oneperth.com.au | Perth news

CHRIS THOMSON

Property tax across Western Australia plummeted 9.6 per cent last financial year despite a big leap across the nation as a whole.

RP Data figures released today show that, across Australia, state and local coffers were supercharged with $33.286 billion in property tax in 2010-11.

The national property tax bill was up from $31.831 billion the previous year, a 4.6 per cent hike.

RP Data researcher Cameron Kusher said the national tax spike flew in the face of a nationwide property downturn – with the value of house and land transactions falling 17 per cent in 2010-11.

Capital city home values fell 1.4 per cent and transaction volumes for homes were 20 per cent lower than in 2009-10.

“Most people will be shocked to read that a whopping $33 billion from property-related taxes was added to local and state government coffers over the period 2010-2011, despite a deterioration in property market conditions,” Mr Kusher said.

However, in Western Australia, total property tax collected dropped by 9.6 per cent.

Tasmania (-1.9 per cent) and the Northern Territory (-9.6 per cent) were the only other jurisdictions to be let off the property tax hook.

Across Australia, stamp duty on conveyances raised a whopping $12.33 billion for state governments. However, in WA conveyances plummeted 29.4 per cent over the financial year to $1.14 billion.

Nationally, land tax accounted for 18 per cent of all property tax revenue. In WA, the land tax take decreased by 0.6 per cent to $516 million.

Government borrowing guarantee levies – which accounted for two per cent of the national take – dropped in WA by 17.9 per cent to 23 million.

STAFF REPORTER

Almost $50 million dollars of unclaimed cash is going begging at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, waiting for Western Australians to pick it up.

Across WA, 64,164 parcels of unclaimed money totalling $49,260,726 is languishing at ASIC from such sources as missed dividends and interest cheques and life insurance payouts.

The figure is up 9 per cent on last year and the average amount is $768.

In Perth, a single amount of $785,000 is waiting to be claimed.

Nationally, the pool of unclaimed money has risen to a record $636 million – which is more than $28 million more than in 2010.

ASIC spokeswoman Delia Rickard said the average parcel of money nationally was $652 and there were some “huge” amounts waiting to be claimed.

“There is more money in the unclaimed money pool than ever before, so even if you’ve already searched, you should look again,” Ms Rickard said.

You can search for yourself and for family and friends by hitting www.moneysmart.gov.au.

Photo: Martin Kingsley, Wikimedia Commons.

STAFF REPORTER

A scam email purportedly from the chairman of ‘Chevron Oil Company’ in South Africa has hit Perth with an offer too good to be true.

The WA Department of Commerce has revealed it detected the email after Minister for Commerce Simon O’Brien received a copy in his inbox.

The email includes a business proposal that urges the recipient to acquire 10 percent of $US 22.5 million if they are willing to manage an investment project.

The email also asks for suggestions for other investment projects.

Interested people are asked to send their details to a “Fred Chambers” in the “legal department”.

The email is signed “Anthony Bongani – Chairman” with a Cape Town address and phone number.

The address is the real one but the phone number is a South African mobile number known to be associated with advance fee frauds or Nigerian scams.

The Department of Commerce says email addresses listed are also bogus and emails sent will almost certainly be directed to the fraudsters and not to Chevron.

Once contact has been made, it is likely that recipients will be asked to send a fee by wire to release the promised money to their bank accounts.

The department says there are no funds and victims’ money will be lost.

There is also a risk that details given to the scammers could be used in identity fraud.

Chevron Australia’s headquarters is at the QV1 building on St Georges Terrace. The company is in no way responsible for the scam.

STAFF REPORTER

A large quantity of old-school paper money has been pinched from a business premises in Wembley.

Police spokesman Gerry Cassidy said the theft occurred between 4.00pm on Thursday August 25 and 11.00am on Tuesday August 30.

The notes range from one to 100 dollars and are still legal tender.

Anyone with relevant information about the retro cash heist should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

CHRIS THOMSON

City of Perth ratepayers are likely to cough up an extra $695,000 this financial year to accommodate demands of council officials who have rejected pay rises higher than those negotiated by their state government counterparts.

