Latest news with #Creagh
Herald Sun
19 hours ago
- Business
- Herald Sun
Interest rate cut has immediate impact on Geelong home prices
Geelong's property market is just a chip-shot away from making up the ground lost in home prices over the past 12 months, new data shows. The latest PropTrack Home Price Index results reveals the median home price in Geelong ended May just .67 per cent shy of the value recorded at the same time last year. It marks a quick turnaround as the Reserve Bank locked in the second interest-rate cut in 2025 a fortnight after the government banked a stunning federal election win. RELATED: 'Biggest challenge' facing Geelong's population success Geelong tops Australia's regional migration rankings East Geelong character home sells $120k above reserve Geelong's median house price reached $893,000 in May, according to the PropTrack figures, just shy of the figure recorded in 2024. The value of a typical unit is up on all measures, reaching $612,000 by the end of May. PropTrack senior economist Eleanor Creagh said Geelong was not far off returning to positive territory on annual terms. 'It's a bit of a chip shot, and it's likely that prices are going to continue lifting throughout the remainder of 2025,' Ms Creagh said. 'We're seeing that price momentum has increased and broadened with interest rates falling. 'And we know that lower interest rates have lifted borrowing capacities and boosted buyer demand, and of course, with further price increases and rate cuts expected, prospective buyers are moving off the sidelines and accelerating their purchasing decisions. 'And as a result, we're seeing that growth momentum has increased, underpinned by improving buyer sentiment and confidence.' Ms Creagh said it appears that interest rates moving lower has buoyed buyer confidence. 'I think people are anticipating that interest rates are going to continue to move lower already and that prices are going to continue to rise.' The fast turnaround comes regional prices outpaced the combined capitals. Regional home prices are now 65 per cent higher than their levels five years ago. The turnaround in buyer sentiment after an interest-rate cut comes amid continued strong population growth on the back of nation-leading internal migration figures. More than 10 per cent of people moving to regional Australia have settled in Geelong, the Regional Australia Institute data from the Regional Movers Index revealed. McGrath, Geelong agent David Cortous said the changing sentiment was already visible on the streets, with more people attending inspections, watching auctions and in some cases competing for properties. 'The Geelong market has been flat on price to two years now,' Mr Cortous said. 'We're starting to see that multiple buyers are back on properties now and we're selling through stock that's been sitting there. That's an indicator that the needle is moving.'
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Labor needs to 'step up the pace' after housing approvals slump, REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh declares
Labor needs to 'step up the pace' to fulfil its ambitious housing target, an economist has warned as the rate of building approvals in Australia recently slumped. Dwelling approvals fell 5.7 per cent in April, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, coming in well below market expectations and causing concern as the nation continues to grapple with a housing shortage. While the approval trend has been positive over the past year and a half, the recent downturn is a thorn in the side of Labor's plan to deliver 1.2 million new homes by mid-2029. REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh urged for greater action to fulfill the major looming target. 'We're really not approving and then building enough new homes to meet pace with where demand currently is and also to meet the federal government target of a million new homes by 2029,' Ms Creagh said on Sky News' Business Now. 'So, we really need to step up the pace of: one, approvals—which is really the best-case scenario for what gets off the ground; two, building activity—which is hard, given continued labour shortages and higher prices, cost materials, etc.; and then, three, completions.' The overall decline in April was driven by lower apartment approvals, according to the ABS' head of construction statistics Daniel Rossi. 'A drop in apartment approvals drove a 19 per cent fall in private dwellings excluding houses,' Mr Rossi said. 'Meanwhile, private sector house approvals were up 3.1 per cent.' This followed a 14.4 per cent drop in March as apartment approval rates have sank compared to the start of the year. 'In original terms, 5,612 apartments were approved across March and April, compared with 8,625 approved across January and February,' the ABS said. Alongside its pledge to build 1.2 million homes, Labor has also committed $10 billion to build 100,000 homes over eight years for first time buyers. The Albanese government has also established the First Home Buyers Guarantee to allow first-time buyers to purchase a home with a five per cent deposit and without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance. It follows the Reserve Bank of Australia delivering its second cash rate cut of 2025 last week, which is expected to further the turnaround in house price growth after slowing in 2024. Originally published as Labor needs to 'step up the pace' after housing approvals slump, REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh declares
