PEOPLE-smugglers are cramming as many passengers as they can on asylum-seeker vessels, despite the looming monsoon, with two big boats intercepted in Australian waters overnight.
The latest boats - one carrying 110 and the other 103 - reflect a shift towards bigger asylum-seeker shipments after Labor's Malaysia Solution policy failure.
Three other vessels have been intercepted in the past month carrying 90 passengers or more.
Asylum boats tended to be smaller before the government abandoned its Malaysian Solution, with just three carrying more than 100 passengers in the six months prior to the decision.
The latest boat arrivals come a fortnight before the first anniversary of last year's Christmas Island tragedy in which more than 50 asylum-seekers died.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor said the vessels were intercepted north and northeast of Christmas Island.
The monsoon season, in December and January, makes the voyage to Australia particularly treacherous.
The arrivals come ahead of this weekend's ALP National Conference, at which Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will propose boosting Australia's refugee intake from 13,750 to 20,000 a year in an attempt to revive his failed Malaysian people swap.
Under the deal, which immigration officials have touted as the best available deterrent to people-smugglers, Australia would accept 4000 already-processed refugees in return for sending 800 boat people to Kuala Lumpur.
The deal was scuttled in parliament in October after the High Court earlier ruled it invalid.
LANAI VASEK From: The Australian December 01, 2011 11:50AM
Revealed: The places where houses won't sell
HOMES in some parts of Australia are taking twice as long to sell as they did a year ago, with many remaining on the market for months on end.
Vendors are waiting up to a year to sell in the nation's worst-affected areas, which include high-end suburbs like Double Bay - where homes fetch an average of $3 million - and Church Point in Sydney, Newstead in Brisbane and Perth’s trendy Cottesloe.
But regional outposts Denham and Mt Barker in Western Australia have been hardest hit, with asking prices slashed by up to 30 per cent, earning each a spot on a list of the most discounted properties in Australia, according to RP Data figures.
Other black spots include Coochiemudlo and Rockhampton in Queensland and Bright in Victoria.
RP Data National Research Director Tim Lawless said many property blackspots were “lifestyle markets” in regional coastal areas where demand had evaporated.
“Essentially, areas where the average selling time is relatively high, it generally indicates that demand for available homes is low, available housing supply may be high, or vendors may be expecting prices that are out of line with buyer price expectations," Mr Lawless said.
“In some instances the statistics may be affected by small housing markets where a few homes that are taking a very long time to sell are driving the statistics higher.”
The time properties spend on the market is more likely to blow out in small towns hit by an economic downturn, Kevin Young CEO of property investment consultants The Investors Club said.
"In tough times with low discretionary spending these pockets suffer," Mr Young said. "It comes back to demand. Coochiemudlo is a small island that you need to catch a ferry to. It’s a place where people might retire too or have a holiday home.
"Similarly, River Heads is a small coastal town and Rockhampton is suffering higher than national average levels of unemployment which means there is simply lower demand."
But even in capital cities with strong population growth and low unemployment the bracket over $1 million can also be slow because of unrealistic expectations from vendors pricing.
Chris Gray CEO of Empire Property Portfolios said buyers were more savvy these days: "They worry that if no one else has snapped up a property that has been on the market for months, then there must be something wrong with it that they can’t see."
Market glut
Almost 311,286 properties are for sale across Australia, the highest in more than five years and almost 30 per cent more than the same time last year.
In Melbourne, there are 50 per cent more properties for sale, 30 per cent in Sydney, 14 per cent in Brisbane and almost 40 per cent in Adelaide.
House prices have dropped amid the selling binge, slipping 4 per cent nationally in the year to October to a median of $536,011.
Meanwhile, auction clearance rates have remained below 50 per cent for 20 consecutive weeks in Australia’s largest housing markets, and with Christmas looming an improvement is not expected until next year.
RP Data’s Tim Lawless said market confidence had been battered by global economic turmoil and rate jitters.
Buyer numbers are down by 13 per cent and home sales 33 per cent compared to the peak number of transactions in the last growth cycle (September 2009), Mr Lawless said.
“Before we start to see any material improvement in home values and time on the market we will need to see confidence levels rise,” he said.
Slump
In other sluggish signs, Australia's capital city home prices have been led down by a heavy slump in Brisbane, according to a private report.
Home prices in the regions fell 3.4 per cent on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to data released by RP Data-Rismark.
Brisbane led the drop in values for the year to October, with an 8 per cent slump, after a 1.6 per cent decline in the month of October.
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth home values have all declined 5 per cent or more in the year to October.
Sydney was relatively steady, with a 1.1 per cent loss of value.
All capital home prices fell in October, except Sydney, which was unchanged, and Canberra and Hobart, which added 1.6 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively, although Hobart's data was based on the final September results.
Top ten blackspots
Denham WA 269 days
Mt Barker WA 248
Robertson 233
Bright Vic 233
Moruya NSW 233
Bowraville NSW 227
Coochiemudlo Island Qld 225
Rockhampton Qld 225
Donald Vic 225
River Heads Qld 222
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/money/property/australian-suburbs-towns-where-houses-wont-sell/story-e6frfmd0-1226211025944#ixzz1fG2sL12Z
Vendors are waiting up to a year to sell in the nation's worst-affected areas, which include high-end suburbs like Double Bay - where homes fetch an average of $3 million - and Church Point in Sydney, Newstead in Brisbane and Perth’s trendy Cottesloe.
But regional outposts Denham and Mt Barker in Western Australia have been hardest hit, with asking prices slashed by up to 30 per cent, earning each a spot on a list of the most discounted properties in Australia, according to RP Data figures.
Other black spots include Coochiemudlo and Rockhampton in Queensland and Bright in Victoria.
