Bligh booze plan gets cautious nod

NEWS

The State Government’s decision to trial more police numbers as its main answer to combatting alcohol-fuelled violence in the state’s main entertainment precincts has been given tacit approval by the Valley Liquor Accord.

VLA chief executive Danny Blair cautiously backed the beefed-up police numbers and the banning of violent offenders from entertainment precincts.
“From what we’ve read, it’s a step in the right direction and common sense appears to be prevailing,” Mr Blair said. “We’ve been calling for more police and banning powers for 12 months and finally we’re starting see some positive results.
“However, we hope there are strong guide lines for issuing bans and police do not abuse their powers. It’s best that any bans are issued by the courts.”
Under the plan announced by Premier Anna Bligh at a media conference in the Valley Mall on Sunday, key locations including the Valley entertainment precinct would become Drink Safe Precincts (DSP) under a $4.2million plan to counter alcohol-related violence.
But a major recommendation of a parliamentary inquiry – earlier closer times – has been ignored. Lockout times, opposed by some venues, will stay as they are. Police numbers will increase during peak times in some areas and better supervised taxi zones, more support services, and the creation of special safe zones will all feature in the new precincts.
The government will also legislate for new powers to ban people committing alcohol-related violence from the areas and it will become mandatory for pubs and clubs to offer free drinking water to patrons. The use of ID scanners by clubs will also be supported under the plan.
Premier Anna Bligh said the pilot Drink Safe Precincts (DSP) would be run like major sporting events with coordinated policing, security and support services provided to deliver a safe environment for patrons.
“The first of these new precincts will be piloted in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, the Gold Coast and Townsville commencing in December 2010,” she said.
“The Queensland Government has already approved funding for the first 12 months but after this period an agreement will be reached with industry stakeholders so they can shoulder some of the cost of the measures along with the Queensland taxpayer.
“These areas all see large volumes of people move through them during the weekends with up to 40,000 people visiting the Valley on a busy Saturday night.
“The existing lock out laws will stay in place to provide certainty to both licensees and patrons and also give the new measures a chance to work.
“We want Queenslanders to be able to go to entertainment areas in their city and enjoy a night out in as much safety as possible but with as little interference as possible.
“The new precincts will have special Safe Zones where people can go if they have had too much to drink, are experiencing harassment, violence or simply need a safe place to clear their heads.|
“These will be staffed by experienced community workers and volunteers from local community groups.”
The major player in the Valley, Lou Bickle, enthusiastically embraced the plan at the weekend media event.
As the Premier concluded her remarks he called out: “Congratulations. Very sensible recommendations.”
Mr Bickle, whose family runs iconic venues such as Family, Cloudland and the Empire Hotel, said he stood ready and willing to help the trial period succeed.
Danny Blair from the Valley Liquor Accord said he hoped the Valley-based Chaplain Watch would be given strong financial support.
“Chaplain Watch has been an invaluable service to Valley patrons and stakeholders for seven years and the Government needs to get behind it.”
Mr Blair was disappointed the 3am lock had not been removed and he wanted to see the full list of recommendations before giving blanket approval to the changes.|
“What we’ve seen so far are changes we’ve been requesting for a long time and we welcome the support of clubs using ID scanners,” Mr Blair said.
“We need to see the remaining changes and whether they will impact on our economy, if they will cost jobs and whether there will be a downturn in tourism.”
He said increased signage in and around the Valley, especially the train station, was in keeping with the VLA’s strong stance of improving safety in the area and easing the frustration of commuters.|
“This can only be a plus for the precinct,” Mr Blair said.
Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek slammed the plan, saying it offered no immediate help for major centres across the state, ignoring Cairns, Mackay, Whitsunday, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.
He said the Bligh Government was offering nothing to tackle serious alcohol-related problems in these centres and nothing to boost police resources to quell violence.
“Anna Bligh and her Police Minister seem to think if it doesn’t happen in the Valley, on the Gold Coast or Townsville it’s not an issue,” Mr Langbroek said.
“What about Cairns, Anna …what about Mackay, Whitsunday, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba ... the alcohol-related problems in those centres are just as bad and in some cases worse because police are so under-resourced."

Top: Premier Anna Bligh outlines the anti-violence plan with Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson and Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor. And Lou Bickle gives the plan his enthusiastic support.

VEP now also a DSP....

NEWS

Australia’s first designated entertainment zone – the Valley Entertainment Precinct (VEP) – also becomes a DSP ... a Drink Safe Precinct ... under the State Government’s trial.