The Irish Sun
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I played with Katie McCabe at Raheny United, it's no surprise to see her reach Champions League final with Arsenal
KATIE McCABE'S long road to Saturday's blockbuster Champions League final in Lisbon started at The Cuckoo's Nest. Outside that landmark pub was where she used to meet pal Rebecca Creagh, who would drive the pair from Kilnamanagh over to Raheny United for training and games. Advertisement 6 McCabe and Arsenal take on holders Barcelona in the Champions League final on Saturday Credit: Getty 6 In 2014 she was named the Women's National League Young Player of the Year during her time with Raheny United Credit: Sportsfile 6 Former teammate Rebecca Creagh recalls her being special from day one Credit: Sportsfile Creagh told SunSport: 'I'm Walkinstown and I was the nearest to her so I would have been her driver at the time. 'I used to pick her up at The Cuckoo's Nest on the Greenhills Road which was just outside her estate and bring her over to the northside. 'Then we'd stop off at John's Chipper on the Walkinstown Roundabout on the way home.' What was McCabe's chipper order? Advertisement Read More On Irish Football Creagh added: 'She loved a chip kebab, with kebab sauce and cheese. It's a bit of a speciality in John's. 'We had way too many of them when we were young. I don't think her diet includes them these days!' When Creagh could not give her a lift, McCabe would take two buses across Dublin and often look for the fare home from boss Casey McQuillan. McQuillan laughed: 'I say to people now that I used to loan Arsenal's Katie McCabe bus fare and they go, 'You wha?'' Advertisement Most read in Football Whether the money was actually for bus fare or John's Chipper is unknown but the devilment McCabe showcases on the world stage was always there. Creagh added: 'She wasn't shy. Early on she was a little timid in ways but more times than not, she was the Katie you'd see now. Man Utd and Tottenham fans blast football at each other as tempers flare ahead of Europa League final 'A little bit of a messer, a little bit cheeky, always up for a joke, that's just the loveable character, she's that loveable rogue.' McQuillan agreed. He said: 'Katie was everything she is now, she was cheeky, off the pitch she would be laughing and joking and you'd think she doesn't care. Advertisement 'But she does. She'd put everything in. If it's not going well, you'd see how much it means to her. The laughing and joking and big smile disappear.' And that competitive streak has taken McCabe all the way to the top as Ireland's captain prepares to line out for Arsenal against Barcelona this weekend for the right to claim Europe's top prize. 6 McCabe after winning the Women's National League with Raheny United in 2013 Credit: Sportsfile 6 Being lifted up by club captain and pal Rebecca Creagh after scoring a goal Credit: Sportsfile Advertisement 6 The Irish captain has scored 29 times in 96 senior international caps Creagh — a lifelong pal — was a serial winner herself and believed that McCabe, now 29, was always going all the way from the moment she joined the Women's National League in 2011 at 16. Ger McDermott was Raheny's manager for the first season and a half in the WNL and he had no doubts either. He already knew about her as she was training with the club but could not sign until she turned 16. It meant he saw that all the talent was there. Advertisement McDermott said: 'It was there for her if she wanted it. I don't think anyone would have said anything different when they saw her but you just don't know how things work out.' McQuillan, who came in in 2013 and then again permanently in 2014, saw the same. He added: 'You never want to say because there are players you know have the talent but it doesn't work out. "You could see she had something and hoped she could go all the way. Advertisement "But it is hard to get up in any sport so to get there she had to cross many obstacles, and she made it look easy. 