Shaw launched her brand in the 1980s with her unique and innovative designs showcased in boutiques such as Merivale & Mr John and Dotti as well as in flagship outlets on Sydney’s Centrepoint, Pitt Street Mall and Melbourne’s Chapel Street.

Today her label continues to set the trends for cocktail, evening and Mother of the Bride fashion and her race wear fashion has become the flavour of Randwick and Flemington with Kate Waterhouse regularly taking to the track in Shaw originals.

Set on a double-width block on secluded coast side Alexandria Parade, Shaw’s home has been the stage for countless fashion and show business parties. So legendry were the all night celebrations that instead of complaining, neighbours use to try and score invites or gate crash past security to party and watch the sunrise with the likes of AC/DC, Duran Duran, Rose Tattoo and Pat Cash.

Completed in 1988, Shaw purchased the three-storey, double brick home in 1999 from the family of the original builder. The substantial home comprises five bedrooms (four on one level), numerous bathrooms and ensuites, a home office, multiple living areas, a billiard room and four-car garage.  Deep ‘yoga friendly’ balconies run the full width of the property, and the exceptionally private bamboo screened rear yard captures northern sun and incorporates a deep in-ground pool and separate spa.

Expansive and contemporary in its layout, the master built home overlooks the Coogee coastal walk and provides the ultimate entertaining location in this prized ocean front enclave with icon and unobstructed coastal and Pacific Views.

20 Alexandria Parade, South Coogee will be auctioned on site on Wednesday 12^th June 2013.

Further details Catherine Bullen, BHR Estate Agents on 0407 046 898 or Catherine@mybhr.com

www.20AlexandriaParade.com.au

Wilhelm Harnisch, Master Builders Australia’s Chief Executive Officer said increasing the tax burden on business will only put jobs at risk, force more marginal businesses to close down all together and will in turn lead to further reductions in tax revenues.

“A better approach to address the deteriorating Budget position is make significant reductions in Government expenditure and pursue bold productivity reforms.

“The worsening Budget “black hole” is alarming to the building and construction industry, many of whom are small businesses. It further threatens current fragile building and construction industry conditions and jobs.

“The Government’s Budget challenge must be to match spending cuts commensurate with projected tax revenues. It cannot be the other way around by seeking to raise more tax revenue or go further into debt to match Government expenditures.

“The Government has previously failed to heed concerns of industry and implemented policies that raise the cost of doing business and lessened profits. These anti-business policies have now come home to roost. The collapse in tax revenues cannot be wholly blamed on the strong Australian dollar.

“It is crucial the Government eases the business burden by adopting fiscal and other productivity reform policies that can help rebuild confidence in the business sector to allow it to continue to invest, create jobs and boost Australia’s economy,” Mr Harnisch said.

The HIA campaign, which aims to place housing issues squarely on the national agenda, will highlight the distressing facts impacting new housing, from the disproportionate level of taxation on the family home, growing rates of unaffordability, and the current high level of job losses in the sector.

These facts are:

FACT: This year, Australia will build 25,000 less homes than we did a decade ago.

FACT: Building and construction has contracted every month for the last 34 months.

FACT: Over 1 million Australian workers in building and construction watch helplessly as building keeps falling, knowing their jobs are at risk.

FACT: Severe drops in new housing have forced many manufacturing and small businesses to close with risks of further layoffs.

FACT: Taxes, levies, fees and charges account for 40% of the cost of a new home.

FACT: Australia will need 1.3 million new homes built by 2020. At the current rate of building, more than 150,000 families will miss out on the home they’ve waited for.

“Access to affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing the Australian community,” said HIA Managing Director Shane Goodwin. “Housing provides shelter – a necessity for all Australians.”

“Building new and affordable homes should be actively encouraged, supported and sustained by Governments.”

“Governments can’t ignore housing any longer. They need to act more constructively, cooperatively and determinedly to meet the housing needs of Australians and their families.”

“With 2013 being an election year, it is essential that all parties embrace policies that will improve housing affordability and cut through the red and green tape that is strangling new housing development.”

HIA will be launching policy actions to address these problems in the coming weeks.

SUNDORNE, built in 1925 for about pound stg. 3250 and sold to transport magnate Peter Abeles and his first wife Claire Dan for about pound stg. 60,000 in 1958, sits in splendid isolation at the end of a long drive on 2549 square metres overlooking Sydney Harbour from atop Bellevue Hill.

With Abeles in residence, Sundorne was the scene of many a lively party with regular guests including Bob Hawke and Robert Askin dropping in for a game of poker.

