Oliver Hume Secures 1,000 Lots Across Four Victorian Projects

PROPERTY services group Oliver Hume has cemented its position as Victoria’s leading property marketing group with the appointment to four different projects in the last eight weeks with a combined yield of nearly 1,000 lots. The new lots, which have an estimated value of about $300 million, adds to Oliver Hume’s existing portfolio of more than 40 communities in Victoria. The appointments include a high profile role with Places Victoria, the State Government’s property development agency, as part of the development of a site on the edge of the Point Cook Town Centre overlooking the Boardwalk Boulevard Wetlands. The new appointments secured in the last two months include:

  • Point Cook – Oliver Hume will work alongside Places Victoria on the sales and marketing of a new townhouse development.
  • Tarneit – A boutique development comprising approximately 400 lots, set to come to market in October this year.
  • Willandra, Melton – A 700-lot development that launched in 2012, Oliver Hume will take responsibility of the sales and project marketing for the remainder of the project.
  • Mornington – Consisting of 38 half-acre to acre lots, the Mornington development will set a new benchmark in the Peninsula corridor.

Oliver Hume’s existing clients include some of country’s most established developers including Villawood Properties, Amex Corp, ID LAND, Pask Group and ISPT Super Fund. Oliver Hume Director Paul Ciprian said the appointments reflected the company’s ability to provide developers with a competitive edge in the development, marketing and sale of new residential communities. “While some segments of the property market are displaying signs of stress, the outer suburban land and communities market is still experiencing strong demand from a diversified base of first and second home buyers and investors,” he said. “Our research shows the average time on market for project land in the three months to the end of April was just 2.5 months, down from 6.6 months in the last quarter of 2012,” he said. “This is indicative of the fact we are at the high point of the cycle with sales and production volumes at capacity while prices remain affordable, particularly when compared to Sydney.” Mr Ciprian said developers competing for market share would ensure prices remained affordable for buyers but not to the extent it would impact developers’ profit margins. “It is a good market where there is something for everyone,” he said. Oliver Hume Victorian Research Manager George Bougias said the success of the new communities would be underpinned by Melbourne’s continued population growth and interstate migration, including robust overseas and interstate migration. “Interest in new land estates remains very robust with value and affordability being key drivers – especially given price growth in Melbourne’s inner and middle suburbs which has been especially strong in the current cycle,” he said.