'But she's worked hard at it. Don't let the smile off the pitch and Jack-the-lad attitude fool you. "She's a hard worker and she's always thinking of how to get on to the next level and bring herself another stage further.' TEENAGE KICK So what was McCabe like on the pitch as a teenager at Raheny? Advertisement Creagh said: 'She was well able to look after herself and get stuck into a tackle. And if there was any chats happening, she was in the thick of it, even at a young age. 'She was just that raw talent. She was really athletic, naturally gifted in that sense, she obviously built on that since going across to play professionally.' McDermott said: 'This probably sounds like a funny word to use but joyful. Just a kid who wanted to play football constantly, train . . . she had an edge about her, loads of personality. 'If you closed your eyes and listened to a training session, you'd hear Katie talking and demanding. And she understood the game.' Advertisement McQuillan also knew her football IQ was off the charts — which meant she did not always follow orders. He said: 'I find it hard to talk about Katie without talking about the rest of that team — Clare Shine, Rebecca Creagh, Noelle Murray and Siobhán Killeen. 'That front five were too good for Ireland at that time. We didn't so much coach them as facilitate them by giving them a structure. 'But Katie was a free soul. She'd be on the left and then she'd go to the right or up front. At half-time, you'd say, 'Katie, you're meant to be on the left', and she'd go, 'I scored, didn't I?' Advertisement 'How do you answer that? If it worked, it worked. 'And if it didn't, we'd have a chat and she'd still do it again next week! 'So we just rowed in with it and made it part of our game and Siobhán would move across if Katie went right — because it worked more than it didn't. 'She was cute enough, she'd spot weaknesses in players that she knew she could take for pace or catch on the turn. She was always looking to impose herself on a game.' Advertisement Creagh remembers moments similar to that. She said: 'There would be times when I'd be bawling at her to cross the ball and she'd beat another player and score herself. 'We played in the Champions League up in Crusaders in Belfast in 2013 and we played a Romanian team, and she took it down the left and she scored. 'She says it was a shot, but it was a shot-cum-cross to bring us back level in the game. 'At that young age, playing in Champions League . . . Advertisement 'I think the breakthrough moment that I can remember, the year we beat UCD in the FAI Cup final in the Aviva, she scored a 45-yard free-kick. 'That year was the year that set it off for her and I think the following year she went across to Arsenal.' McDERMOTT MEMORIES McDermott added: 'I wasn't manager then but I remember that. 'It was so far out and anyone watching is thinking she's going to drop it into the box. Advertisement 'But anyone who knew Katie is going, 'Katie is smacking this'. I remember times in training when she'd drop back 30 yards to demand the ball and you knew she was going to do something.' McDermott even felt like that watching He said: 'I was at a watch party in Swords Celtic. It's a nice story. Our television was 30 seconds ahead so I could look out the window to see the kids' reaction to the goal 'live'. 'But even before it, as Katie stood over that corner, she was thinking, 'I can score here'. That was how she played.' Advertisement McQuillan added: 'She had that confidence. I think playing with Noelle Murray and Rebecca Creagh helped as they also had it. And the same high standards. 'Katie wouldn't be slow about having an argument with you either if she didn't think things were right.' And as McCabe prepares to step on to the field in the biggest club game in the world, McQuillan remembers her winning mentality in one of her first Champions League games. He said: 'Katie played eight European games for Raheny. The first group, which was up in Belfast, we won one and lost two. Advertisement CLOBBERING CLUJ 'But the next year, we reached the last 32. Clare Shine scored two goals but it was Katie who did all the work. 'The first game was against Cluj, who were top seeds. 'We scored and they equalised and, to be honest, there was no way we were hanging on for 30 minutes. 'They peppered us but Katie got the ball, carried it up the field and pulled it back for Clare to score and we win 2-1. Advertisement 'I still remember, the pair of them must have been 50 yards ahead of our next player because everyone else was tired, or we were very defensive and taking a 1-1. 'But Katie wasn't having that. It wasn't the old Irish thing of hanging on, it was, 'Let's get at them'. 'And we took that into the next games and topped the group to make the last 32. 'Now to see her going out in a Champions League final . . . we were happy to be in Europe, to make the last 32! Advertisement 'But Katie always had it. When I see things she does now, I do go 'wow'. 'But not because I can't believe she did, it is because she is doing it at such a high level.'
