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ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Short-term rental advocates say restrictions hurt tourism, not help housing
Advocates of short-term rentals say regulations in the sector are shifting the blame away from governments and towards property owners. Short-stay rentals, typically associated with websites like Airbnb and Stayz, have drawn criticism for taking properties away from the long-term rental market. In other parts of the world, jurisdictions are putting restrictions on short-stay accommodation, including in New York City and Barcelona, amid housing shortages. But research from the University of South Australia has claimed restrictions and bans have done little to help housing stocks. Tourism expert and study author Peter O'Connor said jurisdictions that had banned short-stay accommodation failed to see any meaningful growth in housing access. He said the main consequence was limiting tourism accommodation, in turn increasing prices. "If you reduce the number of short-term rentals which are available, one of the things you do is make it more difficult for tourists to find accommodation," Professor O'Connor said. "Here in Australia, tourism is our number one service export and it has a lot of knock-on effects in terms of the local community and spending in bars, restaurants and shops." A South Australian parliamentary committee is looking into the short-stay accommodation sector, including possible regulations on short-stay rentals. Wendy Roeters owns two homes in Mount Gambier which she rents out for short stays. She said the sector was needed in regional areas where workers travel and stay for extended periods and where there were fewer large hotels. "For companies, the short-term stays are the better option," she said. "You get a lot of people for the hospital, like doctors and nurses. I've just had a nurse stay for three weeks. "You'll have work crews who might be working on construction who might be doing it for a period of six months." Ms Roeters added it was unfair to penalise short-stay property owners for there being a wider shortage of housing. "I can understand that the government wants housing, but that's not the responsibility of people that have a property, that's the government's responsibility," she said. Property reform advocacy group Grounded produced its own report into the short-stay sector in Australia, released in June. It found the profits on short-term rentals were 81 per cent more than if the property was placed on the long-term market in 13 of Australia's busiest tourism towns. Grounded managing director Karl Fitzgerald said it was clear short-stay accommodation was impacting local housing supply. "It's more supply coming out of the long-term rental market and out of the ownership market," he said. "When government is talking about supply on every front, it's strange that Airbnb is not considered as a factor. Mr Fitzgerald said a plan to limit the growth of short-stay accommodation would be more effective, such as a "cap and trade" scheme, which would give licenses to property owners. "That's where having at least a licensing system that regulates the growth and the supply and perhaps caps it and reduces it over time until there's enough funding to channel some of the profits away from Airbnb," he said. "Use that money to fund long-term affordable housing under a community land trust model." Professor O'Connor argued short-stay accommodation had become a "quick fix" for governments in favour of more complicated plans to ease the housing crisis. "It's a lot easier for a state government or a council to introduce a regulation that limits the number of short-term rentals than it is to introduce some way of encouraging the building of new houses," he said. South Australian Greens MLC Robert Simms is leading the state's parliamentary committee into short-stay accommodation. He agreed the sector was not solely to blame for the state's housing crisis, but said it still needed regulation. "I think there's no doubt that short stay is here to stay, but the question is whether or not we've got the balance right," he said. "It is concerning that people might be running a property that is, in effect, a business, and yet they might be paying at the same rates as their neighbour who is living in a private residence. "That doesn't really seem fair, and that's why I think there's a level of community interest in the idea of regulation of the sector."
