In this edition of Writs and Cures the team take a look at how to free up what some say are a vast number of unoccupied houses and apartments in Melbourne to help those finding it difficult to rent a property at an affordable price. Did you know we have an absentee owner surcharge in Victoria and a Commonwealth tax on foreign absentee owners? On 1 January, Victoria introduced another tax: a vacant residential land tax. It’s another attempt to free up residential accommodation in Melbourne, but is it having the desired effect?
Plus meet Professor Cheryl Jones, one of Melbourne’s leading infectious diseases paediatricians and the recently appointed executive director of the Melbourne Academic Health Centre. Academic Health Centres are a new initiative in Australia that aims to bring together scientists, clinicians and patients to improve all aspects of health care. They are a collaboration between hospitals, research centres and universities. The Melbourne Academic Health Centre has eighteen partners, and Cheryl explains how they can improve all aspects of health care, from discovering new treatments to changing the way we, as individuals, approach our health.
http://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/evenings/writs-and-cures/9500556