Latest news with #Minns
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Dollar dazzler designs no silver bullet for housing woe
Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said. Slick housing designs costing less than an ice cream are being deployed to get more homes built, but detractors have dubbed the promotion a "thirst trap". The "pattern book" of low-rise designs including terraces, townhouses and manor houses could be ticked off for construction in 10 days. The designs, whipped up by internationally renowned architects as part of a NSW government competition, will be available for $1 for the first six months. They then rise to $1000, still well below the going rate. The government estimates the designs would typically cost upwards of $20,000 if commissioned from an architect. Premier Chris Minns has repeatedly blamed a sluggish planning system for poor progress on nationally agreed housing targets. NSW has produced six houses per 1000 people each year compared with Victoria's eight and Queensland's 10, he said. "Ask anybody for the last 20 years in NSW how frustrating it has been to get approval for a family home, they'll all say the same thing, it is impossible," Mr Minns told reporters on Wednesday. "We are falling behind when it comes to new development completions, alongside the fact that we are one of the most expensive cities on earth." The NSW scheme will have wider availability and lower up-front fees than a Victorian strategy which was limited to a single council area, Mr Minns said. But acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope said the pattern book plans were governed by "glossy brochures". "(It's) almost like a thirst trap," he told reporters. "We have scantily clad people as part of the brochure." Mr Tudehope questioned the claimed 10-day approval but said councils should tick off all types of housing faster. The state remains behind its target to build 377,000 new homes by July 2029 under a national housing agreement. The premier acknowledged in an address to the McKell Institute on Wednesday getting 75,000 homes off the ground each year remains a tall order. But he didn't mind the challenge. "It puts pressure on the government, and therefore pressure on local councils and pressure on developers and the Reserve Bank and everything to really start thinking," Mr Minns said. The design plans coincide with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing an increase in construction starts in the first three months of 2025. More than 47,000 new home builds commenced in that time, a 17 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. University of NSW architecture professor Philip Oldfield lauded the "high quality architectural designs" as a step towards expediting approvals. But he warns governments need to be more ambitious and holistic to overcome "structural and endemic" issues stemming from tax policies and complex regulations. "Everyone's looking for a silver bullet rather than actually planning for the future," he told AAP. "The cost to build a home and the cost of the land is quite high ... so it's short-sighted to expect the private development model to solve all our problems." The NSW government has allocated billions in recent budgets to build and refurbish social housing as well as helping private developers meet pre-sales targets and secure finance to build apartment buildings. Building designers backed the release of the pattern book but called for more formal involvement in future iterations, saying architects design fewer than five per cent of residences in NSW. "(Building designers) deliver the vast bulk of housing in NSW ... their input is essential," Building Designers Association of Australia chief executive Chris Knierim said.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
One thing in the way of young people's happiness
NSW Premier Chris Minns says young people being locked out of the housing market is 'standing in the way of their happiness', as he cheekily hitout at the WA 'petro-state' in a post-budget address. The Premier told the McKell Institute panel at the NAB headquarters in Sydney's CBD on Wednesday afternoon that young people in NSW were being stopped 'from living a good life' because they could not find a 'decent home'. It comes after the NSW government formally launched its low-rise Housing Pattern Book, a selection of eight architecturally-approved townhouses and terraces, designs for which will be sold for the first six months for $1. The Labor government hopes the project will join other existing initiatives in boosting housing supply, a key issues Mr Minns said was standing in the way of 'fairness' and young NSW residents being able to find a home. 'If you care about fairness, you have to start with the biggest problem of all, and that is housing,' he said. 'A single problem that also undermines social mobility, makes people work longer and harder for less reward, and even in its most acute forms, can threaten faith in democracy and our system of government.' Mr Minns said 'because of our failure on housing policy' NSW residents were being forced to move further away from friends and work. NSW Premier Chris Minns said were being stopped 'from living a good life'. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia He told the progressive institute Labor differed from the Greens because they 'understand the reality that there is a massive role in for the private industry, supporting government planning decisions, putting their own capital on the line, (and) building homes for the next generation. 'It's where we differ from other political parties in NSW as well, who seem to want to preserve Sydney as if it was a national museum, while also adding another street to the western fringe of Sydney every other week,' he said. 'My ultimate aim is that other political parties join us in a bipartisan change to the planning Act that we can push through the parliament. 