘the socialists are here’. I’m here thinking to myself, ‘what does that mean?'”
“All of a sudden, we realized the room had been invaded by a group of young men and women who started protesting and using arguably defamatory slurs against me, shouting at the top of their voices, shoving people.”
Ms Deves then claimed a “trans woman friend of mine” who assisted in her campaign in May was shoved and another person filming was pushed down the stairs.
She was able to leave the venue quickly with a campaign director and his friend but told how she was followed outside where other protesters had gathered.
“… But there are even more protesters on the street who proceeded to scream slurs and defamatory accusations at me and then chase me into a cab,” the 44-year-old said.
“The poor cab driver was saying ‘what’s going on here’ and we were just like ‘mate, just drive, just drive’ and we managed to get out of there.”
The mother-of-three believes the confrontation is the result of a “knock-on effect” from the Federal Election campaign where she made national headlines.
Ms Deves came under scrutiny when historic social media comments surfaced where she described transgender children as “surgically mutilated and sterilized” as well as her strong stance against trans athletes from competing in women’s sport.
An apology about the trans children comments was issued before it was walked back and she doubled down on the remarks just under two weeks before polling.
“This is sort of a knock-on effect from what happened in the election where many things I had said were completely decontextualised, they were sensationalised by certain elements of the media and cast the arguments I was trying to make, in a very bad light ,” she said.
“I think these young people were reacting to that.”
She flagged it was an “attack on freedom of speech and freedom of belief.”
Ms Deves insisted she would have welcomed a conversation with the activists but their actions were “disgusting conduct” that could have left people hurt.
“And if those young people had shown up and actually wanted to have a conversation with me, I would have happily discussed with them, and everyone would be entitled to agree to disagree,” the ex-Liberal candidate added.
“But to conduct with themselves in such a way, where they were clearly there to intimidate, harass and silent (me), I thought it was disgusting conduct.”
Ms Deves then suggested the activists behaved that way was “because they don’t like the fact of what I’m saying is actually right” and pointed to the recent closure of a gender identity clinic for children in the United Kingdom.
The National Health Service (NHS) will shut down the Tavistock center after complaints were raised by whistleblowers, patients and families in recent years.
Doctors had also reported concerns that some patients were being referred to a gender transitioning pathway too early.
“The fact that the people who are my detractors, they don’t want to have a conversation, they never wanted to have the conversation because what they’re trying to say doesn’t stand up to scrutiny,” she argued to The Outsiders hosts.
“I mean, some of the issues for which I was vilified, I’ve now been vindicated on, whether it’s the sports issue and also with respect to children being medicalised.”
“The Tavistock clinic in the UK, that was closed down on Friday, they have been discredited, they have been disgraced, they have absolutely been shut down.
“Those medicalised pathways I was trying to raise awareness of are now not being offered to children in the UK because there are so many concerns.”
“I think my detractors really want to shut me up because they don’t like the fact of what I’m saying is actually right and the arguments have merit because it completely undermines their political agenda.”
NSW Police told SkyNews.com.au it had not received any reports related to the incident.
The rate at which construction costs are soaring – contributing to a spate of high-profile building company collapses – will ease next year, according to new forecasts from global consultancy firm RLB.
Construction cost inflation in Melbourne is forecast to halve, dropping from 8 per cent this year to 4 per cent in 2023, and in Sydney it is predicted to slow from 6.9 per cent to 3.9 per cent.
An even bigger decline is forecast for the Gold Coast with cost growth dropping from 11.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent. Similarly, in Brisbane it should drop from 10.5 per cent this year to 5.1 per cent in 2023, according to forecasts published this week in RLB’s second quarter 2022 International Report.
RLB research and development director Domenic Schiafone said the expectation that costing will ease through next year was due to curtailing demand, likely to be caused by inflationary pressures.
“This easing of demand should allow manufacturing and logistics to get back to ‘normality’ or pre-Covid levels,” he said.
“The easing of demand should also see a softening of material prices with the high level of ‘demand-led price premiums’ reducing.”
Association of Professional Builders co-founder Russ Stephens, whose clients are residential home builders, agreed to escalate costs could halve next year, but off a much higher base.
He said the cost to build a residential home had increased a lot more than non-residential or commercial builds due to the larger percentage of timber used, and that temporary price hikes created by supply and demand were not reflected in the reports we were seeing.
Australia’s typical house build cost has soared more than $94,000 in 15 months, according to figures revealed in analysis by the Housing Industry Association and News Corp Australia earlier this month.
