The most expensive city for building is getting pricier
It now costs about $5009 per square metre to build in Brisbane, above Sydney at $4866 and Melbourne at $4242 – the nation's second-cheapest city to build – research from construction consultancy firm Turner & Townsend reveals.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Swimming development funding shortfall threatens Olympic dreams, coaches say
As Australia celebrates its World Championship swimming success, there are fresh warnings that the next generation of winners is not getting the support it needs. Swimming Queensland's chief executive Kevin Hasemann said there were about 600 teenagers in the state's development programs, but the majority were not receiving any financial support to cover competition and training costs in the lead-up to Brisbane's 2032 Olympics. "I expect the Australian public would be as mystified and disheartened as we are that several billions of dollars will be spent on Games-related infrastructure, including a new aquatics facility," Mr Hasemann said. "But little, if anything, is going to the junior swimmers who face the herculean challenge of replacing our current batch of Olympic and Paralympic medallists." Mr Hasemann said government funding was available, but it was mostly limited to elite athletes. He said Swimming Queensland was relying on donations from Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, to run development programs. Mr Hasemann said he asked the Queensland government for about $500,000 a year to help young swimmers in the lead-up to the Brisbane Games. But he has not had any luck. "The sad thing about this is that when the penny drops, it can be far too late," he said. "Because the work needs to be happening right now. Seven years for a young athlete is a very short period of time. You can't afford to get it wrong." Luca Widmer, 17, is one of the athletes in Swimming Queensland's development program. He trains for 18 hours a week with his club at Caloundra, north of Brisbane, juggling that with year 12 studies. "I've had the dream of competing at the Olympics my entire life," he said. "I know that road ahead is long and it's tough, but I know that if I want it badly enough and I have the right support, anything is possible." For up-and-coming swimmers like Luca, travelling to competitions and paying for top trainers is crucial. But his mother Leanne Bullemor said proud parents like her were doing most of the financial heavy lifting. "Over the last 12 months, just looking at the financial side of things, with my two boys competing in development programs, it would have cost $20,000 for me to support them," she said. "That's just the training fees, the membership fees, the competition fees I have to pay." Ms Bullemor said local clubs and Swimming Queensland were doing the best they could with what they had. But she said state and federal governments should do more to help. "Our state is very proud. We're an extremely proud swimming state," she said. Luca is training in the same pool that launched Olympic gold medallist Kaylee McKeown's career. His swimming coach Theo Fuchs, who trained for the Olympics in France, pointed out Australia's toughest opponents in the pool, the United States and China, would not be waiting for us to catch up. "We need more money for swimmers, we need more money for coaches," he said. "If you look at the top countries in the world, they are supported by money, and if you want to be doing good consistently, then you have to have that support." The Queensland government didn't respond to questions about whether it would deliver on Swimming Queensland's development funding request. But, in a statement, a spokesperson for the state's Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander said more than $5 million would be spent on high-performance swimmers in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. The federal government didn't respond.
The Age
19 hours ago
- The Age
Next step towards Brisbane Airport public transport link revealed
The next step towards linking public transport to Brisbane Airport has been revealed in a new plan. Land at the precinct has been set aside for a future Metro corridor and stations, pending the end of an 'exclusivity' deal with the privately owned Airtrain service. Details on construction of a new aircraft terminal, new names for the existing terminals and runways, and space for flying taxis are also confirmed in the draft 2026 Brisbane Airport Master Plan. 'It's a plan for what we're doing to support what is a growing city,' head of airport planning Michael Jarvis said. 'This sets out essentially a 20-year plan on how we're going to meet the demand for travel in Brisbane.' Loading About $5 billion will be invested across the airport over the next five years, with annual passengers predicted to more-than-double from 25 million to 52 million by 2046. The number of workers at the airport is also expected to climb from about 25,000 to 50,000. The privately owned Airtrain – which can cost more than $20 to travel to or from the CBD – has exclusive access to Brisbane Airport until 2036, but state government attempts to bring that timeline forward in time for the 2032 Olympics games have attracted significant attention in recent years.
Sydney Morning Herald
19 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Next step towards Brisbane Airport public transport link revealed
The next step towards linking public transport to Brisbane Airport has been revealed in a new plan. Land at the precinct has been set aside for a future Metro corridor and stations, pending the end of an 'exclusivity' deal with the privately owned Airtrain service. Details on construction of a new aircraft terminal, new names for the existing terminals and runways, and space for flying taxis are also confirmed in the draft 2026 Brisbane Airport Master Plan. 'It's a plan for what we're doing to support what is a growing city,' head of airport planning Michael Jarvis said. 'This sets out essentially a 20-year plan on how we're going to meet the demand for travel in Brisbane.' Loading About $5 billion will be invested across the airport over the next five years, with annual passengers predicted to more-than-double from 25 million to 52 million by 2046. The number of workers at the airport is also expected to climb from about 25,000 to 50,000. The privately owned Airtrain – which can cost more than $20 to travel to or from the CBD – has exclusive access to Brisbane Airport until 2036, but state government attempts to bring that timeline forward in time for the 2032 Olympics games have attracted significant attention in recent years.