'But, if it's only going to be us, that's fine too, because we will take it to the election campaign and earn a mandate for major change in NSW when it comes to planning for the most expensive city on Earth.' Housing has been a key sticking point for the NSW government, with the Premier lamenting the number of young people leaving the state. Despite defending the Commonwealth Government housing targets, which are set to missed by a considerable margin, Mr Minns 'not against picking a fight with Canberra or whoever stands in the way of it (planning reform)'. The Premier addressed McKell Institute on Labor's housing plans on Wednesday. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia 'I just think that we had to get our own house in order before we started picking fights or two fights with everybody else about housing,' he said. Reflecting on planning regulation under previous state governments, Mr Minns accused them of having replaced an 'an actual decision … with either blaming the Commonwealth, or immigration, in particular, Sydney's full and other rhetorical devices, or blaming councils and saying, well, not speeding up developments now.' Mr Minns also made a gentle swipe at WA, who Treasurer Daniel Moohkey has also singled out over the GST carve up. Speaking on WA's budget surplus, Mr Minns said the state was 'one of the richest states in the world'. 'Almost like a Petro state in the Middle East, and for largely the same reason,' he said. 'They just dig stuff out of the ground and sell it off to Asia.' States currently receive at least 75c per dollar of GST. WA pushed for the floor to be introduced when its GST share plummeted after the 2012 mining boom, but the economy is booming again.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Premier's cold shoulder sparks fears of bigger snub for Kathleen Folbigg
SERIOUS questions are being asked about the NSW state government's commitment to compensation for wrongly convicted Hunter woman Kathleen Folbigg. NSW Premier Chris Minns has raised the spectre of another legal battle for Ms Folbigg, who was jailed for 20 years for crimes she did not commit. The premier has come under attack over what Ms Folbigg's supporters and legal team say has been an onerous delay in determining her application for an ex gratia payment by way of compensation for the jail term she served after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her four children. Mr Minns said Ms Folbigg was "entitled to take her matter to the courts" and sue the NSW government. Ms Folbigg's life has been consumed by police investigations, court appearances and jail terms since the death of her daughter, Laura, on February 27, 1999, which followed on from the deaths of her first three children. Twenty five years later, during a budget estimates hearing in August, 2024, the Premier conceded there'd been a delay. He said the matter was in the hands of Attorney General Michael Daley, but that he himself would look into the circumstances that "have resulted in a delay" in determining Ms Folbigg's application. In February this year, Mr Daley said it was complicated, but that it would "be weeks, rather than months" before Ms Folbigg would have an answer. "That would be my expectation," Mr Daley said. "This is a complex and in some ways unprecedented matter for me to consider, (with) very important considerations both for Ms Folbigg, for the expenditure of public money and for precedent value that the government's decision at the end of the day in relation to quantum will create," he said. He also referred to her application as voluminous. On Monday this week, Mr Minns publicly refused to meet with Ms Folbigg. "There's a lot of difficult calls for me to make as Premier," he said about his refusal to meet with her. "This isn't one of them." Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, solicitor Sue Higginson, has condemned his comments. On Tuesday she went a step further saying he needs to explain himself given that he seemed to have potentially paved the way for the application's refusal. "Is there some other motivation behind those comments, should we all, including Kathleen, be taking this as a sign that they're not going to be honouring an ex-gratia payment of sorts," Ms Higginson said. "That's the real concern." The question of an ex gratia payment was "wholly discretionary territory", Ms Higginson said, which meant the government could, if it was minded to do so, pay Ms Folbigg some compensation before ultimately settling on any final amount. "There are some guidelines ... but it's entirely at the discretion of the government and what we would say is, it's absolutely appropriate that an ex gratia payment of some sort would be the way to provide Kath Folbigg some form of compensation so she can get on with her life," she said. "They could be providing her some compassion, some security, some assurance and some dignity right now and that's why I've come out very strongly on this." Mr Minns, in saying Ms Folbigg had every right to sue the government, was completely tone deaf, Ms Higginson said. "With my lawyer hat on, I find it unfathomable," she said. "It was void of all genuine understanding of the history. He represents the state and thus the system that wrongfully jailed Kathleen Folbigg ... and that had her jailed for 20 years of her life. "It's hard to imagine anything worse than wrongful conviction. The time, the taxation on her being, the cost, to then go and commence a civil case, just tells me that he needs some lessons in the legal system of NSW and he needs to go and undertake some trauma-informed training." Ms Folbigg has refused requests for an interview after coming out on Monday saying she feels as though her life is "still on hold". Ms Folbigg, who lived in Newcastle as a child and went on