A Singapore-based developer has been accused of giving Sydneysiders “a two-fingered salute” after builders on one of their sites smashed down a heritage facade with sledgehammers while working on a new tower block. Instead of preserving the 1912 Edwardian facade as they’d pledged, they left only two spindly thin separate features of the frontage of…
Category: Australian Heritage
Australian owned Weis company sold to international giant Unilever.
WEIS, one of Queensland’s most beloved ice cream companies has been bought up by international giant Unilever. Weis, which began its life when Les Weis started selling his iconic Fruito Bar in 1957, operates from a factory in Toowoomba.Unilever, who already own Streets ice cream, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to…
Australia Post confirms sale of historic Sydney GPO to Singaporean billionaires
Australia Post has confirmed the sale of one of Australia's most significant heritage buildings, the Sydney GPO, to two Singaporean billionaires, despite an outcry over heritage concerns and a secretive sales process. The sale stands as one of the last acts of outgoing Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour who leaves the organisation on Friday, delivering…
Plans to privatise Lindeman Island National Park land, Chinese developers to build accommodation exclusive for wealthy tourist
NEARLY 37 hectares of Lindeman Island National Park will be privatised if the recommendations of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released this afternoon are approved. The EIS details plans to privatise Lindeman Island National Park and place it in the hands of Chinese company, Whitehorse Developments, which will create exclusive accommodation for wealthy tourists. The…
Melbourne heritage building bought for a record $25 million by mystery Singapore developer
One of Melbourne city centre’s most beautiful – and most troubled – heritage buildings has been bought for a record $25 million by a mystery Singapore developer. It’s the third time the Equity Chambers building has sold in five years, with previous plans to turn it into apartments – with retail and commercial space –…
Whyalla steelmaker Arrium to be sold to British company Liberty House
South Australian steelmaking business Arrium is to be sold to a British company and not the Korean consortium identified as the preferred bidder, the state’s Premier Jay Weatherill has confirmed. The business will be sold to Liberty House which is part of London-based GFG Alliance, with all Whyalla steelworkers expected to keep their jobs. “The…
Chinese billionaire buys Sydney’s Exchange Centre
One of China’s largest toy manufacturers, Chinese – Hong Kong billionaire Francis Choi, has emerged as the likely buyer of the Exchange Centre in Bridge St, Sydney. The near $340 million deal has sent shockwaves through the office market in Australia. The Guangdong Province native is a self-made billionaire who opened his first factory in…
Chinese buy iconic Windsor retail strip plans 110 apartments and 205 car park spaces
AN ICONIC retail strip in the heart of Windsor has been purchased by a Chinese investor for $9.5m with plans to transform the site into 110 apartments with 205 car parking spaces, subject to Council approval. The property, which has three street frontages and fronts onto the mall, currently has 12 leased stores including the…
Super funds call for register of foreign owned farms
Industry superannuation funds have called for tougher foreign investment rules around Australian agriculture as they seek to ramp up their investment in the sector. Industry Super Australia, which represents not-for-profit industry funds, said quality Australian farming assets were being cherry-picked by foreign investors. Chief economist Stephen Anthony has called for a government register of foreign…
Chinese developer pays $36.2m for Morning Star Estate, Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula.
A CHINESE developer has splashed more than $30 million on one of the largest individual land holdings on the Mornington Peninsula. The 63ha Morning Star Estate in Mt Eliza was sold by CBRE for $36.2 million when it changed hands late last week. The agency declined to comment on the sale. The estate featured in…
Elders sells live export business to Chinese & Australian owned entity
THE managers of Elders’ live export business, North Australian Cattle Company, have joined forces with Chinese outfit Zhoushan Fanda Australian Cattle Industrial to purchase the operation. Elders said an Australian & Chinese owned entity, Zhoushan Fanda Australia Cattle Co, or Fanda, and the current managers of NACC will be the new owners of the livestock…
Chinese investment in real estate grows to $32b: FIRB
Chinese investors topped the list of foreign investment approvals for the financial 2016, and have pledged to invest $47.3 billion in Australia, mainly in real estate, the latest Foreign Investment Review Board annual report shows. The figure is similar to the previous year when $46.6 billion in approvals was awarded to Chinese investors. Of China’s…