In June, city councillors approved an offer that would have seen officials receive a 5 per cent increase this year and four percent in each of 2012 and 2013.

That offer would have eclipsed the recent 3.75 per cent/4.00 per cent/4.25 per cent pay rise recently approved for state government officials for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

However, the council bureaucrats narrowly rejected the offer 175 votes to 167 votes.

Now, council management has caved and come back with a 5 per cent offer for each of 2011, 2012 and 2013.

All up, the agreement will cost ratepayers well in excess of $4.2 million. In this financial year alone, the extra cash demanded will cost $695,000 more than the originally planned pay rise.

The only things standing between the bureaucrats and the extra money are a second vote of the city’s councillors tonight, a second vote of fatcats, and the rubber stamp of Fair Work Australia.

In return for the cash, some officials – such as car park attendants – will have to make themselves available to be rostered any day of the week.

A report before the council contends the 12.7 sqkm City of Perth is the “premier local government in Western Australia” and needs the pay hike to attract and retain staff.

The recommended agreement covers the salaries and conditions of 480 officials employed in administrative, professional and technical roles. Council management has been locked in negotiations with staff for more than eight months.

CHRIS THOMSON

AUGUST 3 UPDATE:

City of Perth planners have recommended a chain store chocolate shop be given a $40,000 handout to open its latest outlet onto the Northbridge Piazza.

Last month, oneperth.com.au revealed the City of Perth had dangled a cash carrot in front of Subiaco-based FWC Pty Ltd which trades as San Churro.

A council briefing paper reveals just how much the incentive is likely to cost ratepayers.

Initial blueprints had the shop opening out to James Street, not to the piazza as City of Perth planners would have liked.

However, FWC agreed to play ball after planners floated the prospect of a ‘business development grant’.

Last night, a council committee endorsed the planners’ recommendation that the $40,000 grant be approved. The recommendation will now go to the full council for approval.

Although judged against criteria of the council’s Matched Funding Business Grants Scheme – which has closed for the year and has a maximum grant value of just $20,000 – the planned grant is ad hoc and not part of that program.

San Churro outlets are not rare – having popped up recently in Fremantle, Hillarys, Leederville, Rockingham and Subiaco.

Once the Northbridge shop is complete, chocolate fiends will be able to peer southwest from the al fresco area to the Dome chain cafe on James Street.

After some San Churro Facebook intervention, voters in the following onepoll conducted last month overwhelmingly supported the chain’s foray into the piazza.

The planners contend FWC will spend $107,000 of its $700,000 project cost on opening the shop to the piazza. They say the benefit of the grant for the piazza and the public is much greater than the benefit to FWC.

Construction on the 100-seat chocolateria is now underway. FWC plans to apply for a council licence to place an extra 30 seats on the piazza itself.

STAFF REPORTER

Gas prices wIll rise by 10 per cent on August 1.

Premier Colin Barnett revealed the price hike today, saying it would increase the average household gas bill by $1 a week.

Mr Barnett said the 10 per cent increase was much lower than the Office of Energy’s recommended cumulative increase of 30.2 per cent by January 1, 2012.

He said the recommended 30.2 per cent increase was too high and would place too much pressure on families.

Mr Barnett said the inflated price was due to higher prices for wholesale gas and for gas delivery to households and businesses through the gas distribution network, as independently determined by the Economic Regulation Authority.

He said the government – as regulator of the privately-run gas industry – entered negotiations with Alinta to ensure the absolute minimum increase was passed on to households.

“The government will continue providing assistance to those [people] who most need it through a range of measures, including increases to the hardship utilities grants scheme, the state energy rebate, the seniors’ cost of living rebate, and increased eligibility for the seniors’ card,” Mr Barnett said.

CHRIS THOMSON

City of Perth bureaucrats are in line for a five per cent pay hike – higher than that received by their colleagues at other councils and in the state government.

The 5.0 per cent increase endorsed by council management for 2011 would also outpace the 3.3 per cent Consumer Price Index figure for the 12 months to March.

The recommended 2011 hike outstrips pay growth for state government officials who received an extra 3.75 per cent in April.

