Latest news with #NT
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Darwin home prices hit new high
Darwin home prices have risen to a new peak in July with fresh data revealing the unit market outperformed the house market year-on-year. The latest PropTrack Home Price Index revealed home prices in Darwin were up 0.07 per cent in July, pushing them up 6.6 per cent to a median of $531,000. The median house price was up 0.03 per cent month-on-month and 6.48 per cent year-on-year to $604,000. In the unit market, the median was $410,000, up 0.2 per cent in July and 7.44 per cent in the past 12 months. REA Group economist Anne Flaherty said while Darwin home prices increased 34.73 per cent in the past five year, the city remained the most affordable capital in the country. Sydney was in first place with a median home price of $1.19m, followed by Brisbane ($919,000), Perth ($847,000), Adelaide ($845,000), ACT ($835,000), Melbourne ($824,000) and Hobart ($665,000). The report found regional NT home prices lifted 0.06 per cent over the month to sit 2.72 per cent higher year-on-year in July, yet remained 2.3 per cent below their peak in June 2022. 'Over the last five years, regional NT home prices have grown 9.6 per cent – the smallest growth of all markets,' she said. The PropTrack report showed Australia's median home price hit a new record high in July, rising by 0.3 per cent across the month and 4.9 per cent across the year to $827,000. 'The median value of a house is now sitting at $915,000 nationally, with units at $678,000,' Ms Flaherty said. 'Despite the Reserve Bank's surprise decision to keep interest rates on hold in July, prices rose in all cities bar Canberra. 'Yet the pace of growth did slow down in July, resulting in the smallest monthly growth seen this year.' Ms Flaherty said regional areas outperformed capital cities counterparts in most markets, recording stronger growth over both the month and the year. 'South Australia remains the strongest market, with Adelaide and regional SA the two top performing regions in the country,' she said. 'While the number of homes for sale has slowed over winter, buyer demand remains strong, with auction clearance rates sitting at the highest level in more than two years. 'Home prices are expected to break into new territory later this year, with further interest rate cuts expected to add momentum to price growth.'
Time Out
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Stephen Fry joins Olly Alexander in the West End transfer of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest' transfers to London's West End
UPDATE: Following the announcement back in June that the National Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest would transfer to London's West End with Olly Alexander replacing original star Ncuti Gatwa, full casting has today been announced. The huge news is that massive Brit star Stephen Fry will make one of his rare stage appearances: his first since the Globe's Twelfth Night back in 2012. He'll play the play's infamous old battle-axe Lady Bracknell: very different casting to Sharon D Clarke, who played the role at the NT, but having the role played by a man is not without precedent (David Suchet did it in the West End a while back). They'll be joined by an excellent cast that includes Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Jack Worthing, Hugh Dennis as Rev. Canon Chasuble, Shobna Gulati as Miss Prism, Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen Fairfax, Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily Cardew and Hayley Carmichael as Merriman/Lane. Ncuti Gatwa's time on Doctor Who proved to be pretty brief. But he didn't put his feet up in the gap between his two seasons – theatre was his first love and he got straight back on that stage last Christmas to star in the National Theatre's hallucinogenically camp take on Oscar Wilde's classic The Importance of Being Earnest, the first the NT had staged since the '80s. The Max Webster-directed production was a roaring great hit and now it's set to transfer to the West End, replacing Mischief Theatre's The Comedy About Spies at the Noël Coward Theatre. Gatwa's not coming along though: whether he'd have been up for it is a moot point, as he's already busy starring in the RSC's new West End play Born with Teeth. However, a fine replacement has been found for the role of young 'bachelor' about town Algernon Montcrieff: it's Olly Alexander, who hasn't been in Doctor Who but did make his name as actor in It's A Sin, another show by Russell T Davies. Wilde's play is very much an ensemble affair and there is no news on further casting at this stage, though we dare to dream that the mighty Sharon D Clarke will return as the formidable Lady Bracknell. If you want to know a little more about what the production was like last time, then read our four-star review here.
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
NT Youth Justice Act changes debated in parliament, expected to pass today
A suite of changes to the Youth Justice Act, including a proposal to reinstate the use of spit hoods in youth detention centres, have been introduced to NT parliament, with the laws expected to pass later today following debate. Warning: This story contains references to injuries and self-harm. The official list of amendments — which also includes the removal of the principle of detention as a last resort and more powers for youth justice officers to use reasonable force — were introduced to NT parliament on Wednesday and debated on Thursday, after being announced earlier in the week. The changes have been strongly criticised by youth justice advocates including the NT children's commissioner. Introducing the bill to parliament on urgency on Wednesday, Corrections Minister Gerard Maley said it would deliver on the government's objective of reducing crime. "This bill is required because Territorians demand community safety, and Territorians demand consequences for actions," he said. Mr Maley also provided further details about the specific changes part of the bill, including the introduction of waist restraints, in addition to spit hoods, in youth detention centres. He said the amendments were aimed at removing "ambiguous" language, such as "serious damage" and "imminent risk", in the section of the Act that describes when it is appropriate for a youth justice officer to use force. "It delivers a clear message that serious offending will be met with serious consequences and frontline officers will have the tools they need to ensure safety, order and accountability," Mr Maley said. Deputy Opposition Leader Dheran Young criticised the government's decision to introduce the bill on urgency as a "knee-jerk reaction" and raised a motion for the amendments to be referred to the legislative scrutiny committee, which did not pass. "It's poor governance, it's poor process, not even allowing us the time to actually look at the bill," Mr Young said. During debate on Thursday, Opposition Leader Selena Uibo criticised the government's proposed changes for ignoring the recommendations of the 2017 Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory and the advice of experts. She also criticised the government for not being upfront during its