Fraccing Alternative Set To Revolutionise Oil And Gas Industry

A new, environmentally-safe jetting technology will be rolled out across the Australian oil and gas industry over coming months after the completion of a merger between technology group Coal Bed Methane Innovations (a spin-off company of CRCMining) and Texas-based Zero Radius Laterals (ZRL). The new Australian-based company, V2H International, will be the world’s leading water jet technology company and plans to expand internationally through partnerships and licensing agreements with major oil and gas producers. The patented technology owned by V2H International has been under development for a number of years and has application on both surface and underground operations, as well as in the Coal Seam Gas (CSG) industry. More than $40 million to date has been spent developing the technology and in Australia, successful field trials have been completed by BHP and Peabody Energy. The technology replaces traditional drill heads with a high-pressure water system that can rapidly install extensive patterns of lateral radial boreholes into multiple coal seams from a vertical production well. The speed and steering capabilities means more gas can be drained from each well and all laterals are steered ‘in-seam’ to maximise drainage efficiency. For producers the technology has the capacity to dramatically lower capital and operational expenditure, increase well recoverability and lower environmental impacts. After successful trials and operational crew training in the United States in recent weeks the first V2H system arrived in Sydney in June and will be deployed by the company’s local subsidiary V2H Australia (v2h.com.au) in the coming weeks. V2H International CEO Darren Rice said the completion of the merger and the success of the testing program in the United States would allow the company to begin rolling out the technology on a commercial basis. “The technology has applications across a variety oil and gas drilling operations, but we see a particular opportunity to compete against and possibly replace hydraulic fracturing (fraccing) in the CSG industry because of its low environmental impacts,” he said. V2H Australia is also currently negotiating with a number of Australian oil and gas producers in Australia to deploy V2H as a workover technology on existing wells that have already been drilled to recover considerably more of the oil/gas that is in place. As a ‘green’ technology, no fluid or chemical additives need to be added for drilling using the V2H system, and the system can drill with recycled CSG water. V2H reduces the total number of wells required, with enhanced production due to multiple coal seams being accessible from a single vertical well. Surface spacing of wells can be increased, with reduced surface infrastructure. V2H is also an enabler in some geological locations where there is currently no economic means of recovery. Kevin Greenwood, COO of CRCMining said CRCMining had a long history of successfully commercialising cutting edge research into the mining industry. “The establishment of the world’s leading water jet technology company has only been made possible through the support of BHP Billiton and CRCMining’s member companies,” he said. “We’d like to formally recognise those past funding contributions in driving the technology to where it is today.” Mr Rice said the technology had the potential to revolutionise oil and gas markets around the world. “It’s been a two year journey since I originally identified the value opportunity in merging the complementary technologies of the two companies. We are all very pleased with the outcome and look forward to developing the business going forward,” he said. He said V2H aimed to use it superior environmental and technical benefits to re-energise the Australian oil and gas sector. “Due to a range of factors there have been no wells drilled in the Australian oil and gas industry this year; this puts the future cost of energy under intense pressure,” he said. “Where environmental or commercial issues are the concern, we think we have found the solution.”

Historic Broadway Hotel and Tower to Transform Woolloongabba Precinct

Woolloongabba’s historic Broadway Hotel will be redeveloped in a $260 million joint venture arrangement with the building’s owner and Brisbane developer Majella Property Developments. Under the proposed redevelopment the site will feature a 24-storey apartment tower featuring 280 one, two and three bedroom apartments. The development will also incorporate a three-level commercial and retail podium which will incorporate the heritage-listed hotel. The hotel on Logan Road at Woolloongabba was extensively damaged by fire in 2010. The hotel and land is owned by Brisbane doctor Malcolm Nyst. Majella Group founder Professor Frank Monsour said, “We’re delighted to be able to bring back the glory of the Broadway Hotel. “The hotel has always helped define the character of the precinct and we are keen to bring back the local markets and for the area to become vibrant again. The hotel will be a big part of this.

“It has always been the soul and an inviting gateway to the area which is why we’re retaining it. “Malcolm had been looking for a developer to join with who appreciates the heritage quality of the building.” Majella Property Developments will use some of the development profits from the apartment tower to restore the hotel which otherwise has been deemed to be economically unviable as a restoration project on its own due to the extensive damage suffered. Majella is basing its plans for the precinct on a laneways concept with the Broadway’s Gothic appeal influencing the style along with elements from New York. A Development Application is anticipated to be lodged with Brisbane City Council in August. When approved construction would expect to start in 2017 and be completed in 2019. The hotel which was completed in 1890 was designed by prominent architectural firm John Hall & Son. Majella Property Developments has completed its 91-apartment Radius Apartments development at O’Keefe Street in Woolloongabba and will soon start construction on Mountview Residences, featuring 15 stylish apartments over 12 levels at Spring Hill. woolloongabba

FIIG Securities’ Managed Portfolio Service For Bonds hits $100 million

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Australia’s first of its type managed portfolio service for bonds has now exceeded  $100 million in investments, with a range of individual, institutional and not-for-profits (NFPs) embracing the service for its high level of control, transparency and performance.

FIIG Securities launched the Managed Income Portfolio Service (MIPS) in mid 2015 as a way for investors to retain direct ownership of their bond portfolio and either receive fixed income or reinvest it while delegating the portfolio’s day-to-day management.

