‘We got things wrong’: Lowe defends his legacy

Outgoing Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has defended his legacy in his final speech in the top job, insisting he is not to blame for Australia’s soaring home prices.

Dr Lowe’s final few years at the RBA have been characterised by rapidly rising interest rates, made harder for borrowers to swallow by his earlier forecasts that an upward shift would not commence until 2024.

The cash rate began rising in May last year and is now a staggering 4 percent higher following a record run of hikes, the swiftest since the 1980s, but Dr Lowe is unrepentant.

“The issue that has defined my term more than any other is the forward guidance about interest rates that was provided during the pandemic,” he said in an address on Thursday.

“That guidance was widely interpreted as a commitment, rather than a conditional statement, that interest rates would not increase until 2024.”

Red hot inflation offered the RBA no other choice than to begin a dramatic tightening cycle. He repeated his belief that his assurance of rates remaining on hold was never a firm one.

“There has been much criticism since [rates increased], especially by those who borrowed during the pandemic based on our guidance,” he said.

“I ask that people keep in mind the circumstances we faced in 2020. It was a very scary time. There were credible projections that the unemployment rate would rise to 15 percent and that there would be a deep and lasting economic contraction.
“And even well into 2021, large parts of country were still in stringent lockdowns.”

However, Dr Lowe conceded that “with the benefit of hindsight”, he now believes the RBA “did do too much” in terms of implementing emergency measures in the early stages of COVID.

“But hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he said. “We got some things right, but we got other things wrong.”

He rejects the view that keeping rates at a record low of 0.1 per cent for so long is responsible for home prices rising at one of the fastest paces in history during 2021.

“Rather, it is the outcome of the choices we have made as a society – choices about where we live, how we design our cities and zone and regulate urban land, how we invest in and design transport systems, and how we tax land and housing investment.”

One big thing Dr Lowe does not regret is increasing the cash rate in a bid to get a handle on inflation, acknowledging the move as “unpopular” with much of the public but declaring it “the right thing to do”.

He took a final parting shot at the media, which he claimed had inflamed tensions with “clickbait” news about rates, fuelling “vitriol [and] personal attacks”.

Dr Lowe has spent 43 years at the RBA and the past seven as governor. He officially steps away next week, replaced by current deputy governor Michele Bullock.

Economists forecast her first change to rates will be some time in 2024 – and will likely be a reduction, based on current fiscal indicators.

One of Burleigh Heads’ most architecturally significant penthouses has hit the market for the first time since its completion five years ago.

The listing provides the first real look inside the two-level penthouse crowning Norfolk, Forme’s award-winning Goodwin Terrace development which was completed in 2021.

The penthouse sold off the plan for $5.35 million around 18 months before construction was completed and has remained tightly held ever since, meaning its resale offers the first insight inside one of Burleigh’s most architecturally impressive apartment buildings.

The four-bedroom residence spans approximately 461 sqm, comprising 276 sqm of internal living and a further 185 sqm of outdoor space across its two levels.

Its position on Goodwin Terrace gives the penthouse one of the Gold Coast’s comparatively rare true north-to-water aspects, with views stretching from Burleigh Headland along the coastline towards the towers of Surfers Paradise. Floor-to-ceiling glazing has been used extensively throughout the residence, framing the ocean outlook from almost every principal living space.

Forme, led by Managing Director David Calvisi, acquired the prime 1,012 sqm site, formerly home to The Fish House restaurant, before developing Norfolk as the first new multi-residential project delivered on Goodwin Terrace in around three decades.

The strength of the location was clear. The more unusual proposition was the building itself.

Forme appointed Koichi Takada Architects to design the 10-level development, marking the practice’s first Gold Coast building. Rather than treating Norfolk’s beachfront setting as a backdrop, Takada used the Norfolk Island pines along the foreshore as the basis for the architecture.

Curved balcony slabs and horizontal battens create the building’s distinctive layered exterior. Sliding timber screens can be repositioned for privacy, shade and protection from the coastal conditions, continuously changing the appearance of the façade.

Takada has compared the concept to the structure of a pinecone, whose overlapping layers open and close according to environmental conditions. In an earlier account of the project, the architect said the objective was to celebrate the site and create a stronger connection between the residences and the elements outside.

The response helped turn Norfolk into an architectural marker for Burleigh’s transformation.

Norfolk comprises 12 half-floor apartments, two dual-level penthouses and one two-level beach house. MIM Design created the interiors, Hutchinson Builders undertook construction and Plus Architecture supplied documentation services for the builder.

Inside Residence 901, MIM Design’s restrained palette brings together timber, natural stone and tailored joinery without competing with the outlook. Travertine surfaces have subsequently received paint-protection film, while the home is being offered with a custom furniture package.

A private lift opens directly into the main living level. Living, dining and media spaces are arranged along the view, accompanied by a concealed bar and a broad north-eastern terrace.

The kitchen has an oversized stone island, European appliances and bespoke cabinetry, supported by a butler’s pantry and separate scullery. An integrated RTI system controls lighting, climate, fans, security, entertainment and audio using in-home touchscreens or a smartphone application.

The principal suite occupies a private wing with ocean views, a dressing room and ensuite. Two additional bedrooms have their own ensuites, while a fourth bedroom can operate as an executive study. A concealed Murphy bed allows that room to accommodate guests when required.

The rooftop is what moves the residence beyond even a generously proportioned beachfront apartment.

Reserved exclusively for the penthouse, it contains a heated lap pool, landscaped gardens, several entertaining areas and an alfresco kitchen with a built-in barbecue. An integrated outdoor cinema allows the rooftop to function as an open-air screening room above the Pacific.

Four side-by-side secure car spaces, dedicated electric-vehicle charging and private storage address practical constraints often encountered by prestige-apartment buyers. The parking allocation is particularly relevant for owners moving from a large house or maintaining a car collection.

Norfolk’s wider amenities include a beach-club-style residents’ area, swimming pool, gymnasium and sauna. Burleigh Beach is directly opposite, while James Street, Burleigh Head National Park and restaurants including Rick Shores and The Tropic are within walking distance.

The building’s reputation has also moved well beyond its beachfront address. Norfolk received both jury and popular-choice honours in the mid-rise multi-unit housing category at the 2022 Architizer A+Awards. It won a Queensland Australian Institute of Architects award for multiple housing and was named the 2022 Medium-Density Residential Development of the Year by The Urban Developer. Further recognition came from the Master Builders awards and Architecture MasterPrize.

Calvisi later said the aim with Norfolk was to produce something the Gold Coast had not previously seen.

The penthouse is being marketed through expressions of interest by Dean Pegoraro of Whitefox Gold Coast.

‘We got things wrong’: Lowe defends his legacy

The RBA governor is due to step down on September 17

A two-level penthouse atop Burleigh Heads’ award-winning Norfolk development has hit the market for the first time, offering sweeping ocean views and a private rooftop pool.