RP Data National Research Director Tim Lawless said many property blackspots were “lifestyle markets” in regional coastal areas where demand had evaporated.
“Essentially, areas where the average selling time is relatively high, it generally indicates that demand for available homes is low, available housing supply may be high, or vendors may be expecting prices that are out of line with buyer price expectations," Mr Lawless said.
“In some instances the statistics may be affected by small housing markets where a few homes that are taking a very long time to sell are driving the statistics higher.”
The time properties spend on the market is more likely to blow out in small towns hit by an economic downturn, Kevin Young CEO of property investment consultants The Investors Club said.
"In tough times with low discretionary spending these pockets suffer," Mr Young said. "It comes back to demand. Coochiemudlo is a small island that you need to catch a ferry to. It’s a place where people might retire too or have a holiday home.
"Similarly, River Heads is a small coastal town and Rockhampton is suffering higher than national average levels of unemployment which means there is simply lower demand."
But even in capital cities with strong population growth and low unemployment the bracket over $1 million can also be slow because of unrealistic expectations from vendors pricing.
Chris Gray CEO of Empire Property Portfolios said buyers were more savvy these days: "They worry that if no one else has snapped up a property that has been on the market for months, then there must be something wrong with it that they can’t see."
Market glut
Almost 311,286 properties are for sale across Australia, the highest in more than five years and almost 30 per cent more than the same time last year.
In Melbourne, there are 50 per cent more properties for sale, 30 per cent in Sydney, 14 per cent in Brisbane and almost 40 per cent in Adelaide.
House prices have dropped amid the selling binge, slipping 4 per cent nationally in the year to October to a median of $536,011.
Meanwhile, auction clearance rates have remained below 50 per cent for 20 consecutive weeks in Australia’s largest housing markets, and with Christmas looming an improvement is not expected until next year.
RP Data’s Tim Lawless said market confidence had been battered by global economic turmoil and rate jitters.
Buyer numbers are down by 13 per cent and home sales 33 per cent compared to the peak number of transactions in the last growth cycle (September 2009), Mr Lawless said.
“Before we start to see any material improvement in home values and time on the market we will need to see confidence levels rise,” he said.
Slump
In other sluggish signs, Australia's capital city home prices have been led down by a heavy slump in Brisbane, according to a private report.
Home prices in the regions fell 3.4 per cent on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to data released by RP Data-Rismark.
Brisbane led the drop in values for the year to October, with an 8 per cent slump, after a 1.6 per cent decline in the month of October.
Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth home values have all declined 5 per cent or more in the year to October.
Sydney was relatively steady, with a 1.1 per cent loss of value.
All capital home prices fell in October, except Sydney, which was unchanged, and Canberra and Hobart, which added 1.6 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively, although Hobart's data was based on the final September results.
Top ten blackspots
Denham WA 269 days
Mt Barker WA 248
Robertson 233
Bright Vic 233
Moruya NSW 233
Bowraville NSW 227
Coochiemudlo Island Qld 225
Rockhampton Qld 225
Donald Vic 225
River Heads Qld 222
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/money/property/australian-suburbs-towns-where-houses-wont-sell/story-e6frfmd0-1226211025944#ixzz1fG2sL12Z
Parker withdraws from leader race
David Parker has withdrawn for the race to be Labour's next leader.
In a statement, Mr Parker said he remained committed to Labour ideals and would work hard to achieve them for New Zealanders and the country.
"There is growing support for a new face to lead the Labour Party. I intend to support David Shearer in his bid."
His withdrawal leaves Mr Shearer running against David Cunliffe for the position.
It is understood he is withdrawing because the bloc within the Labour caucus that opposes Mr Cunliffe's bid was split between Mr Parker and Mr Shearer.
Current leader Phil Goff and his deputy Annette King step down on December 13.
The remaining contenders to replace Phil Goff will take to the roads over the next fortnight to make their pitches to party members in a far more open process than the party has followed in the past.
The position will be chosen by caucus in a secret ballot.
lthough only caucus can vote on the leadership, the candidates will travel around the country to a series of meetings with party members in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and possibly Dunedin to set out their case.
The party has opted for a more open process than in the past, partly because of criticism about the swift handover to outgoing leader Phil Goff after Helen Clark resigned.
Party president Moira Coatsworth said some Labour parties overseas involved party members in the formal process of selecting new leaders.
She had suggested to caucus on Tuesday that the party here pick up elements of that by organising the roadshow to allow members to talk to the candidates and give feedback to their local Labour MPs.
http://www.apnz.co.nz/
In a statement, Mr Parker said he remained committed to Labour ideals and would work hard to achieve them for New Zealanders and the country.
"There is growing support for a new face to lead the Labour Party. I intend to support David Shearer in his bid."
His withdrawal leaves Mr Shearer running against David Cunliffe for the position.
It is understood he is withdrawing because the bloc within the Labour caucus that opposes Mr Cunliffe's bid was split between Mr Parker and Mr Shearer.
Current leader Phil Goff and his deputy Annette King step down on December 13.
The remaining contenders to replace Phil Goff will take to the roads over the next fortnight to make their pitches to party members in a far more open process than the party has followed in the past.
The position will be chosen by caucus in a secret ballot.
lthough only caucus can vote on the leadership, the candidates will travel around the country to a series of meetings with party members in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and possibly Dunedin to set out their case.
The party has opted for a more open process than in the past, partly because of criticism about the swift handover to outgoing leader Phil Goff after Helen Clark resigned.
Party president Moira Coatsworth said some Labour parties overseas involved party members in the formal process of selecting new leaders.
She had suggested to caucus on Tuesday that the party here pick up elements of that by organising the roadshow to allow members to talk to the candidates and give feedback to their local Labour MPs.
http://www.apnz.co.nz/
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