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Construction

This Month

APH Holding’s flagship project is a health precinct in Box Hill, financed through a loan provided by non-bank lender MaxCap.

Major developer APH collapses, sending ripples through private credit

The Melbourne company had already put many of its projects on the market. Its biggest lender, MaxCap, says it expects to be repaid in full.

  • Primrose Riordan
Two fund directors appointed by the union have been removed from their roles.

Industry slams ‘whitewash’ Victoria government report into CFMEU

Employer groups say Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s promise to strengthen whistleblower protections and clean up misbehaviour in the building industry ring hollow.

  • Gus McCubbing and David Marin-Guzman
Buyers of apartments on sites such as this 22-storey, 111 Castlereagh by Cbus project in Sydney have an easier path to make claims in case of defects.

How it just became even better to buy an apartment in NSW

A High Court ruling has made it easier for off-the-plan buyers to sue developers and builders for defects – but only if they live in the largest state.

  • Michael Bleby

Why Gurner gave up alcohol – and what he learnt

The property developer and wellness entrepreneur has rarely had a drink for 18 months. He doesn’t like what he sees from people who are imbibing.

  • Sally Patten and Martin Peralta
The three-storey development includes five luxury apartments (artist impression).

AirTrunk’s Robin Khuda wins battle to build apartments at Palm Beach

The Rich Lister has seen off objections from residents to his plans to develop a series of luxury units next door to Barrenjoey House.

  • Larry Schlesinger
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The eye-catching 1 Hotel Melbourne will open on the northern banks of the Yarra River in May.

The 16,000-room hotel boom that is yet to slow

The burst of development over the past four years has two more years to run before it slows, a new forecast shows.

  • Larry Schlesinger
The third stage of the Gold Coast light rail line is causing John Holland problems

John Holland overhauls executive team as projects struggle

John Holland is searching for a new CEO and its major projects boss will leave in January.

  • Jenny Wiggins
Cement Australia has bought BGC’s cement division after trumping competitors including Seven Group

Stokes’ Seven misses out on BGC cement deal

Kerry Stokes’ Seven Group was the underbidder in the auction for the cement business owned by the late Len Buckeridge.

  • Mark Wembridge
Sailing into uncharted territory? Queensland needs to abandon past procurement models and embrace public private partnerships to deliver the Olympics infrastructure it needs, consultancy Arcadis says.

Queensland may have to tap private funds for Olympic projects

With construction cost growth outstripping Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane 2032 might need private consortia to deliver and operate Games infrastructure.

  • Michael Bleby
Hitting it for six: The minimum standard of six star thermal efficiency ratings set in 2010 was upgraded to 7 stars last year.

Older, ‘cheaper’ houses hide costs that bite owners

More than 80 per cent of Australia’s houses have half the energy efficiency of the latest standards – and that’s going to make them less valuable.

  • Michael Bleby
Bundles of steel tubes at a trading market in the outskirts of Shanghai. A glut of Chinese steel has meant more exports.

Westview plans $750m steel mill for Brisbane as Gupta woes worsen

The privately owned supplier of reinforced steel rods is concerned about being too reliant on Chinese imports, and wants the new plant to be operating by 2027.

  • Simon Evans
George Alex was convicted of tax fraud and money laundering.

Construction boss jailed over ‘rape and pillage’ fraud

Organised crime figure George Alex also had help in claiming millions of dollars of debts from an unnamed CFMEU official, a NSW Supreme Court judge said.

  • David Marin-Guzman
Master Builders Victoria board directors say the employer group is reliant on Incolink for solvency.

How builders got captured by the CFMEU’s $1.2b redundancy fund

Master Builders Victoria’s solvency relies on millions of dollars in grants from the John Setka-backed Incolink fund, which whistleblowers say has created a huge conflict of interest.

  • David Marin-Guzman
SGH’s Ryan Stokes has deleted the “Seven” from the group’s name, reflecting just how small its media business is relative to its mining, infrastructure and construction materials interests.

Ryan Stokes out-works, out-earns rivals to take SGH to new highs

The SGH chief, one of The Australian Financial Review Business People of the Year for 2024, is renowned as one of the hardest-working CEOs in Australian big business.

  • Anthony Macdonald
Damon Hanlin, MD of Titan Group, and Domus House 30 Derriwong Road Dural.

The football club boss, drug-dealing director and $100m scam

A liquidator claims crane company boss Damon Hanlin may have controlled a tax fraud scheme that involved shadow directors and dishonest dealings.

  • David Marin-Guzman
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Going up: Large contractor earnings are increasing, but insolvencies among smaller subcontractors are also growing.

Big builders enjoy recovery as insolvencies hammer small players

Even as large contractors report stronger earnings, the loss of smaller subcontractors cuts capacity and creates risks for the whole sector.

  • Michael Bleby
Construction workers, including for the housing sector, will be added to the new list.

Tradies to join yoga instructors on core migration skills list

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the federal government was moving to address critical shortages, including in new home construction.

  • Tom McIlroy and Michael Read
The submission cited reports of bikie associates acting as CFMEU health and safety representatives.

Labor created loophole for CFMEU to delay projects: builders

Builders have accused the union of exploiting Labor’s new laws for safety delegates to get around “fit and proper” restrictions on entering building sites, disrupting projects.

  • David Marin-Guzman
Pointing up: New housing approvals are increasing.

Worst has passed for new home building: economists

Bad times “are starting to end” as developers now have a handle on costs and the prices they can get for apartments.

  • Michael Bleby

November

Gavin Sas, the owner of G Effect Painting in Traralgon, wants to hire an apprentice but says he cannot afford to do so.

The big trend working against the PM’s 1.2m homes target

Painter Gavin Sas wants to hire an apprentice to expand his business, but the initial cost is too high. It’s a small part of a bigger problem.

  • Euan Black

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/construction-hqj