Universities may regret their spate of ‘city deals’

A capital funding squeeze led universities to seek new ways of developing their campuses. It now appears city CBDs and developers might do better out of those deals than universities.

The NSW building certification bill lets developers off the hook

Most buyers would happily pay a bit more for a safe and durable product, but new legislation in NSW will do little to protect them.

Rewrite the building code to restore apartment buyer confidence

Governments and regulators assume compliance with building regulations will restore public confidence, but complying with the National Construction Code won’t fix many common defects.

Why regional universities are at risk of going under

Many university buildings date from the 1960s and 1970s and the government isn’t providing funds to maintain them. While capital city universities can use income from foreign students to maintain their buildings, their regional cousins are struggling.