The national inflation rate hit 6.1 per cent in the year to June with new dwellings and automotive fuel the most significant contributors, new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week showed. New dwellings were up 20.3 per cent.
Warning to Australians wanting to build
While construction cost inflation is expected to ease sometime next year, in the meantime the pain will continue.
Mr Stephens said because costs were increasing so quickly, consumers needed to be aware prices quoted for builds would not last long.
“If they’ve had a price quoted that is older than 30 days they should expect to have that price renegotiated,” he said.
He also said consumers would see more builders including rise and fall clauses, also known as cost escalation clauses, in contracts.
“It gives the ability for a builder to pass an increase in cost of materials on to the consumer,” Mr Stephens explained, adding it was common in other countries but Australia didn’t typically use them.
“What I would say to consumers is that’s not necessarily a negative thing because if the builders don’t put those clauses in they’ll have to put more contingency in to the price to protect themselves against potential increases.
“So rise and fall clauses are probably a good thing for consumers because it means they will only pay the cost of the increase rather than an inflated prediction of what increases might be, especially as we’re seeing evidence now that the increases will start to slow down next year.”
Factors contributing to the construction industry crisis
The construction industry is facing challenges so great that high-profile building companies are dropping like flies.
Mr Schiafone said fragmented supply chain issues were not resolved and labor shortages across the nation have continued as a result of the pandemic.
The consultancy’s report noted lead times for some products from overseas were currently
16 to 20 weeks, when traditionally they were half that at eight to 10 weeks.
Additionally, the need for construction labor and materials after recent flood damage will enhance existing shortages across the country, he said.
Mr Schiafone said higher fuel prices, increasing power costs and timber shortages were all symptoms of the war in Ukraine and were likely to linger for some time yet.
RLB global chairman Andrew Reynolds said significant cost escalation, global delivery uncertainty, aberrant weather events causing significant construction delays, and labor shortages were common challenges in the industry across the world.
Failed building companies
The latest company to collapse was prominent Melbourne apartment developer Caydon earlier this week, blaming “one difficult market situation after another”.
The next day, on Wednesday, ASX-listed developer Cedar Woods shelved a major inner-city Brisbane townhouse and apartment project due to rising costs and delays.
It came less than a week after Perth developer Sirona Urban killed off a $165 million luxury tower, where more than 50 per cent of apartments had been bought off the plan, blaming skyrocketing construction costs and labor shortages.
It was the second major apartment project to fall over in Australia last week.
A Melbourne developer, Central Equity, abandoned plans to build a $500 million apartment tower on the Gold Coast, blaming the crisis in the building industry and surging construction costs for making the project unprofitable.
Earlier this year, two major Australian construction companies, Gold Coast-based Condev and industry giant Probuild, went into liquidation.
The grim list has continued to grow from there as a number of other high-profile companies also collapsed, including Inside Out Construction, Dyldam Developments, Home Innovation Builders, ABG Group, New Sensation Homes, Next, Pindan, ABD Group and Pivotal Homes.
Others joined the list too including Solido Builders, Waterford Homes, Affordable Modular Homes and Statement Builders.
Then two Victorian building companies were further casualties of the crisis, having gone into liquidation at the end of June, with one homeowner having forked out $300,000 for a now half-built house.
Hotondo Homes Horsham, which was a franchisee of a national construction firm, collapsed a fortnight ago affecting 11 homeowners with $1.2 million in outstanding debt.
It is the second Hotondo Homes franchisee to go under this year, with its Hobart branch collapsing in January owing $1.3 million to creditors, according to a report from liquidator Revive Financial.
Meanwhile, a Sydney family face never being able to build their dream home after their builder Jada Group collapsed in March owing $2.4 million and the cost of their home’s construction jumped to $1.9 million, a whopping $800,000 more than the original quote.
Snowdon Developments was ordered into liquidation by the Supreme Court with 52 staff members, 550 homes and more than 250 creditors owed just under $18 million, although it was partially bought out less than 24 hours after going bust.
Dozens of homeowners and hundreds of tradies were left reeling after a Victorian building firm called Langford Jones Homes went into liquidation on July 4 owing $14.2 million to 300 creditors.
News.com.au also raised questions about NSW builder Willoughby Homes, which is under investigation by the Government after builds stalled and debts blew out to 90 days.
There are between 10,000 to 12,000 residential building companies in Australia undertaking new homes or large renovation projects, a figure estimated by the Association of Professional Builders.