Renovated in the 1960s but not touched since, it’s a perfect example of what was then the height of fashionable interior design — from its lacquered ceilings by Marion Hall Best, a smoking room and maids’ wing to the retro Formica kitchen with breakfast nook, Bakelite telephone and double Frigidaire ovens. And it’s on the market.

Expected to fetch more than $11 million when auctioned on May 22, it has attracted 20 private inspections and there are five contracts out despite it having been advertised for only two weeks.

Reece Coleman, director of BHR Estate Agents, said four clients wanted to restore the home while one international client wanted to demolish it, saying “the house is worthless, the land is priceless”. Zoning prevents development such as apartments or townhouses, but it could be divided into two blocks.

The land was originally part of the Cranbrook estate — now home to an elite private school for boys — which was subdivided in 1917 into two lots. One was purchased by Edward Percy Simpson, a solicitor with legal firm Minter Simpson (now Minter Ellison), who employed architect CA Millyard to build Sundorne as a wedding present for his son, Edward Telford Simpson.

As part of the Abeles divorce settlement in about 1970, Dan — founder of the Sydney International Piano Competition in 1977 — was given life tenancy. She died last October. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Abeles estate. With its five bedrooms, four bathrooms, triple garage, swimming pool, sauna, tennis court and views from almost every window, the mansion and its contents reflect its owners’ Hungarian background.

A labyrinth of interconnecting small rooms, panelled walls and dark furniture give it a distinctly European feel. Paintings by Hungarian-born artist Judy Cassab, a close friend of Dan’s, feature throughout, and along with all the contents — including a lamp figured after Hawke — will be auctioned by Andrew Shapiro on June 22.

Sundorne is the most expensive home to go to auction in the area this year. A house almost opposite in Victoria Road sold for $7.7m last month, while a house two doors down, owned by Gary Zamel, sold for $15.6m in 2005. Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch’s purchase of nearby Le Manoir for $23m in 2009 still holds the record for the suburb.

With no change in the cash rate since December 2012 by the RBA, many homeowners are sitting tight on their variable rate home loan believing that they are getting the best rate available. After all the RBA’s Cash Rate is sitting at 3.00%, which is an all-time historical low. However, what we are witnessing in the Australian market is that fixed rates are also at all-time lows, with current variable rates requiring at least two more interest rate cuts to match fixed rates now available.

By not assessing a fixed rate option right now – you could be doing yourself a disservice. As seen below in the chart the RBA’s 180 Day Swap Rate (which helps predict the future direction of the RBA Cash Rate) has begun trending upwards. Therefore, if you don’t lock in a fixed rate very soon, you may miss out on these fixed rate opportunities as rates may not be this low again in this interest rate cycle. Banks too will certainly be looking to adjust their fixed rates in line with these predictions in the near future! The chart below demonstrates an upwards trend and we have observed with our line of best fit (poly) line highlighting a sharp increase in the 180 Day Swap Rate.

Thousands of Australian’s have also realised that now is the time to fix, as Fairfax Media are reporting that currently a third of all new mortgage taken out are a fixed rate product! – there must be a valid reason behind this! If you are still on a variable package – it is definitely worth considering the evidence we have provided you with today and join the many Australians jumping in to lock in a fixed rate loan.

So before it’s too late – NOW is the time to fix your rate for the long term …. before the banks move to increase their fixed rates – and you miss out on thousands of dollars in savings! Click Here – to review how your current interest rate stacks up against the best rates in the market in just 30 seconds.

The Bellevue Hill home of the late Claire Dan, AM, OBE is set for auction on May 22 with price hopes of more than $11 million-plus through BHR Estate Agents and Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty. Named Sundorne, the Victoria Road residence was the matrimonial home of Dan and the late transport magnate Sir Peter Abeles, who bought it in 1958 from the Simpson family for about £60,000. After divorcing in the late 1960s, Dan retained a life tenancy of the

six-bedroom mansion on a 2550-square-metre block. It has a floodlit tennis court and swimming pool. A prominent arts philanthropist for four decades, Dan was founder of the Sydney International Piano Competition and managing director of Cladan Cultural Institute of Australia. She died in October 2012.

The late Claire Dan.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Domain, Saturday 13 April 2013

“The RBA has taken the view that the easing they’ve done so far has yet to work its way into the economy,” said Gareth Berry, a currency strategist at UBS AG in Singapore. “If they do cut at all this year, it’s not going to be immediate. Stay tuned into our normal monthly RBA Alert at 2:30pm (EDST) 2 April 2013 announcing the RBA decision and Speak to us today!

Our team of researchers will be monitoring the news wires for any changes by the major economist’s prediction before the 2 April 2013 RBA announcement and will keep you up to date on any changes.

Click here to see how your current loan stacks up.

From the team interested in saving you money at Rates Direct!

The Rates Direct™ Team