to live variously in Georgetown, Thornton, Cardiff, and Singleton, was issued an unconditional pardon by NSW Governor Margaret Beazely and released from prison on June 5, 2023. Six months later, on December 14, her convictions were quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal. Her legal team submitted a claim for an ex gratia payment in July, 2024. Experts have said that Ms Folbigg may receive the state's largest ever compensation payout of up to $10 million, but so far the 58-year-old hasn't seen a cent. It is understood that Ms Folbigg, who is renting in Newcastle, is struggling to manage financially. "Adjusting to 2025 prices has been confronting," Ms Folbigg said. "Even basics like groceries, power bills, and public transport are so much higher than they were in 2003. The world has changed so much while I was away." SERIOUS questions are being asked about the NSW state government's commitment to compensation for wrongly convicted Hunter woman Kathleen Folbigg. NSW Premier Chris Minns has raised the spectre of another legal battle for Ms Folbigg, who was jailed for 20 years for crimes she did not commit. The premier has come under attack over what Ms Folbigg's supporters and legal team say has been an onerous delay in determining her application for an ex gratia payment by way of compensation for the jail term she served after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her four children. Mr Minns said Ms Folbigg was "entitled to take her matter to the courts" and sue the NSW government. Ms Folbigg's life has been consumed by police investigations, court appearances and jail terms since the death of her daughter, Laura, on February 27, 1999, which followed on from the deaths of her first three children. Twenty five years later, during a budget estimates hearing in August, 2024, the Premier conceded there'd been a delay. He said the matter was in the hands of Attorney General Michael Daley, but that he himself would look into the circumstances that "have resulted in a delay" in determining Ms Folbigg's application. In February this year, Mr Daley said it was complicated, but that it would "be weeks, rather than months" before Ms Folbigg would have an answer. "That would be my expectation," Mr Daley said. "This is a complex and in some ways unprecedented matter for me to consider, (with) very important considerations both for Ms Folbigg, for the expenditure of public money and for precedent value that the government's decision at the end of the day in relation to quantum will create," he said. He also referred to her application as voluminous. On Monday this week, Mr Minns publicly refused to meet with Ms Folbigg. "There's a lot of difficult calls for me to make as Premier," he said about his refusal to meet with her. "This isn't one of them." Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, solicitor Sue Higginson, has condemned his comments. On Tuesday she went a step further saying he needs to explain himself given that he seemed to have potentially paved the way for the application's refusal. "Is there some other motivation behind those comments, should we all, including Kathleen, be taking this as a sign that they're not going to be honouring an ex-gratia payment of sorts," Ms Higginson said. "That's the real concern." The question of an ex gratia payment was "wholly discretionary territory", Ms Higginson said, which meant the government could, if it was minded to do so, pay Ms Folbigg some compensation before ultimately settling on any final amount. "There are some guidelines ... but it's entirely at the discretion of the government and what we would say is, it's absolutely appropriate that an ex gratia payment of some sort would be the way to provide Kath Folbigg some form of compensation so she can get on with her life," she said. "They could be providing her some compassion, some security, some assurance and some dignity right now and that's why I've come out very strongly on this." Mr Minns, in saying Ms Folbigg had every right to sue the government, was completely tone deaf, Ms Higginson said. "With my lawyer hat on, I find it unfathomable," she said. "It was void of all genuine understanding of the history. He represents the state and thus the system that wrongfully jailed Kathleen Folbigg ... and that had her jailed for 20 years of her life. "It's hard to imagine anything worse than wrongful conviction. The time, the taxation on her being, the cost, to then go and commence a civil case, just tells me that he needs some lessons in the legal system of NSW and he needs to go and undertake some trauma-informed training." Ms Folbigg has refused requests for an interview after coming out on Monday saying she feels as though her life is "still on hold". Ms Folbigg, who lived in Newcastle as a child and went on to live variously in Georgetown, Thornton, Cardiff, and Singleton, was issued an unconditional pardon by NSW Governor Margaret Beazely and released from prison on June 5, 2023. Six months later, on December 14, her convictions were quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal. Her legal team submitted a claim for an ex gratia payment in July, 2024. Experts have said that Ms Folbigg may receive the state's largest ever compensation payout of up to $10 million, but so far the 58-year-old hasn't seen a cent. It is understood that Ms Folbigg, who is renting in Newcastle, is struggling to manage financially. "Adjusting to 2025 prices has been confronting," Ms Folbigg said. "Even basics like groceries, power bills, and public transport are so much higher than they were in 2003. The world has changed so much while I was away." SERIOUS questions are being asked about the NSW state government's commitment to compensation for wrongly convicted Hunter woman Kathleen Folbigg. NSW Premier Chris Minns has raised the spectre of another legal battle for Ms