The mysterious deaths of two Saudi sisters living in Sydney have taken another strange turn, with police backflipping on initial claims their family had been cooperating with investigators.
Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead inside their Canterbury unit in the city’s south-west on June 7, five years after they fled their homeland and arrived in Australia with $5,000 in savings.
Police believe the two young women, found in separate beds, may have been dead for a month before officers made the grim discovery while conducting a welfare check.
There were no signs of forced entry, no clear signs of injury, and the cause of death remains undetermined.
For weeks, NSW Police assured media the sisters’ well-connected’ family in the Saudi kingdom were ‘cooperating’ and ‘helping’ with the investigation.
But it has since been alleged that the family blocked detectives from releasing photographs of the women as part of a public appeal to shed light on the baffling case.
Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia their photos and identities were released in consultation with the coroner – not the sisters’ family – almost two months after their bodies were found.
Pictured: Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23. Her body was found on June 7 in a Canterbury apartment
Pictured: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24. She and her sister were found dead in Sydney’s south-west
Other bizarre inconsistencies have also arisen during the investigation.
Police were unable to explain a delay on the release of toxicology reports which usually takes four to six weeks, despite previously insisting the findings were being ‘fast-tracked’.
‘That is a matter for the coroner,’ police said in response to our inquiries.
Until now, investigators always insisted the family were cooperating with investigators and had ‘no reason’ to believe the Alsehli sisters fled their homeland.
Police would not release details about the women’s visa status at Wednesday’s press conference but revealed officers were in touch with the family – who had instructed the consulate to act on their behalf.
Investigators believe the women died in May, around the time they stopped paying rent.
The coroner has not released the bodies of the sisters to their family, although it is understood they could be buried in Sydney.
Police are to yet rule out homicide or suicide as investigations continue.
NSW Police have appeared to have backflipped on initial claims the women’s family have been cooperating with investigation into their deaths. Pictured are police at the unit in June
Their rental agent Jay Hu revealed the women were originally ‘good’ tenants when they first moved in two years ago and had proof of ‘ample’ savings before falling behind on rent earlier this year.
‘They stopped paying rent, so my colleague contacted them … they said the money would be coming soon,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
‘But it still didn’t come… a few more weeks went by and still not paid.’
The unit has undergone renovations including new carpet and repainting before the property went back on the market for lease last week.
It’s also been revealed the sisters were both seeking protection from the Australian government as more details about their attempts to build a normal life here emerged.
They had an active claim for asylum in progress with the Department of Home Affairs, it has been confirmed.
The reasons they sought protection from the Australian government, detailed in their claim, are not known.
Forensic police scoured the unit (pictured) in the wake of the grisly discovery on June 7 – a month after the women died
Police confirmed the women’s identities were released last week in consultation with the coroner. Pictured are officers at the Canterbury complex investigating the women’s deaths
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
– May have flown Saudi Arabia as teens.
– Had access to money and drove a BMW.
– Both had Australian business names, but police can’t confirm what they did for work.
– Filed an AVO, and then withdrew it.
-BMW was keyed.
– Three police welfare checks.
– Stopped paying rent.
– Bodies found a month after they died.
– Cause of death unknown.
But claims for asylum often relate to persecution or human rights violations on the basis of religion, sexuality, ethnicity, violence or political opinions, according to Amnesty International.
Both were in touch with settlement providers and were on bridging visas.
Reports published in Middle Eastern newspapers on Friday said the sisters had renounced Islam.
The sisters only left the Canterbury unit to study at TAFE, to go shopping or to work, their former landlord from a property they rented at Fairfield revealed to The Guardian.
The ‘shocked’ landlord claimed their mother visited the sisters in Sydney but didn’t like Australia and left after only a brief visit.
News outlets based in Yemen shed more light on the mysterious situation – reporting that the women fled their homeland with a wad of cash in 2017 due to a tumultuous relationship with their parents.
They were also reported to have renounced Islam and became atheists. One had a boyfriend in Sydney.
Detective Inspector Claudia Allcroft insisted there was ‘nothing to suggest’ their family was involved in their deaths.
The women were not known to be part of any dissident Saudi networks.
The landlord said the sisters, who reported fled Saudi Arabia in 2017 with $5,000 during a family holiday, both attended TAFE in Wetherill Park.
They also both worked doing traffic control for a Sydney building company.
‘I was shocked when I saw their photos, I have no idea how this could have happened. They were very cute and friendly girls, we never had any problems with them,’ their landlord told The Guardian.
