Canberra Now: News in 90 seconds for April 13, 2018

Good morning Canberra,

Congratulations on making it to Friday! We're looking at another hot day with a forecast maximum of 29 degrees and a possible storm. What a dramatic way to end the working week. And on this endless summer:

Lawson couple calls for change

Amit and Reena Ghildyal feel that the ACT is failing to provide an effective mechanism to resolve disputes around construction.
Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong

A frustrated Lawson couple has called for a radical overhaul of the process to resolve building disputes after their neighbour's renovations allegedly made their deck unsafe.

Amit and Reena Ghildyal, who moved from Melbourne to Canberra in 2010, have tried every avenue available to resolve the dispute, including going to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), but had so far come-up empty handed, they said.

Steve Trask reports that in the past nine months alone the ACT government has received an average of 20 complaints each week regarding building and planning problems in the territory.

Government proposes tax on vacant units

Chief Minister Andrew Barr yesterday introduced a bill that could extend land tax to as many 2500 vacant rental properties in Canberra and add a seven per cent surcharge on the tax charged to at least 189 ACT properties owned by foreign investors.

The change is expected to help send Treasury's land tax revenue up an estimated 45 per cent over the five years to 2020-21 and follow Mr Barr raising the fixed land tax rate by $100 and changing the way land tax was calculated on units.

The bill forms part of the government's wider tax reform agenda, as Mr Barr's government slowly abolishes stamp duty over 20 years, in favour of increasing and widening the land tax and rates base.

Daniel Burdon has more here.

Curtin plan scaled back

Yvonne Scales visits the Curtin shops frequently and is worried about the future of the precinct.
Photo: Dion Georgopoulos

Curtin residents are celebrating after the government pitched a scaled-back masterplan for the suburb that would allow only one-storey buildings in the central courtyard of the main shops.

While building heights will range from one to six storeys across the group centre, a general two storey limit has been proposed for the broader core retail area, with an allowance for new development up to 18 metres or five storeys if key planning principles are met.

It's been a long-running issue in the southside. Katie Burgess has more.

Something fishy at Kambah Pool

Carp have their mouths open as they swim in a small lake in a park in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, May 15, 2017. AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Photo: MICHAEL PROBST

Canberra ecologists are stunning carp at the Kambah Pools with shocking results.

This week, as part of the National Carp Control Plan, ACT government scientists have been stunning and tagging carp in the Murrumbidgee River to get an idea of their population size.

The team is hoping to figure out how many of the pesky pests are in the area. Steven Trask has the scoop.

Stuart's 'ruthless' edge

Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
Photo: Jamila Toderas

Canberra Raiders prop Shannon Boyd says the hardest month of his career could have been a blessing in disguise because it has unearthed a "ruthless" edge to coach Ricky Stuart.

Stuart promised to bring back "the old Ricky Stuart" and be tougher to get the best out of his players after they slipped out of premiership contention last year.

"The approach Stick took [last] week is what we needed. He was ruthless, he just put everyone in their place and showed everyone exactly what they had to do," Boyd said.

Read Caden Helmers's story here.

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