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Virgin Australia to bring back pop-up Velocity 1 Point store across three Aussie cities
Virgin Australia is bringing back its Velocity Frequent Flyers 1 Point Rewards Store in three Aussie cities. The airline announced it would be bringing back its loyalty reward program after its sellout debut on Chapel St in Melbourne in 2023. For one day only, Velocity members will be able to redeem items such Bose, Dyson and GHD hair products, designer perfumes, Virgin Australia flights and Lounge access for one Velocity Point. It will first hit Sydney's Pitt St on Friday, August 22 between 8am and 9am, with dates and locations for Melbourne and Brisbane still to be announced. From 8am on August 22, members will be able to redeem one reward per member, per location. Upon claiming a reward, one point will be deducted from the Velocity member account in-store. Members must have the app downloaded and one point in their Velocity account to be eligible. The pop-up shops will feature a mystery prize carousel and claw machines, with Virgin Australia crew on the scene to help. Velocity Frequent Flyer chief executive Nick Rohrlach said it was easier than ever to earn points in every day life. 'Velocity is all about getting our members to rewards faster and the 1 Point Rewards Store puts the spotlight on that. With Velocity, earning Points is easy and fast,' he said 'You don't need to spend big or wait long for your next reward – spending daily on things like your morning coffee, a tank of fuel, weekly grocery shop or mobile phone bill could get you there in no time.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Retired couple reopen Beltana's Royal Victoria Hotel pub in SA after decades
Wander around the remote Flinders Ranges township of Beltana in the early hours and "ghost town" comes to mind. But when Jan Ferguson walks out of the 1870s Royal Victoria Hotel with an "open" sign, it's clear this town isn't ready to be consigned to history. "There are 30 people who live here. If everybody was here in their holiday houses, that would grow to 65. "It's managed to survive, you know, where a lot of towns like this haven't." Jan and her husband Chris Ferguson are at the centre of Beltana's latest revival story, the South Australian town which lies 540 kilometres north of Adelaide. More than 65 years after the Royal Victoria Hotel served last drinks, it's reopened its doors after the retired couple, who met in Beltana in the 1970s, bought and revived the pub with the help of family. "We've always had a passion for the hotel," Ms Ferguson said. While the hotel was used as a home in the 1990s, it still took two and a half years to bring the main rooms back to their former glory and install modern amenities. "We've done seven of the 17 rooms, so there's a lot to go, and we had to open it up as a hotel to bring some money back in," Ms Ferguson said. While being behind the bar is a change for Ms Ferguson, who has worked as a public servant and union employee, it's certainly not her first renovation job. Ms Ferguson's worked on eight Beltana buildings, including the police station, which was her first home after she was married and includes a unique backyard shed. "It's the cells of the police station. We stored things in them because it was the only shed," she said. Long before the township was established in 1873, the land was home to the Adnyamathanha people for centuries, and still is. Like her grandfather, Kuyani-Adnyamathanha elder Beverley Patterson grew up here. "When we were away from here, it felt like a loneliness living in the towns, and I think the children felt it too, and my grandchildren," Ms Patterson said. While European settlers changed many things for traditional owners, the town holds mostly good memories for Ms Patterson. She remembers attending the tiny primary school, which had one teacher for all the different year levels. "This little school up there was full of kids," Ms Patterson said. "I can picture everything in this place. Everybody lived together. There was no separation, you know, we were all friends." Beltana was established to service the pastoral and mining industries, with its population peaking at about 400. At one stage, it was at the end of the railway that opened up the north of the state. When the rail line was shifted away from Beltana, the station became a bustling general store and gathering spot. "Friday nights were big," said railway station owner Ron Tarr. Mr Tarr and his wife Jan, moved to Beltana from Adelaide in the early 1980s to run and live in the general store. When a new road bypassed Beltana, the Tarrs built the roadhouse, setting up a new gathering spot, which they ran until they retired in 2013. But their passion for the railway station and preserving the state-heritage-listed town continues. "We've got it up to a reasonable standard and probably got another 100 years in it." With the reopening of the pub, Beltana people have a place to gather once again. "And unless you have a business and a meeting point, you don't have a place to actually meet and share all of that history." And to the surprise and delight of the new publicans, it's not just visitors popping in, with locals from surrounding properties starting a Friday afternoon get-together at the Royal Victoria Hotel. The sessions are unlikely to get too out of hand, though, with the hotel's owners sticking to the traditional early closing time. "It's quite fun to say 'six o'clock closing, we're not serving anymore,'" Ms Ferguson said. "I don't reckon it would have ever closed at six; however, that was the law at the time," she said. Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or stream anytime on ABC iview.