When they arrived in Sydney, Asra and Amaal made contact with a refugee agency. Pictured: Their Canterbury apartment block, where they were found dead in June
He said the women did not talk much, or stay up late and didn’t make ‘loud noises’.
‘Nothing weird ever happened.’
Asra Alsehli had a boyfriend, an Iraqi man with a beard, the landlord said.
She applied for an apprehended violence order against a 28-year-old man in 2019 but later withdrew the application.
According to Ana Yemenyi and Tomorrow’s Yementhe sisters were on a summer holiday with their family when they jumped on a plane to Sydney, via Hong Kong.
The sisters then connected with an Australian refugee organisation. It is understood they were on bridging visas in Australia.
Local news outlets said their brother was expected to make a public appeal to encourage any potential killer to come forward, but the family have so far remained silent.
The mysterious deaths have made waves on social media, with many Middle Eastern locals asking why the sisters felt the need to escape the Saudi Kingdom.
One man said the women exposed themselves to danger when they left their homeland: ‘Do not leave Saudi Arabia in search of freedom. You won’t find it.’
A black BMW coupe covered in dust was removed from the garage of the apartment block the day after the women’s bodies were found
The Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Sydney has offered its condolences to the family, who are believed to be ‘well connected’.
While the details of the Alsehli sisters’ lives in Saudi Arabia have not yet been pieced together, what is known about their time in Australia begs more questions than answers.
Eight weeks on from the grisly discovery, the case is still plagued with mysteries and inconsistencies.
Both women registered ABNs in 2018 for sole trading to a Wetherill Park address, in Sydney’s west, but police still can’t confirm what they did for work.
They also drove a black BMW coupe which normally costs upwards of $38,000, and lived in a modern, two-bedroom $490-per-week apartment.
The sisters’ car was also keyed in late 2021, but it is unknown whether it was a coincidence or whoever damaged their property had malicious intent.
The women regularly went to the local service station for coffee and energy drinks with workers describing them as ‘cheerful’ – but they noted the pair would only respond to questions, never starting a conversation.
There were also three welfare checks carried out by police in the months before the girls were finally discovered in separate beds of their first-floor unit as mail piled up outside their door.
At last week’s press conference, Detective Allcroft confirmed police know very little about the women and renewed an appeal for public information – anyone who saw the sisters in their final days has been urged to come forward.
‘We hope that someone may be able to assist our investigators,’ Detective Allcroft said.
‘Either through sightings, or those who knew the sisters and may have some information on their movements prior to their death.’
SYDNEY SAUDI ‘MURDER’ MYSTERY TIMELINE
2017: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, are believed to have fled Saudi Arabia during a family holiday – with $5000.
They flew to Sydney, via Hong Kong, and made contact with a refugee centre.
2019: Asra took an AVO out against a man, but it was later dismissed.
2020: They frequently visited a service station around their flat, with locals describing them as ‘friendly’.
2022: Police conducted two welfare checks early in the year.
In one of the checks, the pair were described as ‘timid’ and refused to let anyone enter the apartment.
They eventually allowed officers to enter, but stayed huddled together in the far corner of the unit.
May, 2022: the owner of their Canterbury unit filed a civil case against Asra on May 13.
That action was taken four weeks after sheriff’s officers went to the apartment to serve the women with an eviction notice.
June 7, 2022: Officers conducting a welfare check made the gray discovery.
There was no sign of forced entry.
Police believe the sisters died in May, but have not been able to determine a cause of death.
The Tigers will be without Jackson Hastings for the rest of the season after he suffered an ugly leg break against the Broncos.
Hastings had his leg caught under him in an ugly tackle that saw Broncos forward Patrick Carrigan placed on report for a hip drop tackle.
Scans confirmed a broken leg for Hastings who will undergo surgery that rules him out for an extended period.
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Meanwhile, the Eels have copped a massive blow in their hunt for the top four with star halfback Mitchell Moses reportedly suffering a broken finger.
Brent Read told Triple M that Moses will be ruled out for at least a month after suffering in the injury in last night’s win over the Panthers. Moses appeared to injure his finger at him in the 31st minute, and had it strapped by a physio shortly afterwards, but managed to finish the match.
Moses will reportedly undergo surgery and could miss the remainder of the regular season.
COWBOYS LOSE FLYER TO HAMSTRING INJURY
The Cowboys will be sweating on a hamstring injury to winger Kyle Feldt after he limped off in their 34-8 win over the Dragons.