Below are the main points about how it will affect patrons later this year. • An increase in police presence during peak periods in the precinct areas. In Fortitude Valley numbers will increase by 24 to 102.

• An additional 8 Public Safety Response Team (PSRT) officers will also be available to be deployed to Surfers Paradise and Fortitude Valley.

• TV screens outside of Fortitude Valley Railway Station to show real-time information for commuters wanting to use the Nightlink train services.

• The opening time for Fortitude Valley train station will be opened earlier before the next Nightlink service to make sure all passengers are able to get to the platform in time for their train.

• A public transport hub, in collaboration with Brisbane City Council, in the Valley Mall which will provide real time information on all transport options including cabs, Nightlink buses and Nightlink trains.

• Improved way-finding signage in the precinct so people know where to go for buses, trains and cabs.

• Investigate an improved secure cab rank system in the precinct to increase capacity and to ensure they are more efficient. This could consist of an extra rank or redesigned ranks.

• Work with BCC to stagger Nightlink bus departure times and will investigate changes to the Warner street bus stops in order to minimise crowding around the bus stops.

Sadly, Legacy’s work is on rise

NEWS

The growing death toll of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan has made Legacy more relevant than ever. Founded in 1923 to care for the dependents of deceased veterans, Legacy currently assists more than 110,000 family members.
And, sadly, due to the war in Afghanistan, the average age of those eligible and needing Legacy’s life-long assistance is falling sharply.
The ways in which Legacy cares and offers assistance are wide and varied. It can be as complex as providing counselling, special housing, medical, advocacy and social support or as simple as purchasing a new pair of school shoes.
An army of volunteers and defence force personnel from Gallipoli Barracks are again pitching in to sell badges during Legacy Week that runs until this Saturday, September 4.
“This is a week that helps Legacy keep its promise to veterans,” Mr Blinkhorn said. Legacy volunteers would be stationed at most major shopping centres including Centro Toombul, Fortitude Valley Mall and Merthyr Village shopping centre.
Donations can be made on line at www.legacy.com.au, on 1800 534 229 or by texting LEGACY to 0447 877 678 (standard SMS charges apply) to receive a virtual Legacy Badge.


Above: CPL Matthew Chesson and SIG Meg Dwight from Gallipoli Barracks.

Howard Smith Warves plan "underhanded

NEWS

The City Council administration will alter the existing park zoning for Howard Smith Wharves to allow for a hotel and convention centre to built there without the public having a right to object to or appeal the move, local councillor David Hinchliffe claims.

The Central Ward councillor said the move was expected at yesterday’s weekly council meeting as this edition of The Independent went to press.

In an email to members of an action group seeking for the wharves to be retained as parkland, Cr Hinchliffe wrote: “The change [to the city plan] will effectively rezone the site to make such uses as ‘hotel’, ‘convention centre’, ‘office’ and ‘industry’ ‘code assessable’ rather than ‘impact assessable’.
“Code assessment means an application is lodged (by council or by a developer) and the public doesn’t see it, doesn’t have the right to object to it and certainly doesn’t have the right to appeal against the final decision on it. Impact assessment means that an application has to go through the full process of public scrutiny.
“As you all know about four months ago the council withdrew its application because of the appeal which local residents mounted.
“This is a very underhand way of going around local opposition to achieve their aims.”
Cr Hinchliffe said the Howard Smith Wharves were zoned parkland in the 1990s and confirmed as parkland in the 2000 City Plan introduced by the Soorley Administration.
The Newman Council’s plan to construct hotel/convention centres and offices had been regarded as an “impact assessable” application and deemed under the existing City Plan as “generally inappropriate” under the zoning.
“When this change to City Plan rules goes through on Tuesday that will then change. This is a breathtaking attempt to sidestep and trash the existing “parkland” zoning of Howard Smith Wharves. It flies in the face of a public appeal.
“It’s a blunt and brutal way of getting themselves out of the development application mess they fell into when we took them on.”

• The Independent asked Lord Mayor Campbell Newman to counter Cr Hinchliffe’s claims. No response had been received by press time. It will be placed online when it is received.

Market rides wave of uncertainty

PROPERTY NEWS

Two years on from the beginning of the Global Financial Crisis, Queensland’s residential property market has ridden the wave of economic uncertainty and come out the other side with prices now back at pre-crisis levels.