The proposed City of Perth salaried officers agreement 2011 would also see ratepayers fund 4.0 per cent pay rises in 2012 and 2013.

All up, the agreement would cost ratepayers $4,192,100.

The only things standing between the bureaucrats and the extra money is a vote of the city’s nine elected officials on Tuesday night, and the rubber stamp of Fair Work Australia.

In return for the cash, some officials – such as car park attendants – will have to make themselves available to be rostered any day of the week.

The 5.0 per cent pay rise outstrips every one of the 12 other local governments the report uses for comparison.

For 2011, the compared agreements range from the City of Cockburn enterprise agreement rise of 4.5 per cent down to City of Subiaco enterprise (field staff) agreement of 2.5 per cent.

A report before the council claims the 12.7 sqkm City of Perth is the “premier local government in Western Australia” and needs to implement the pay rise to attract and retain high calibre staff.

The recommended agreement covers the salaries and conditions of 480 officials employed in administrative, professional and technical functions.

Council management has been locked in negotiations with employees for the past six months.

STAFF REPORTER

A Perth financial advisor has received a life ban from the profession after he misled and deceived to the tune of $1.5 million.

Todd Michael King, 41, was an authorised representative of Australian Stockbroking and Advisory Services Limited between May 2006 and September 2008.

Between March 2006 and July 2009 he was also a director of Stripe Capital Pty Ltd, which was a corporate authorised representative of ASANDAS.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has found Mr King engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by placing a scanned copy of a client’s signature onto a document which made possible the unauthorised transfer of 40,000 client shares with a value of $1.5 million.

ASIC also found that Mr King had transferred funds from a client’s account for his own use in breach of an agreement with another client not to do so.

Mr King also accepted an appointment as a director of a client’s company and undertook unauthorised discretionary trading on a client’s account.

ASIC found Mr King operated managed discretionary accounts in contravention of ASANDAS’ Australian financial services licence and in contravention of the Corporations Act.

Mr King has the right to have the Administrative Appeals Tribunal review ASIC’s decision.

Photo: Martin Kingsley, Wikimedia Commons.

CHRIS THOMSON

WA’s priciest housing block will tomorrow night host a chandelier-lit party thrown in a massive marquee by heirs to the Multiplex and Mrs Mac’s fortunes.

The big white tent covers much of the vacant 3345 sqm Mosman Park plot owned by Mrs Mac’s pies heir Robert Macgregor and his wife Denby, the daughter of late Multiplex founder John Roberts.

The wealthy two have reportedly spent $30 million buying and consolidating five Swanside blocks at the corner of Johnson Parade and Hill Terrace.

The couple recently renovated an existing mansion on the back block. They now plan to erect a second, two-storey mansion on the vacant four front blocks.

But before they do, the Macgregors are quietly planning an opulent soiree.

On the carpeted floor of the marquee yesterday lay a row of nine illuminated chandeliers ready to be hoisted to the ceiling.

Among the dozen work vehicles parked at the site was the van of a sound, stage and lighting hire company.

A verdant stretch of lawn was being rolled out along the block’s Johnson Parade frontage which offers views across the river to the city skyline and Perth hills.

The site’s building manager Jon McComish refused to divulge details of the party.

However, two sets of neighbours said that a note (pictured) had been dropped in their mail boxes advising that a function would be held between 6.30PM and midnight on Saturday.

The front superblock is under heavy CCTV surveillance. Fifteen minutes after oneperth.com.au spoke to Mr McComish, a security guard arrived to patrol the site.

From the block through a cyclone fence, a woman said a party would be thrown to celebrate the birthday of Roberts family matriarch Angela, the ex wife of the late John.

A site worker confirmed the woman’s advice. He said the new lawn – which was being heavily irrigated – would be ripped up after the party.

Attempts to seek confirmation from the Macgregors proved unsuccessful.

Mr McComish did reveal that the main marquee had nothing to do with the mooted mansion.

He said all necessary approvals had been gained for the gigantic tent. Town of Mosman Park CEO Shane Cable was contacted yesterday to confirm this but is yet to respond.