STORM FULLBACK CRISIS WORSENS
Meanwhile, the Storm’s outside back injury crisis has worsened with replacement fullback Nick Meaney going off against the Warriors with a shoulder injury.
Meaney fell on the point of his shoulder from a great height after he was taken out in the air by Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
“He fell awkwardly and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has quite a significant AC joint injury the way that shoulder came down right on the point,” Warren Smith said on Fox League.
“Melbourne in all sorts of problems here. They were chasing Reece Walsh to be a fullback.
“Tyran Wishart will come on and play fullback now after they already lost Ryan Papenhuyzen for the season.”
Nick Meaney suffered a shoulder injury.Source: FOX SPORTS
Coach Craig Bellamy was hopeful after the game that it wasn’t a serious injury and revealed there are some positive signs.
“He’s done something to his right shoulder but I don’t think we’re quite sure of what he’s done,” he said.
“It looked pretty dire when he came off, he obviously had the sling on. But it’s looking a bit better at the moment, they don’t think it’s quite as bad as what they thought it was at the start.”
In the same game, Warriors five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita succumbed to a leg injury in the first half and left the field.
“We’re thinking it’s an MCL… he’ll have scans to see the extent of the injury. But our medical officer said it’s an MCL injury,” interim coach Stacey Jones said after the game.
Brain fade gives Niche a golden moment | 00:51
ROOSTERS STAR SUFFERS UGLY CONCUSSION
Roosters prop Lindsay Collins has suffered a nasty head knock, colliding with the head of Morgan Boyle.
Collins bounced out of the tackle, knocking himself unconscious before leaving the field with the assistance of the club doctor and trainer.
The 26-year-old was one of three players who left the field in the first four minutes of the Origin decider and was playing his first game since the blow, spending two weeks sidelined due to ongoing concussion symptoms.
“I fear for Lindsay here, he went straight down… he has copped both head and shoulder, that is incredibly heavy on Lindsay Collins,” Andrew Voss said.
“You could see the contact,” Greg Alexander said.
“That is worrying for a player that is only returning this round because of concussion.”
Fox League’s James Hooper confirmed Collins would not return to the field in Round 20.
“Category 1 concussion, his night is over,” Fox League’s James Hooper said.
PANTHERS’ INJURY UPDATE
The Panthers have copped a significant blow with star five-eighth Jarome Luai expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks.
The club confirmed the timeline on Thursday and revealed that Luai had suffered a high grade MCL injury.
Penrith also revealed that Mitch Kenny (knee) and Stephen Crichton (ear/concussion) could return next week.
“I can do it all!” Foxx delivers try | 00:39
TIGERS’ BIG BLOW
Luke Brooks will miss Round 20 and likely the rest of the season after suffering a calf injury at training.
The Wests Tigers confirmed on Thursday that Brooks will be out for five to six weeks with Jock Madden the man expected to replace him in the halves.
The Tigers also revealed Luke Garner is a good chance of returning from a neck injury in Round 21, Stefano Utoikamanu has commended a running program after undergoing wrist surgery and Tommy Talau will return to full team training over the next month.
Read on for the full NRL casualty ward.
ROUND 20 INJURIES
Lindsay Collins (head knock) – TBC
Nick Meaney (shoulder) – TBC
Chanel Harris-Tavita (knee) – TBC
Mitchell Moses (finger) – Finals
Adam Elliott (hip) – TBC
Jackson Hastings (leg) – season
Kyle Feldt (hamstring) – TBC
FULL CASUALTY WARD
BRONCOS
Selwyn Cobbo (concussion) – Round 21
Albert Kelly (foot) – Round 21
TC Robati (arm) – Round 21
Te Maire Martin (ribs) – indefinite
Herbie Farnworth (biceps) – indefinite
Jordan Pereira (illness) – indefinite
raiders
Adam Elliott (hip) – TBC
James Schiller (ankle) – Round 21
Jordan Rapana (suspended) – Round 21
Semi Valemei (knee) – Round 21
Harry Rushton (jaw) – Round 25
Trey Mooney (ankle) – indefinite
Jarrod Croker (shoulder) – season
Josh Hodgson (knee) – season
Harley Smith-Shields (knee) – season
BULLDOGS
Paul Alamoti (cheekbone) – Round 21
Corey Allan (groin) – Round 22