Folbigg, who was jailed for 20 years for crimes she did not commit. The premier has come under attack over what Ms Folbigg's supporters and legal team say has been an onerous delay in determining her application for an ex gratia payment by way of compensation for the jail term she served after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her four children. Mr Minns said Ms Folbigg was "entitled to take her matter to the courts" and sue the NSW government. Ms Folbigg's life has been consumed by police investigations, court appearances and jail terms since the death of her daughter, Laura, on February 27, 1999, which followed on from the deaths of her first three children. Twenty five years later, during a budget estimates hearing in August, 2024, the Premier conceded there'd been a delay. He said the matter was in the hands of Attorney General Michael Daley, but that he himself would look into the circumstances that "have resulted in a delay" in determining Ms Folbigg's application. In February this year, Mr Daley said it was complicated, but that it would "be weeks, rather than months" before Ms Folbigg would have an answer. "That would be my expectation," Mr Daley said. "This is a complex and in some ways unprecedented matter for me to consider, (with) very important considerations both for Ms Folbigg, for the expenditure of public money and for precedent value that the government's decision at the end of the day in relation to quantum will create," he said. He also referred to her application as voluminous. On Monday this week, Mr Minns publicly refused to meet with Ms Folbigg. "There's a lot of difficult calls for me to make as Premier," he said about his refusal to meet with her. "This isn't one of them." Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, solicitor Sue Higginson, has condemned his comments. On Tuesday she went a step further saying he needs to explain himself given that he seemed to have potentially paved the way for the application's refusal. "Is there some other motivation behind those comments, should we all, including Kathleen, be taking this as a sign that they're not going to be honouring an ex-gratia payment of sorts," Ms Higginson said. "That's the real concern." The question of an ex gratia payment was "wholly discretionary territory", Ms Higginson said, which meant the government could, if it was minded to do so, pay Ms Folbigg some compensation before ultimately settling on any final amount. "There are some guidelines ... but it's entirely at the discretion of the government and what we would say is, it's absolutely appropriate that an ex gratia payment of some sort would be the way to provide Kath Folbigg some form of compensation so she can get on with her life," she said. "They could be providing her some compassion, some security, some assurance and some dignity right now and that's why I've come out very strongly on this." Mr Minns, in saying Ms Folbigg had every right to sue the government, was completely tone deaf, Ms Higginson said. "With my lawyer hat on, I find it unfathomable," she said. "It was void of all genuine understanding of the history. He represents the state and thus the system that wrongfully jailed Kathleen Folbigg ... and that had her jailed for 20 years of her life. "It's hard to imagine anything worse than wrongful conviction. The time, the taxation on her being, the cost, to then go and commence a civil case, just tells me that he needs some lessons in the legal system of NSW and he needs to go and undertake some trauma-informed training." Ms Folbigg has refused requests for an interview after coming out on Monday saying she feels as though her life is "still on hold". Ms Folbigg, who lived in Newcastle as a child and went on to live variously in Georgetown, Thornton, Cardiff, and Singleton, was issued an unconditional pardon by NSW Governor Margaret Beazely and released from prison on June 5, 2023. Six months later, on December 14, her convictions were quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal. Her legal team submitted a claim for an ex gratia payment in July, 2024. Experts have said that Ms Folbigg may receive the state's largest ever compensation payout of up to $10 million, but so far the 58-year-old hasn't seen a cent. It is understood that Ms Folbigg, who is renting in Newcastle, is struggling to manage financially. "Adjusting to 2025 prices has been confronting," Ms Folbigg said. "Even basics like groceries, power bills, and public transport are so much higher than they were in 2003. The world has changed so much while I was away." SERIOUS questions are being asked about the NSW state government's commitment to compensation for wrongly convicted Hunter woman Kathleen Folbigg. NSW Premier Chris Minns has raised the spectre of another legal battle for Ms Folbigg, who was jailed for 20 years for crimes she did not commit. The premier has come under attack over what Ms Folbigg's supporters and legal team say has been an onerous delay in determining her application for an ex gratia payment by way of compensation for the jail term she served after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her four children. Mr Minns said Ms Folbigg was "entitled to take her matter to the courts" and sue the NSW government. Ms Folbigg's life has been consumed by police investigations, court appearances and jail terms since the death of her daughter, Laura, on February 27, 1999, which followed on from the deaths of her first three children. Twenty five years later, during a budget estimates hearing in August, 2024, the Premier conceded there'd been a delay. He said the matter was in the hands of Attorney General Michael Daley, but that he himself would look into the circumstances that "have resulted in a delay" in determining Ms Folbigg's application. In February this year, Mr Daley said it was complicated, but that it would "be weeks, rather than months" before Ms Folbigg would have an answer. "That would be my expectation," Mr Daley said. "This is a complex and in some ways unprecedented matter for me to consider, (with) very important considerations both for Ms Folbigg, for the expenditure of public money and for precedent value that the government's decision at the end of the day in relation to quantum will create," he said. He also referred to her application as voluminous. On Monday this week, Mr Minns publicly refused to meet with Ms Folbigg. "There's a lot of difficult calls for me to make as Premier," he said about his refusal to meet with her. "This isn't one of them." Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, solicitor Sue Higginson, has condemned his comments. On Tuesday she went a step further saying he needs to explain himself given that he seemed to have potentially paved the way for the application's refusal. "Is there some other motivation behind those comments, should we all, including Kathleen, be taking this as a sign that they're not going to be honouring an ex-gratia payment of sorts," Ms Higginson said. "That's the real concern." The question of an ex gratia payment was "wholly discretionary territory", Ms Higginson said, which meant the government could, if it was minded to do so, pay Ms Folbigg some compensation before ultimately settling on any final amount. "There are some guidelines ... but it's entirely at the discretion of the government and what we would say is, it's absolutely appropriate that an ex gratia payment of some sort would be the way to provide Kath Folbigg some form of compensation so she can get on with her life," she said. "They could be providing her some compassion, some security, some assurance and some dignity right now and that's why I've come out very strongly on this." Mr Minns, in saying Ms Folbigg had every right to sue the government, was completely tone deaf, Ms Higginson said. "With my lawyer hat on, I find it unfathomable," she said. "It was void of all genuine understanding of the history. He represents the state and thus the system that wrongfully jailed Kathleen Folbigg ... and that had her jailed for 20 years of her life. "It's hard to imagine anything worse than wrongful conviction. The time, the taxation on her being, the cost, to then go and commence a civil case, just tells me that he needs some lessons in the legal system of NSW and he needs to go and undertake some trauma-informed training." Ms Folbigg has refused requests for an interview after coming out on Monday saying she feels as though her life is "still on hold". Ms Folbigg, who lived in Newcastle as a child and went on to live variously in Georgetown, Thornton, Cardiff, and Singleton, was issued an unconditional pardon by NSW Governor Margaret Beazely and released from prison on June 5, 2023. Six months later, on December 14, her convictions were quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal. Her legal team submitted a claim for an ex gratia payment in July, 2024. Experts have said that Ms Folbigg may receive the state's largest ever compensation payout of up to $10 million, but so far the 58-year-old hasn't seen a cent. It is understood that Ms Folbigg, who is renting in Newcastle, is struggling to manage financially. "Adjusting to 2025 prices has been confronting," Ms Folbigg said. "Even basics like groceries, power bills, and public transport are so much higher than they were in 2003. The world has changed so much while I was away."
Courier-Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Courier-Mail
‘Completely out-coached': Hadley talks Origin III
More related stories Australia's anti-Semitism envoy has singled out reporting by the ABC when asked about 'manipulated narratives' in the media contributing to hostility against Jewish people. A trial of full-strength beer at Accor Stadium has been watered down, with police imposing a two-drink limit per customer to 'reduce anti-social behaviour.' Critics say it proves the Minns government is 'all froth, no beer.' Take our poll. Read more
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Race club takes property giant to court over $70 million land deal
The race club at the centre of the failed Rosehill sell-off for housing is embroiled in a legal dispute with Mirvac over a $70 million deal to build apartments on land next to Canterbury Park Racecourse. Just weeks after its members voted down the $5 billion proposed sale of the western Sydney track, it has emerged that the Australian Turf Club has raced to the NSW Supreme Court to prevent another development plan from falling over. The club, which also owns Randwick, Rosehill and Warwick Farm racecourses, has launched proceedings against Mirvac after the property giant sought to tear up a 2017 partnership to develop a block adjacent to Canterbury Park. Mirvac also wants repayment of an $8 million access fee from the cash-strapped ATC, which stands to net as much as $70 million from the full sale of the grassy site. After years of local political resistance and opposition from community groups, the 1.28 hectare parcel was rezoned for high-density residential use six weeks ago as part of the Minns government's push to address the state's housing shortage. It paves the way for the project of about 200 units to proceed, eight years after it was conceived. But a pre-existing stipulation requiring the land to be available as an overflow car park for night racing meetings remains in place, presenting a major hurdle for new dwellings going up. That long-standing condition imposed by Canterbury-Bankstown City Council was a trigger for Mirvac to pull out and demand its money back, said sources unable to speak publicly. The race club's case against the $8 billion company, which is scheduled to be heard in Sydney next Friday, is that its grounds for termination are invalid.