However, the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s (REIQ) June quarter median house report shows continued tough market conditions with the preliminary number of sales across the state down by about five per cent compared to the previous quarter. Most areas of the state recorded minimal median house price changes over the period.
“These results reflect the weaker market conditions reported by REIQ accredited agencies over the June quarter,” REIQ chairman Pamela Bennett said.
“Agents have been reporting quieter market conditions since about early April when the string of interest rate increases began to have a negative impact on the market. Uneven economic data is also starting to worry consumers with many buyers currently happy to sit on the fence until a clearer economic picture emerges.”
While sales activity is currently subdued compared to last year, the REIQ June quarter report found property prices in most areas of the state are now on par with what they were two years ago.
“Over the past two years, Queensland’s median house prices have jumped up and down depending on the types of buyers in the market at the time,” REIQ managing director Dan Molloy said.
“Last year, the numbers of first-timers in the market was higher than usual, so correspondingly the median went down given they bought cheaper properties. This year, there has been a return to a more even distribution of first and non-first home buyers in the market so the medians have increased accordingly.
“This change in buyers, and the types of properties selling, has unfortunately given the false impression there has been robust property price growth when prices are now really where they were two years ago.”
Brisbane’s continued population growth has underpinned the capital city’s performance over the past two years with its median house price increasing about 9 per cent to $530,000 for the year ending June 2010.
Other major areas of the state recorded median house prices that were very similar for the year ending June 2010 as they were two years before.
According to the REIQ, while current market conditions can be described as difficult, Queensland’s population growth, decentralised population, and relatively affordable property compared to other states will help to underpin the market in the months ahead.
With inflation now under control and the Reserve Bank indicating it will keep interest rates on hold for the time being, demand may return to more usual levels by the end of 2010.

Give dad gift of safety

PROPERTY NEWS

Australian sons and daughters have been urged to use Father's Day this Sunday (5 September) to do a safety audit of the home for elderly parents, especially those living alone.

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, said home safety was one of the most important gifts sons and daughters could give their fathers.
Ian Agnew, Queensland state manager of Archicentre, said elderly people often do not recognise dangers in the home which can lead to serious injuries or fatal incidents.
Fall injuries are the leading cause of injury-related death and are a leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in those aged 65 years and older.
Many of these injuries are severe: fewer than half of older people hospitalised for a fracture or other serious injury following a fall are able to return home. The remainder require long term care, that requires substantial resources by aged care facilities.
Population (epidemiological) studies show that hip fractures are the most serious fall-related injury in older people with 15 per cent dying in hospital and a third not surviving beyond one year afterwards. (Source: Public Health Association of Australia)
Mr Agnew said environmental risk factors contributing to falls in the home are slippery surfaces and uneven floors, poor lighting, poorly designed steps and stairs and lack of grab rails, and also hard surfaces causing injury on landing. But protruding door thresholds, loose rugs and carpet runners can also be hazardous, as well as tangled power and telephone cords.
Behavioural factors such as undertaking cleaning, DIY projects and gardening tasks on ladders, stepladders, chairs and tables and wearing unsuitable footwear increase the risk of falls in older men and women. (Source: Monash University Accident Research Centre).
Mr Agnew added a number of serious injuries can be sustained by younger fathers from doing home maintenance including the dangers of slipping off a roof, or over-balancing and falling from ladders whilst clearing leaves from guttering and the possible dangers of becoming electrocuted by not using electrical tools safely.
House fires can cause serious injury or death.
Fires can also destroy a family's most cherished possessions and home. In Australia each year, some 70 people die as a result of fire, and probably more than 1000 people suffer from serious burns in house fires. (Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission).

Archicentre has a number of top areas listed for home safety and they include:
• Install new batteries in the smoke detector and test the alarm is working efficiently.
• Ensure all deadlocks have keys in them on the inside of the door.
• Check for slippery or unsafe steps or decks which may need repair or the removal of slippery moss or slime.
• Look for leaking taps or damaged downpipes that could make paths slippery and hazardous.
• Loose electrical extension leads across the floor creating a trip hazard
• Loose rugs which may cause slip and trips, especially at the tops of stairs.
• The storage of stacks of old newspapers creating a fire hazard in the home.
Mr Agnew said many of these hazards could be quickly observed and removed.