Ava Seumanufagai (calf) – Round 22
Corey Waddell (suspension) – Round 25
Luke Thompson (concussion) – indefinite
Jack Hetherington (shoulder) – season
Billy Tsikrikas (knee) – season
Raymond Faitala-Mariner (ribs) – Round 21
Braith perplexed by Finucane ban | 05:15
SHARKS
Dale Finucane (suspension) – Round 22
Royce Hunt (shoulder) – indefinite
Jack Williams (shoulder) – season
Sione Katoa (pectoral) – season
TITANS
Joe Vuna (knee) – indefinite
Shallin Fuller (leg) – season
BE EAGLES
Sean Keppie (shoulder) – Round 21
Ben Trbojevic (head knock) – TBC
Tom Trbojevic (shoulder) – finals/World Cup
Karl Lawton (knee) – season
Morgan Boyle (ankle) – indefinite
STORM
Nick Meaney (shoulder) – TBC
Jack Howarth (shoulder) – Round 21
Will Warbrick (quad) – Round 21
Tepai Moeroa (shoulder) – Round 21
Brandon Smith (suspended) – Round 21
Xavier Coates (ankle) – Round 22
Trent Loiero (back) – indefinite
Ryan Papenhuyzen (knee) – season
Reimis Smith (pectoral) – season
Christian Welch (Achilles) – season
George Jennings (knee) – season
KNIGHTS
Kalyn Ponga (concussion) – indefinite
Kurt Mann (quad) – Round 21
Bradman Best (thumb) – Round 22
Lachlan Fitzgibbon (shoulder) – indefinite
Chris Vea’ila (leg) – indefinite
Bailey Hodgson (elbow) – season
Dylan Lucas (pectoral) – season
MORE NRL NEWS
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JIMMY BRINGS: Latrell twist in $6m act and Tigers star who Storm wanted
‘I’D JUMP AT IT’: Eddie Jones reveals ‘dream’ club to coach in the NRL
NAME THEM: Tigers star opens up on exit rumours, says he’s ‘used to it’ by now
Wingers star in Bulldogs victory | 02:52
COWBOYS
Kyle Feldt (hamstring) – TBC
Jordan McLean (hamstring) – Round 24
Mitch Dunn (knee) – season
Heilum Luki (knee) – season
EELS
Haze Dunster (knee) – season
Ray Stone (knee) – season
Mitch Moses (finger) – Finals
PANTHERS
Eddie Blacker (hamstring) – Round 21
Mitch Kenny (knee) – Round 21-22
Stephen Crichton (ear/concussion) – Round 21
Kurt Falls (leg) – Round 21
Mavrik Geyer (thumb) – Round 21
Jarome Luai (knee) – Round 25-finals
Nathan Cleary (suspension) – Finals
‘Personally it wouldn’t be an issue’ | 01:59
RABBITOHS
Peter Mamouzelos (wrist) – Round 24
Hame Sele (hamstring) – Round 25
Michael Chee Kam (thumb) – Round 25
Campbell Graham (cheekbone) – indefinite
Liam Knight (knee) – season
Jacob Host (shoulder) – season
Jed Cartwright (hamstring) – TBC
Taane Milne (hand) – Round 21
dragons
Cody Ramsey (knee) – Round 22
Jayden Sullivan (shoulder) – Round 23
Mikaele Ravalawa (hamstring) – Finals
Moses Suli (ankle) – Finals
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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.”
A Sydney couple, who had been priced out of upgrading their family home, have managed to create a property portfolio worth $1.2 million in the space of just three months.
Amit Kumar and his wife Astha had bought a townhouse in the Sydney suburb of Quakers Hill for $610,000 six years ago.
Despite saving hard and their family home growing in value to $780,000, the couple who have two children aged three and five, discovered Sydney’s skyrocketing property market would mean it was impossible for them to find a new property in the city. They had discussed the idea of buying other homes but were nervous.
“It was the fear of the unknown,” Mr Kumar said. “You just don’t know what to do, you don’t want to overpay, you don’t want to buy the wrong place and then have it vacant for long periods and with no tenants,” he told news.com.au .
“You don’t know where the growth is going to be and you don’t know what the projects are in certain areas and things like that.”
But the couple met with a buyer’s agent and took the plunge in April, snapping up two properties in that month alone.
The first was in Adelaide in the southern suburb of Christie Downs, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.
They purchased it for $425,000 and it has already grown in value by approximately $60,000.
The second property was purchased in Toowoomba, Queensland – a three-bedroom house for $455,000, which has also jumped in value by $50,000.
“We were very nervous, particularly because they actually settled very close to each other… the settlement was two days apart,” he said.
“And also complicating things further was the Easter break and the Anzac Day long weekend happened as well, so it was all on short notice.
