Our Vision
CBD Apartments: In and around Melbourne there are a great many commercial sites available for high-rise apartments. These remain undeveloped as the individual blocks are too small.
Satellite Villages: New settlements at the outer ends of the rail network.
Thousands of CBD Apartments
* Sold at cost to first home buyers.
* Six-star energy efficiency.
* Quality exterior and interior design equal to or better than existing apartment towers (and not in any way like the Housing Commission flats! )
* Compact, space-efficient design with a small partially enclosed courtyard balcony.
* Basement space in each housing cluster for a car-pool or car-hire facility.
* Lower level space allocated for social usage such as child care or medical facilities as well as retail and café space.
* Roof top garden patio area for common use.
Benefits
* Residents will have immediate access to the CBD.
* Residents can commute on empty trains and trams to anywhere in Melbourne as they are travelling in the opposite direction to existing commuters.
* Release of these apartments will lower housing prices across Melbourne. The compact design and lack of car-parking will ensure these apartments remain affordable on re-sale
Funding
* These projects would be funded through direct government borrowing and sub-contracted to builders via competitive tender.
* Moving stamp duty from the purchase to sale of property and the construction of affordable CBD apartments removes the need for the “first home buyers” grant.
Satellite Villages
* Built near the end of existing or proposed rail lines – space permitting.
* To be compact and self-contained villages, not sprawling dormitory suburbs.
* Six-star energy efficiency.
Land Tax Reform
Amend the rating system from Capital Improved Value to Site Value. This will give landowners strong incentives to use the land – to develop vacant and underutilised land or trade their holdings – and better match supply and demand for city living.
Residential Tenancies Bond Authority Reforms
* Bonds on rental properties should be transferable.
* Good rental histories could be recorded with 100pt ID check.
* With the tenant’s consent, all the above to remain on the system as the tenant moves from property to property.
Decentralization
* Encouraging decentralisation can take the pressure off Melbourne house prices.
* We support gradually shifting major State government departments to the regional centres.
* All departments would maintain offices in Melbourne. Linkage of the offices with high-speed internet removes the need for them to be geographically nearby.
* To facilitate the transfer, public servants would be entitled to sell their homes in Melbourne free of Stamp Duty if they were moving to a regional centre.
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