Sensible tips for first-time buyers

PROPERTY NEWS

Aussie has released its top tips for first-home buyers. It’s a timely list too, with the home loan lender reporting a massive jump in requests for broker appointments from as first homebuyers step back into the property market.
The number of FHB’s requesting appointments with Aussie brokers via the website www.aussie.com.au has more than doubled since March, according to Aussie CEO Mr Stephen Porges. He says a combination of the cooling property market, an improved economy, and increased job security has spurred FHB’s back into the game.
“The market was white hot last year due to the Federal Government’s boost to the First Homebuyer’s Grant,” he said.
“Many FHB’s would have paid a premium for their properties during that hectic time. “Now that it has cooled off, those FHBs who didn’t buy a home in late 2009 and early 2010 are back and ready to make their first step on the property ladder.”
Mr Porges said the current climate - both in the real estate market and with interest rates returning to more “normal “ levels - it was easier for FHBs to make a more measured decision when it came to the biggest purchase of their lives. “In many areas throughout the country, there were inflated prices created due to extreme demand,” he said. “Many buyers could have paid over the odds for their home.” “This has abated somewhat, and those FHB’s who may have thought they had been left behind are now well-placed.”
Mr Porges said it has been well-documented that FHB’s are strong users of mortgage brokers as they can provide experience and advice in the often complicated world of finance. “There are hundreds and hundreds of loan products out there, and it would take months for FHB’s to conduct the research into what is the most appropriate product for them,” he said.

Here are some important tips from Aussie to help avoid the most common traps:

1 Work out how much you can afford to spend before you even look, and only look at apartments or homes clearly advertised within that price range. Do not waste your energy looking in the wrong suburb – because you may end up biting off more than you can chew.
2 Look at as many properties as possible in your price range to get an idea of what you can afford. Check with Aussie’s skilled mortgage advisers to work out what loan product suits your needs – especially your borrowing limit!
3 When working out the best home loan for you, check the ongoing payments, especially in the fine print for monthly service fees and other charges.
4 If you are worried about interest rate rises, you can split your loan between variable and fixed rates and take an “each-way” bet.
5 Make fortnightly payments, not monthly, so the interest on your mortgage does not add up.
6 Remember a low start-up interest rate, or honeymoon rate loan does not mean you will be paying less for your property in the long term.
7 Make absolutely sure your home loan repayments do not overly impact on your lifestyle. You do not want to only eat baked beans for dinner for the next 25 years.
8 Be prepared for the monthly repayments to rise and fall during the life of your loan. Make sure there is some financial room to move if rates rise. If rates fall keep paying the same amount each month or fortnight, so you pay off your loan quicker by eating into the principal owing.
9 The best step you can take in the search for your first place is get pre-approval for a loan, which Aussie and some other lenders can provide, so you know exactly what you can afford.

Historic pub under hammer

PROPERTY NEWS

By property editor SALLY SCOTT


Spring Hill landmark the Alliance Tavern is on the market again, with an on-site auction at 11am next Wednesday to decide its fate.

The iconic hotel, on the corner of Leichhardt and Boundary streets, has changed hands several times in the past decade. Most recently, it traded as 320 on Leichhardt, offering patrons several dining options and bar areas. The distinctive dark-green concrete and brick building, built in 1888 in the Victorian Renaissance style, was designed by architect John Nicholson. Nicholson was also responsible for another Brisbane landmark pub, the Normanby, and the Princess Theatre.
The original hotel, which once featured decorative balconies on its upper floor, comprised 12 bedrooms, several drawing rooms, a dining room, two bars and two ballrooms.
Although the Alliance Hotel is listed on Brisbane City Council’s Heritage Register, it does not appear on the Queensland Heritage Register, and is not in a Demolition Control Precinct, which is some cause for concern for the future of the building considering the level of development in the surrounding area.
Today the upper floor is a restaurant area, seating 85; there are several bars at street level; and the cellar wine bar and entertainment area offer alternative venues.
The building occupies more than 1000sq/m of floor space, and the site area, zoned MP3, is 478sq/m.

Snooze Inn

The Valley’s Snooze Inn is on the market for $2.95 million in what has been described “Australia’s strongest accommodation market”.

The 26 all en-suite room accommodation adjacent to the Step Inn on the corner of Brunswick Street and St Paul’s Terrace is being sold as a going concern on a walk-in, walk-out basis. Floor area is 612sq/m and land area 410sq/m.
Peter Ward, of CBRE Hotels, is marketing the freehold property.

Where am I?

It’s a small piece of a fairly famous old building in the Indie’s patch. If you think you know where is it, tell us and you’ll have the chance to win a $60 prize voucher to enjoy some tucker and a drink at the Brunswick Hotel in New Farm. Email your answer to editor@theindependent.com.au to reach us no later than 5pm on Friday week, 10 September 2010. Or drop us the answer in the post by the same deadline to PO Box 476 Valley Q 4006.
One lucky winner will be off to the Brunnie on us. Bon appetit! .