“I think at the time there was an election coming up, we didn’t know what the policies were going to be, we didn’t know what the interest rate was doing and how it’s going to affect us.”
But the gamble has paid off so far with Mr Kumar revealing they had 20 rental applications for the Adelaide house before the open home was even held.
“So we had a very large number of applications to actually choose from and we actually managed to get more than what we actually hoped to achieve in terms of rent,” he said.
“So when we bought the place, we were told $410 is a realistic expectation in terms of rent, but we actually ended up achieving $420.”
The Toowoomba home was already tenanted but Mr Kumar said it was at a significantly lower amount to the market rate.
They were told they would get $450 for the place, but after the previous tenant moved out, it was only empty for three days and then rented out for $470, he said.
Their latest buy has been in Bundaberg, a house for $387,000 snapped up in July, which is expected to rent out for $460.
All three properties were also bought sight unseen, Mr Kumar added, while the rents cover their mortgages.
The couple paid $65,000 to $70,000 for each place including stamp duty, using a 12 per cent “sweet spot” deposit recommended by their mortgage broker.
Mr Kumar, who works in sales, said the couple still plan to use their portfolio as a “stepping stone” to buy a bigger place in Sydney in the next 12 to 24 months, but they won’t stop there.
The 39-year-old never believed it would be possible to build a property portfolio but now the couple have a goal to buy eight to 10 properties in the next five to seven years.
He advised others to get into the property market as soon as they can, adding people shouldn’t be influenced by the market, but instead focus on the long-term goal of building value in their property.
“One of the things the buyer’s agent said to me and it’s just stuck out in my mind is that the earlier you buy, the sooner you buy, then the more time you’re allowing for capital growth and timing is not as critical as just getting into the market,” he said.
“Because if you buy the right property at the right price, timing is not such an important factor.
“All three properties that he’s bought for me, we’ve actually managed to get all of them under market value, so what it means is indirectly like even already now by the time we settle, we already have some equity.”
Controversial Australian band Sticky Fingers frontman Dylan Frost admitted he “lost control” when the lead singer sensationally stormed off in the middle of a concert last night in Melbourne.
The band was seven songs into its set when Frost appeared to become upset onstage. Video footage captured by a concertgoer and uploaded to social media shows Frost striking the microphone and throwing his guitar to the ground.
The rest of the band – Paddy Cornwall, Seamus Coyle, Beaker Best and Freddy Crabs – then followed him offstage.
According to the Herald Sun, a faulty microphone may have triggered the tantrum during the song “Not Yet Done”. Boos could be heard from the crowd.
Another 10 minutes passed before it was announced that the show had been cancelled.
On Sunday afternoon, Frost posted a statement to Facebook apologizing to fans.
“I’m really sorry for last night in Melbourne,” he said.
“I’ve been working hard on myself and will continue to prioritize my health, but I still let a lot of you down.
“I want to apologize to the fans and my band, our crew and venue staff.
“The tour has been amazing so far and we wanted to end it big, but I just didn’t have it last night and I lost control. We’re working on a new date to make it up to everyone or refunds for those who want them and we will let you know plans soon.”
The Saturday night Festival Hall gig was the last performance of Sticky Fingers’ Australian tour. The band had played on Friday night in Melbourne without drama. It’s expected the band will still perform in New Zealand next month.
An audience member told the Herald Sun, “The atmosphere at the gig initially was great. But then we only got three songs in and Frosty cracked the s**ts, stormed off and cancelled.”
Other concertgoers took to Facebook to express their annoyance.
for the Herald Suna fan named Jordan Patrick wrote on social media, “Unbelievable, I’ve been waiting for tonight for years, was so excited and absolutely devastated they ditched the show like that.
“So disrespectful to the fans who have stuck by them and waited to see them after such a long time.”
Other fans said they had flown to Melbourne specifically for the show.
Sticky Fingers was previously engulfed in scandal when Indigenous artist Thelma Plum Frost allegedly had in 2016 racially abused and threatened her. The accusation sparked a raft of boycotts.
Frost and the band denied the allegations but later issued a mea culpa around unspecified “unacceptable” behaviors and claimed that alcohol addiction and mental health issues were contributing factors.
Frost wrote in 2016 that he would seek therapy and rehabilitation and that he was “truly sorry to the people who have been affected by my behaviour” and that he hoped to “one day make amends for my actions”.
Frost isn’t the only band member to be embroiled in public spectacles. Bassist Cornwall had to issue an apology for 2019 rantings against ABC’s youth station, Triple J.