FIIG developed four different Investment Programs for MIPS, from which investors can select depending on their requirements for return and tolerance for risk, with the minimum investment starting at $250,000. Customised programs are available for larger investors ($5 million+). 

Performance has been a key driver of demand for MIPS with average performance, net of fees, for each of each program for the three months to end of May 2016, outlined below. 

 

Month ended May 31, 2016

Quarterly to May 31, 2016

Annualised (quarterly)

Conservative

Launched May 2016

Core Income

1.31%

.88%

3.54%

Income Plus

1.11%

1.48%

5.90%

Inflation Linked

0.88%

0.68%

2.72%

 

Since launching, more than over 50 investors with an average investment of around $1.75 million have utilised MIPS with total investments passing $100 million last week, with the most popular being the ‘Income Plus’ program.

FIIG Head of Institutional Markets John Cummins said the service provided clients with direct access to a well-diversified portfolio of direct bonds combined with professional management and oversight.

“Direct ownership of bonds has many advantages over buying them indirectly through a bond fund,” he said. “MIPS gives you all the benefits of beneficial ownership while delegating the day-to-day running of your portfolio to our fixed income experts.”

“Since launching we have experienced a steady inflow of investments with many investors increasing their programs once they fully understand the benefits,” he said. The success of the service over the last 12 months has gives us confidence there is a strong market for the MIPS and we will continue to grow well into the future.”

Under the MIPS offering investors simply set a mandate and FIIG’s portfolio management team manages the portfolio for them.

Investors through MIPS receive full professional investment management, retain beneficial ownership of their bonds, can choose to receive  or reinvest income,  and enjoy full transparency, with online access to details of their portfolio such as portfolio performance, valuations and transactions. (cont’d)        

FIIG Securities Limited, which is licensed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), is Australia’s largest specialist fixed-income dealer. FIIG now facilitates over $1 billion of corporate Bond transactions per month for individuals and corporate investors.

FIIG has more than $11 billion in term deposits and corporate bonds under advice in its short-term money market, bonds and custody business.  The company has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. For more information about FIIG Securities please visit www.fiig.com.au

ENDS: Media enquiries to Ben Ready on 0415 743 838.

Collect Cash Faster With IntegraPay and ezyCollect

payments_housing Collecting money with Xero is now faster and easier than ever with a new partnership between two of Australia’s most innovative software companies. Leading payments technology innovators IntegraPay has teamed up with cloud-based collections automation business ezyCollect to accelerate accounts receivables recovery for small businesses using the Xero accounting platform. Under the new partnership, businesses that have signed up for ezyCollect’s automated invoice reminder add-on can integrate with the IntegraPay add-on to make it easier for their customers to make payments using a range of different options including credit card, BPAY and bank debit. The combination of regular reminders and easy payment options offered by the new solution can have a dramatic impact on accounts receivable with some clients reducing overdue debt by more than 50% and reducing bad debts by more than 90%. IntegraPay Chief Executive Officer Chris Urry said the partnership brought together two solutions with a shared goal of helping clients to collect payments faster and more efficiently. “Collecting outstanding invoices is one of the biggest challenges for small and medium sized business,” he said. “By combining regular, automated reminders using ezyCollect and giving clients a range of payment options using IntegraPay, debtor days are smashed and cash flow become much easier for businesses.” “Individually, we have both been able to demonstrate the value of our systems… combining them together on the Xero platform will give businesses a great opportunity to get ahead of their receivables and improve their bottom line.” According to a study from Dun & Bradstreet, more than 90% of business fail due to poor cash flow. The leading cause is bad receivables management. ezyCollects software solves this problem by intelligently automating unproductive, manual and repetitive tasks done by accounting departments. This allows businesses to focus on the most important part of their business – growing sales and building customer relationships. The results speak for themselves, with most customers seeing a 50% reduction in overdue debts in under three months. ezyCollect CEO Arjun Singh said the partnership with IntegraPay brings together two unique platforms. “We both understand the importance of cashflow to business success and have developed solutions that unblock the payment pipeline at key points,” he said. “The combination of ezyCollect and IntegraPay has the potential to slash your overdue debtors in weeks.” The IntegraPay Xero add-on brings together a number of important features, including utilising all the most popular payment methods, and for the first time allows you to include BPAY as a payment option. IntegraPay allows customers to pay Xero one-off invoices or recurring payments using a range of other options including credit card, bank transfer or regular direct debit, straight from the invoice. Customers click on the Pay Now button on their invoice to be directed to a menu of payment options. From there they simply select the solution that works for them and make the payment. IntergaPay’s Xero payment solution automatically reconciles payments from the invoice in Xero to reduce manual data entry and administrative costs while removing the risk of reconciling a payment with the wrong invoice.