Perth Now
13-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
More households want to go full electric but lack spark
More than one in three households are considering upgrading to electricity-only to save money and the environment, a study has found, and the number of people resisting the switch has fallen. But many Australians remain confused about efficiency ratings and potential savings from energy upgrades, and those aged over 35 are more likely to take action. Origin Energy and the REA Group revealed the findings from the second PropTrack Origin Australian Home Energy Report on Wednesday, which also found efficient lighting and solar panels were among the most popular ways to save energy. The report comes after the re-elected Labor government committed $2.3 billion to cut the price of solar batteries by 30 per cent, although renewable energy groups say the program could cast a wider net. The research, which surveyed more than 4800 Australians, found more than half (56 per cent) planned to improve their home's energy efficiency in the next five years, and 40 per cent would consider an all-electric household upgrade. The number of people who would not consider disconnecting gas and swapping to electricity also fell from 31 per cent in 2024 to 28 per cent. But the study also identified widespread confusion, with two in five reporting they did not know how to improve their household's energy efficiency and most respondents (71 per cent) saying they were unfamiliar with the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme. People who were confident about energy-efficient upgrades were more likely to invest in them, REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said, indicating greater education was needed. "It does clearly highlight there's a gap in consumer knowledge, not just around rating systems but also around many energy-related terms," she told AAP. "Those who did respond that they had a good grasp of those key terms, they were significantly more likely to have made upgrades, to have shifted energy behaviours, to plan further energy improvements, and to have higher projected budgets." The study also found most households (70 per cent) had tried to reduce energy use and Australians aged over 35 were more likely to invest in energy upgrades. Efficient lighting and solar power were the most popular energy upgrades, while glazed windows and home batteries were among the least popular, but Ms Creagh said that could shift with financial incentives from state and federal governments. "Financial motivations were behind a lot of the decisions people were making in terms of energy-efficient upgrades in the home," she said. Interest in home batteries had already started to soar after the incoming Labor government's commitment to reduce their cost by 30 per cent from July, Solar Citizens Heidi Lee Douglas said. But the scheme should be extended to more households, she said, to ensure the greatest benefit. "People in apartments and people in rental (homes) might feel like they're locked out of batteries," she said. "We'll be putting pressure on Labor to come up with policies that support electrification and rooftop renewables for the rest of Australia."
West Australian
13-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
More households want to go full electric but lack spark
More than one in three households are considering upgrading to electricity-only to save money and the environment, a study has found, and the number of people resisting the switch has fallen. But many Australians remain confused about efficiency ratings and potential savings from energy upgrades, and those aged over 35 are more likely to take action. Origin Energy and the REA Group revealed the findings from the second PropTrack Origin Australian Home Energy Report on Wednesday, which also found efficient lighting and solar panels were among the most popular ways to save energy. The report comes after the re-elected Labor government committed $2.3 billion to cut the price of solar batteries by 30 per cent, although renewable energy groups say the program could cast a wider net. The research, which surveyed more than 4800 Australians, found more than half (56 per cent) planned to improve their home's energy efficiency in the next five years, and 40 per cent would consider an all-electric household upgrade. The number of people who would not consider disconnecting gas and swapping to electricity also fell from 31 per cent in 2024 to 28 per cent. But the study also identified widespread confusion, with two in five reporting they did not know how to improve their household's energy efficiency and most respondents (71 per cent) saying they were unfamiliar with the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme . People who were confident about energy-efficient upgrades were more likely to invest in them, REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said, indicating greater education was needed. "It does clearly highlight there's a gap in consumer knowledge, not just around rating systems but also around many energy-related terms," she told AAP. "Those who did respond that they had a good grasp of those key terms, they were significantly more likely to have made upgrades, to have shifted energy behaviours, to plan further energy improvements, and to have higher projected budgets." The study also found most households (70 per cent) had tried to reduce energy use and Australians aged over 35 were more likely to invest in energy upgrades. Efficient lighting and solar power were the most popular energy upgrades, while glazed windows and home batteries were among the least popular, but Ms Creagh said that could shift with financial incentives from state and federal governments. "Financial motivations were behind a lot of the decisions people were making in terms of energy-efficient upgrades in the home," she said. Interest in home batteries had already started to soar after the incoming Labor government's commitment to reduce their cost by 30 per cent from July, Solar Citizens Heidi Lee Douglas said. But the scheme should be extended to more households, she said, to ensure the greatest benefit. "People in apartments and people in rental (homes) might feel like they're locked out of batteries," she said. "We'll be putting pressure on Labor to come up with policies that support electrification and rooftop renewables for the rest of Australia."