He initially said in an expletive-laden video posted to social media, “Triple J, f**k you and your f**king artist repertoire. We don’t f**king need you. We don’t want you because you play your f**king bullshit and you’re a bunch of f**king maggots.”
A year later, Cornwall apologized for his words. I have conceded that the relationship between Sticky Fingers and Triple J had fractured due to his actions.
He said in May 2020, “I was outta my head, not dealing with personal battles of my own, I’m sorry to the people I hurt at the station, as well as my own team.
“I ain’t the same derailed, angry person you saw last year. I’m not where I want to be yet but I’ve been doing a lot better, dealing with my demons. I hope sharing this helps find a resolve on the situation.”
In 2019, Frost and Cornwall were arrested for a violent punch-up between the pair at Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney. It occurred after the band members had been drinking for six hours.
Cornwall was in 2021 sentenced to 18 months, to be served in the community.
News.com.au contacted Sticky Fingers’ management for comment.
As I found myself stranded in Athens airport, surrounded by unsympathetic airline staff and forced to splash out an extra $2700 on new flights back home, I couldn’t help but feel this all could have been avoided.
Like thousands of other Aussies, I too had a nightmare experience flying with Qantas.
It’s amazing what can happen to a beloved national airline when it sacks 9000 staff, outsources thousands of jobs, moves customer service teams overseas and hands out millions in bonuses to executives.
My nightmare all started when I fell for the trap that is ‘frequent flyer flights’.
I applied for a credit card back in May (disastrous idea), splurged on a new laptop to secure 120,000 bonus Qantas points and booked my first overseas holiday in years.
There was a slight catch, my flights to Europe were from Adelaide – but given I had spent less than $1000 on taxes in addition to my points I thought I had scored a bargain.
I called up the Qantas helpline in a bid to see if they could help me book connecting flights from Sydney to Adelaide – mistake 1.
Instead of booking me a simple flight home from Adelaide to Sydney, they REPLACED my overseas return leg from Athens to Adelaide.
It wasn’t until a few days later that I noticed my overseas leg had vanished and been simply replaced with the domestic flight.
I spent over five hours that night on hold as I desperately tried to explain what had happened to call center workers who struggled to even speak to me let alone understand my complaint.
This is of course not their fault, they are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. The blame lies with an airline that sacrificed quality, local customer service for cheaper labor.
Just one Qantas call center is located in Australia – and that Hobart team specifically services the airline’s premium clients (the big spenders).
I would wait two hours on hold, before finally getting onto someone – who would then spend 30 minutes attempting to understand my issue, only for them to hang up on me.
After over five hours I finally got onto someone who told me they could no longer get me on my original flight (Athens to Doha to Adelaide) as it was now full.
Qantas has since informed me that the domestic leg wasn’t ticketed correctly – which resulted in my overseas flight being cancelled.
With my trip approaching and still no return leg, I took matters into my own hands and booked another flight via Vietnam.
With so few options available I had to book the Vietnam to Sydney leg with a different airline – Jetstar.
I called up Qantas to make sure that I would be able to get a transit visa at the airport in Ho Chi Minh as I would need to check my bags in and out again during my short four-hour layover between flights.
A spokesperson told me there would be no problems getting a visa at the airport – mistake 2, blindly trusting Qantas again.
Three weeks of blissful travel – visiting my best mates in picturesque Switzerland, a romantic trip in Santorini – finished with me being stuck in Athens after Qantas’ advice was swiftly shot down.
Airline staff refused to let me on my flight as I had no visa – despite the assurances of Qantas it would be fine.
Ironically, the only option presented to me was to spend almost 2000 Euros to get back onto the Athens-Doha-Adelaide flight that I had originally booked months ago – only for Qantas to inexplicably cancel without telling me and then assure me there were no seats on the flight.
Turns out there were seats on the flight Qantas.
And while a seedy room above an Adelaide pub wasn’t exactly how I pictured closing out my trip – I was just glad to get home and be done with travelling.
Qantas’ statement:
“Unfortunately, it appears that the additional domestic flight was not ticketed correctly when it was added to your booking which led to the Qatar Airways booking being automatically canceled by their system.
“Our agent was unable to secure you another seat on that Qatar flight as there were no more reward seats available on the flight.
Our contact centers are not trained to provide visa advice, rather they should direct you to the relevant consulate, and we apologize that this process wasn’t followed.
“We are following up your experience with a full review to help prevent it happening again.”