Rocky Mountains Tour & Alaska Cruise

Cruise1st has released a fantastic value 17-night fly, stay, tour and cruise holiday in Alaska and the Rocky Mountains from $4,299* per person twin share. Departing on May 20, 2017, travellers will fly to Calgary in Canada where they will spend a night in the ‘Heart of the New West’. The next day you will commence an eight-day coach tour of Western Canada & the Rocky Mountains. Highlights include Calgary, home of the famous annual stampede; Banff and beautiful Lake Louise; the dramatic scenery of Kamloops and Whistler before arriving into the coastal gem of Vancouver, where you will get to explore this picturesque city, known as the ‘jewel’ of North America’s Pacific Coast. On May 28, 2017, travellers will be transferred to the port to board Celebrity’s five-star rated ship Celebrity Infinity for a 7-night cruise of Alaska and the Inside Passage. Port stops include Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, Alaska’s capital Juneau, and the ‘Salmon Capital of the World’ Ketchikan before returning to Vancouver. See tranquil fishing villages; wildlife including brown bears, eagles, moose and humpback whales; dramatic glaciers, icebergs and spring wildflowers. alaska Luxurious and comfortable, Celebrity Infinity features Broadway-style shows at the Infinity theatre, while children of all ages can find various activities to enjoy plus numerous pools, whirlpools and much more. At night, sample one of Celebrity Infinity’s four cocktail bars and lounges, or take a chance in Fortunes Casino. Your return flight to Australia departs Vancouver 4th June, following the cruise. For more information call 1300 596 345 or visit www.cruise1st.com.au. *Subject to availability. Restrictions may apply. Prices are per person, twin share based on an inside stateroom. Prices and specified hotel subject to change at any time. Prices per person twin share, inside stateroom 

From Sydney From $4,299*
From Melbourne From $4,299*
From Brisbane From $4,349*
From Adelaide From $4,499*
From Canberra From $4,599*
From Perth From $4,899*

Four Easy Ways To Engage Media (Without Being Annoying)

Whether you’re an individual or company with a product or message, maintaining a relationship with media – either through yourself or through a public relations agency – is vital in shaping your message and sharing your story. There are endless ways to engage with earned media owners. Screen Shot 2016-06-28 at 10.51.47 AM It’s crucial to harness knowledge, professionalism, and to never be that pushy, 10-times-a-day-follow-up caller. Equally, it’s important to effectively craft your company communication in a way that’s valuable and meaningful for both your audience and the journalist. Below we share four (of many!) ways you can deliver information and connect with media. 1. The Opinion Piece Media outlets are increasingly happy to publish your content in its entirety if it contains content that’s valuable to an audience. Put aside all self-serving and advertising-esque writing, though, because that’s a sure fire way to land your pitch in the ‘junk’ folder.A value-packed, educational opinion piece can be a great way to get your name or product out there, particularly if it offers a differing or alternative perspective. 2. The Tip Off Just as Daily Planet’s mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent *always* seems to land breaking news on Superman, tipping off your best stories to the media provides them with an exclusive and gives you plenty of space to prepare your information in advance. Perry White would be proud! 3. The Backgrounder Making a journalist’s job easy with a simple backgrounder about who you are and what you do makes their job a million times easier. Who wouldn’t love that?Journalists are busy people. And just like Gordon Ramsay, they prefer everything handed to them on a plate, deconstructed, so they can serve it all out.. …Stay with me. The backgrounder serves the purpose of parsing out information for media. You don’t want to leave writers digging around for your story; you want to hand them all your information, complete, with the proverbial cocktail umbrella on the side, right? The backgrounder exists as a separate, discrete piece of information that you can distribute alongside other PR collateral. 4. The Media Release aka The Elder Wand of PR If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll know I’m kidding… There’s no way anything can be as powerful as the most powerful thing in the history of Wizardkind! GOSH.But seriously, the media release is definitely up there.This tool still remains by far the number one way for brands to communicate with media. It allows you to cleverly construct your key messages and deliver them in journalistic format. A smashing, well-timed, value-packed, efficient media release truly is half the job done.  