Winner of last issue’s competition was Lamees Hawari who correctly named the location of the McWhirters carpark in the Valley.

Please remain seated with your belts secure

POLITICS ... with Mungo MacCallum

At the weekend Tony Abbott finally faced reality; he sent a message after the departing independents saying he had decided to submit his costings to Treasury after all and Treasury could tell the independents about them, as long as the independents didn't tell Julia Gillard or Wayne Swan.

Abbott has tried to portray this as a win for himself, but in fact it was an inevitable back down given the circumstances. Andrew Robb had already been caught out; he had claimed that the Federal Police investigation of the leak was already well under way and a result could be expected any day now. The police replied that there was no investigation; they were still considering whether to open one. A continued refusal could only be seen as proving that they had something to hide. But more importantly opinion was turning against the opposition.
The suspicion was that they were actually trying to set the scene for another election, preferably one which would run early next year, when the hated New South Wales Labor government would also be facing the people. This, it was believed, would make Abbott Prime Minister in his own right.
It might; but the downside is that the voters would be outraged at being forced back to the polls. They have been through all that, they have delivered their verdict – well, sort of – and it is up to the politicians to make it work. The umpire’s decision must be respected and those who try to ignore it will pay. It is a risk Abbott is not prepared to take, especially when his friends in the media are ramping up the pressure on the independents to give him the guernsey.
Last week the News Limited group produced a series of surveys designed to prove that the voters in all three electorates actually want a coalition government. Actually they don’t; they want their local member to remain independent, which was why they voted for him. And there is no reason why the independents should not follow this course; they could simply agree not to support no confidence motions and to guarantee supply, and the government could continue as usual.
But, following the protocol outlined below, that would leave Labor in power, an outcome utterly unacceptable to the Murdoch press. And in any case it would be naïve to expect the three independents to pass up the once in a lifetime opportunity for power and glory the hung parliament presents; so the horse trading continues. No sane person wants another election. But perhaps one insane person does.
The preposterous Steve Fielding, the accidental senator from Family First, will, like the rest of the old senate, retain his seat until July 1 next year. Asked whether he would allow a minority Labor government to pursue its agenda, he temporised; indeed, he would not even rule out blocking supply. Actually supply for the year has already been passed in the budget session, so Fielding’s threat was as ignorant as it was arrogant.
But it was something the Governor-General should bear in mind if she was looking for stability, Fielding warned: he was not convinced that the Labor government deserved a second chance.
That’s right, he, him, the man who received just 0.08 per cent of the Victorian first preference vote – just four fifths of one hundredth of one state in 2004, about three fifths of five eighths of fuck all in today’s money – considers that he has the right to decide who should govern Australia in 2010.
And conservative commentators are accusing the Independents of having ideas above their station. Give us a break. In fact the Governor-General is unlikely to come into it at all, except to rubber stamp whatever happens in parliament. Some of the sillier commentators have got all excited about how the G-G, Quentin Bryce, is the mother in law of Labor minister Bill Shorten, and this could put her in a conflict of interest when it came to choosing who would be prime minister. But it is not her choice. Julia Gillard remains Prime Minister, albeit in a caretaker role, until the poll is declared.
When it is., Bryce is bound by convention to ask her if she can form a government; if she says yes, she will be commissioned. If she says no, or if she subsequently loses a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives, Bryce will offer the job to Tony Abbott. If both leaders fail, she will have to prorogue parliament and call an election. It is all quite straightforward, not at all like the deadlock between the Reps and the Senate in 1975. And it is undeniably intriguing; like a good murder mystery - and unlike the awful election campaign that led up to it -- it makes you pay attention right up to the last page.
Suddenly politics is interesting and even relevant; the punters genuinely want to know what is going on, how many options there are, what are the rules of the game and who is up who for the rent.
Last Friday the Sydney Morning Herald produced a four page wrap around attempting to explain it; the public has learned more about politics in the last week of August than they ever did in 12 years of high school. Whether the interest can be maintained is of course another question; technically the impasse could drag on until the end of November, when parliament would be forced to sit and make a decision. But no-one expects to go on for that long. And as the players reassembled back in Canberra on the last day of winter, it was clear that the climax was approaching.
And it’s still impossible to predict: the odds have to favour the conservatives, but the three amigos – Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter – are all contrarian types; that’s why they are independents.
Andrew Wilkie is a professional maverick and even Tony Crook and Adam Bandt could yet surprise us.
Please remain seated and keep your seat belt securely fastened until the election has come to a complete halt.