briefing about all elements included the bill, such as giving correctional officers the new ability to use a security dog against a youth detainee. "Almost every one of these measures ... spit hoods, dog control, mechanical restraints, were either explicitly condemned or ruled out by the royal commission," Ms Uibo said. The chief minister earlier this week said the reinstatement of spit hoods was "just tools in the toolbox for our corrections officers should they need to protect themselves." She said the government planned to introduce a second set of changes to the Youth Justice Act in coming months, including "to enhance the diversion process and options and provide community service choices for youth boot camps". In a letter sent to the chief minister on Wednesday, signed by 45 NT paediatricians, the medical professionals urged the government to reconsider its approach to young offenders. "There is no evidence that criminalising a child's behaviour deters an individual from offending, this in fact does the opposite and entrenches criminal behaviour for that young person," the letter reads. Speaking to the ABC, Anna Lithgow and Catherine Boyd who have both worked as paediatricians in the NT for almost two decades, said the suggested changes posed significant health risks. "We know that these mesh [spit] hoods, when placed upon children's heads, impact on their breathing and can lead to asphyxiation, seizures, stroke, disability and death," said Dr Lithgow. "Increasing rates of incarceration of young people can only result in increasing psychological trauma, potentially increasing rates of suicidality, self-harm [and] emergency department presentations," added Dr Boyd. Justice Initiative Reform executive director Mindy Sotiri said at their core, the proposed changes failed to understand the way in which young people thought about crime. "To suggest that children are rationally weighing up the consequences of their actions and deciding not to commit crime, because, you know, there's a change to the diversionary options available, or because there's a harsher penalty, it's just really naive," she told ABC Radio Darwin. "That's just not the way that crime is committed." She said programs that offered bail and post-release support or First Nations place-based support were some examples of changes proven to help reduce recidivism. The chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (NATSIL), Karly Warner, said in a statement the government was ignoring a large body of research in the area. 'There is a mountain of local, national and international evidence that shows prevention, and intensive, trauma-informed, community-led support is what actually works. These proposed amendments to legislation do exactly the opposite," she said. It is expected the legislation will be voted on and likely passed in parliament on Thursday.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Taiwan Dollar Forwards Set to Retreat as Tariff Concerns Grow
(Bloomberg) -- A popular Taiwan dollar derivative is starting to unwind some of its recent gains as rising trade tensions convince overseas investors to cut purchases of the island's stocks and reduce demand for hedging. Taiwan dollar non-deliverable forward points, financial instruments used to hedge against currency risks, slid Wednesday on concern the island is running out of time to reach a US trade deal before the Aug. 1 deadline, and also due to broad US dollar strength. The contracts had rallied earlier this month as global funds used them to hedge their purchases of Taiwan stocks. Taiwan officials are racing to reach an agreement before Friday's target date when the 32% reciprocal tariff on the island's exports will come into effect. Taiwan's main export competitors are leaving it behind, with Japan securing a 15% tariff agreement, and South Korea said to have reached a deal for a similar rate. One-month US dollar-Taiwan dollar NDF points dropped by 7 pips to an 70-point discount on Wednesday, while their three-month equivalents fell 9.8 pips to a 355-point discount. Both had risen to the highest levels since April on Tuesday The hedging activities by foreign investors purchasing Taiwanese securities are having a significant impact on Taiwan's NDFs, said Chandresh Jain, a rates and currency strategist for emerging Asia at BNP Paribas SA in Singapore. There are a number of factors adding volatility to the Taiwan dollar, including the trade talks between Taiwan and the US, he said. The forward points had jumped earlier this month as overseas investors bought them to hedge their equity investments. Global funds have purchased more than NT$200 billion ($6.7 billion) of Taiwan's shares in July, more than double the NT$93.4 billion they bought the month before, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Those purchases may be scaled back as concerns about the trade talks grow, especially over US President Donald Trump's threat to put specific tariffs on sectors such as semiconductors. 'Uncertainty over the nature of Taiwan's trade agreement with the US, particularly whether semiconductor sector tariffs will be exempt, poses a key risk,' said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Singapore. 'Any disappointment on the deal could trigger an unwinding of equity inflows.' More stories like this are available on
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Jury plans confirmed after repeated delays in Outback Wrangler Matt Wright's court case
A celebrity croc wrangler and reality television star will have to wait another week before facing the jury for his high-profile crash conspiracy trial. On Wednesday, Matt Wright was told his jury would only be selected next Tuesday, six days after his NT Supreme Court trial was anticipated to begin. The 45-year-old Netflix reality television star of Outback Wrangler has pleaded not guilty to three allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the death of his co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson three years ago. The 34-year-old father was killed after his helicopter crashed into a paperbark swamp at the King River in Arnhem Land on February 28, 2022. Mr Wilson was dangling in a sling from a Robinson R44 during a crocodile egg collecting mission when the chopper went down, killing him and critically injuring his 28-year-old pilot Sebastian Robinson. It is alleged that on three occasions over a seven month period Mr Wright attempted to compromise the investigation into the chopper crash. Mr Wright entered his pleas on Monday, but has faced repeated delays to start the four-week trial due to ongoing legal arguments On Wednesday, Justice Alan Blow said he did not want a jury to be selected, only for them to be left waiting over the Territory Picnic Day long weekend. 'We're not going to be ready to empanel the jury tomorrow,' Justice Blow said. 'If we are ready to empanel them on Friday, I don't want to because I don't want them to hear opening speeches and then go away for a three-day weekend.' He said he would advise the Supreme Court staff that the jury pool — which is expected to include hundreds of Territorians — would have to be called on Tuesday, August 5. Both prosecution and defence teams agreed with the decision to delay the hearing.