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Whether it’s media releases, media engagement or simply content you’re after… Please get in touch with us! Header image: 123rf.com/profile_alexpokusay’>alexpokusay

Is sourcing great content, without the hassle, possible?

content on demand Like many traditional public relations firms RG Communications has seen first hand the growth of content marketing from a small niche player in the marketing world to all-pervasive monster. We have also seen first hand how companies have sometimes struggled to deal with the large volume of content required to feed the beast. Content can get complex, painful and expensive very quickly; particularly in a small team where resources are scarce and priorities numerous. We wanted to find a way to ease the pain for marketers who know what they want and when they want it. We wanted to be able to provide content on demand. Over time we developed the idea for a portal that provided organisations with the ability to refine their content ideas and out-source the hard yakka to professional writers, giving them the chance to focus on more important things. We call it ‘short order’ content, and naturally, we called the site Content on Demand.

 

Briefing is the key

As part of the planning process we quickly realised that to make developing one-off content pieces cost effective you need a briefing system that provides writers with a clear, unambiguous brief about the project. Understanding the purpose and style of your content from the outset is the easiest way to streamline the content production process.

Much of the frustration with content production comes from the endless iterations that are a direct result of having limited consensus among stakeholders about the purpose of the piece.

That is why Content on Demand is underpinned by an intuitive briefing system we’ve called EziBrief. EziBrief allows customers to order a range of different content types by completing a simple briefing form. The brief is then assessed by one of our in-house editors and assigned to either an in-house writer or external subject matter expert. Think of it as your inspiration, and our perspiration. You develop the idea and we bring it to fruition. A range of standard content pieces are available to be ordered through the site, including media releases, feature articles, advertorial/editorial, testimonials, white papers, blogs and case studies. Each project is priced based on the quality of the brief and the expertise required to produce the content.

What we believe

In developing Content on Demand we were cognisant of the fact that there are already numerous marketplaces available that provide a link between brands and the masses of freelance writers. Our vision was a bit different and we based our business on four founding principles: Quality content, requires quality writers We believe the skills required to produce high quality content that engages customers takes many years to develop and expert practitioners are hard to find; and extremely valuable. Technology has an important role to play We believe traditional methods of sourcing content can be improved by utilising technology to streamline the process, making it more efficient and affordable. Great briefs = great content We believe that by streamlining the content briefing process while maintaining high standards we can help business maximise the opportunity of content marketing. Speed is of the essence We believe good content producers should be able to quickly understand your business and content needs quickly and deliver high quality content in a timely and cost effective manner.  

A bit about us

Content on Demand was designed and built by RG Communication’s in-house digital design business Villain Designs using WordPress and Gravity Forms. RG Communications was established in 2014 by Ben Ready and Brenton Gibbs and services a range of clients across the tourism, travel and property industries. Clients include AirAsiaX, Aquis Australia, Oliver Hume, Daydream Island, Devine Limited, FIIG Securities and Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ).