array(1) { [0]=> &object(stdClass)#6262 (52) { ["id"]=> string(5) "17060" ["title"]=> string(120) "Do lockdowns boost property prices? Are short-sellers levelling the playing field? Did you lodge your tax returns early?" ["alias"]=> string(117) "do-lockdowns-boost-property-prices-are-short-sellers-levelling-the-playing-field-did-you-lodge-your-tax-returns-early" ["introtext"]=> string(196) "

On this episode of The nestegg Podcast, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and three experts discuss the ups and downs of online auctions, the power of activist short-sellers, and tax time 2021.

" ["fulltext"]=> string(1111) "

Steve Waters, director of Right Property Group, chats about online auctions and why they resemble “a bad Zoom meeting”, the growing resilience of the property market, and how Sydney’s lengthy lockdown could shake things up.

RMIT’s senior lecturer of finance, Dr Angel Zhong, delves into short selling – the original trade that sent GameStop stock soaring – and how activist short-sellers are impacting markets.

And lastly, tax and super guru Timothy Munro talks about those early tax lodgers and possible ramifications, as well as detailing the temporary shortcut method, which you may be able to use this tax time.

Have a question for our experts? Get in touch at [email protected] and you might get featured on the next episode.

" ["checked_out"]=> string(1) "0" ["checked_out_time"]=> string(19) "0000-00-00 00:00:00" ["catid"]=> string(3) "302" ["created"]=> string(19) "2021-07-13 05:06:29" ["created_by"]=> string(4) "2404" ["created_by_alias"]=> string(0) "" ["state"]=> string(1) "1" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2021-07-13 07:59:56" ["modified_by"]=> string(4) "2404" ["modified_by_name"]=> string(12) "Robyn Tongol" ["publish_up"]=> string(19) "2021-07-13 07:55:25" ["publish_down"]=> string(19) "0000-00-00 00:00:00" ["images"]=> string(240) "{"image_intro":"images\/podcasts\/230221_Angel_Zhong_Steve_Waters_Timothy_Munro.jpg","float_intro":"","image_intro_alt":"","image_intro_caption":"","image_fulltext":"","float_fulltext":"","image_fulltext_alt":"","image_fulltext_caption":""}" ["urls"]=> string(121) "{"urla":false,"urlatext":"","targeta":"","urlb":false,"urlbtext":"","targetb":"","urlc":false,"urlctext":"","targetc":""}" ["attribs"]=> string(855) "{"article_layout":"","show_title":"","link_titles":"","show_tags":"","show_intro":"","info_block_position":"","info_block_show_title":"","show_category":"","link_category":"","show_parent_category":"","link_parent_category":"","show_associations":"","show_author":"","link_author":"","show_create_date":"","show_modify_date":"","show_publish_date":"","show_item_navigation":"","show_icons":"","show_print_icon":"","show_email_icon":"","show_vote":"","show_hits":"","show_noauth":"","urls_position":"","alternative_readmore":"","article_page_title":"","video_url":"","channel_id":"UCLBR-2LtTtui_WiRuEfW3qA","send":"0","test":"0","comments":"1","readingDiff":"3","schema_active":"0","schema_name":"","schema_description":"","schema_thumbnailUrl":"","schema_uploadDate":"","schema_duration":"","schema_contentUrl":"","schema_embedUrl":"","canonical_link":""}" ["metadata"]=> string(68) "{"robots":"","author":"","rights":"","xreference":"","metatitle":""}" ["metakey"]=> string(105) "lockdowns, boost, property, prices, short, sellers, levelling, playing, field, lodge, tax, returns, early" ["metadesc"]=> string(200) "On this episode of The nestegg Podcast, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic and three experts discuss the ups and downs of online auctions, the power of activist short-sellers, and tax time 2021. Steve W" ["access"]=> string(1) "1" ["hits"]=> string(3) "139" ["xreference"]=> string(0) "" ["featured"]=> string(1) "0" ["language"]=> string(1) "*" ["readmore"]=> string(4) "1111" ["ordering"]=> string(1) "0" ["category_title"]=> string(7) "Podcast" ["category_route"]=> string(17) "resources/podcast" ["category_access"]=> string(1) "1" ["category_alias"]=> string(7) "podcast" ["published"]=> string(1) "1" ["parents_published"]=> string(1) "1" ["lft"]=> string(2) "82" ["author"]=> string(12) "Robyn Tongol" ["author_email"]=> string(33) "[email protected]" ["parent_title"]=> string(9) "Resources" ["parent_id"]=> string(3) "300" ["parent_route"]=> string(9) "resources" ["parent_alias"]=> string(9) "resources" ["alternative_readmore"]=> NULL ["layout"]=> NULL ["params"]=> object(Joomla\Registry\Registry)#6355 (3) { ["data":protected]=> object(stdClass)#6143 (95) { ["article_layout"]=> string(14) "momentum:newne" ["show_title"]=> string(1) "1" ["link_titles"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_intro"]=> string(1) "0" ["info_block_position"]=> string(1) "0" ["info_block_show_title"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_category"]=> string(1) "1" ["link_category"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_parent_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["link_parent_category"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_associations"]=> string(1) "0" ["flags"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_author"]=> string(1) "1" ["link_author"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_create_date"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_modify_date"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_publish_date"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_item_navigation"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_vote"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_readmore"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_readmore_title"]=> string(1) "1" ["readmore_limit"]=> string(3) "100" ["show_tags"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_icons"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_print_icon"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_email_icon"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_hits"]=> string(1) "1" ["record_hits"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_noauth"]=> string(1) "0" ["urls_position"]=> string(1) "0" ["captcha"]=> string(0) "" ["show_publishing_options"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_article_options"]=> string(1) "1" ["save_history"]=> string(1) "1" ["history_limit"]=> int(10) ["show_urls_images_frontend"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_urls_images_backend"]=> string(1) "1" ["targeta"]=> int(0) ["targetb"]=> int(0) ["targetc"]=> int(0) ["float_intro"]=> string(4) "left" ["float_fulltext"]=> string(5) "right" ["category_layout"]=> string(14) "momentum:newne" ["show_category_heading_title_text"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_category_title"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_description"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_description_image"]=> string(1) "0" ["maxLevel"]=> string(2) "-1" ["show_empty_categories"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_no_articles"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_subcat_desc"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_cat_num_articles"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_cat_tags"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_base_description"]=> string(1) "1" ["maxLevelcat"]=> string(2) "-1" ["show_empty_categories_cat"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_subcat_desc_cat"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_cat_num_articles_cat"]=> string(1) "1" ["num_leading_articles"]=> string(2) "14" ["num_intro_articles"]=> string(1) "0" ["num_columns"]=> string(1) "0" ["num_links"]=> string(1) "0" ["multi_column_order"]=> string(1) "0" ["show_subcategory_content"]=> string(2) "-1" ["show_pagination_limit"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter_field"]=> string(4) "hide" ["show_headings"]=> string(1) "1" ["list_show_date"]=> string(9) "published" ["date_format"]=> string(0) "" ["list_show_hits"]=> string(1) "0" ["list_show_author"]=> string(1) "1" ["orderby_pri"]=> string(4) "none" ["orderby_sec"]=> string(5) "rdate" ["order_date"]=> string(9) "published" ["show_pagination"]=> string(1) "2" ["show_pagination_results"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_featured"]=> string(4) "show" ["show_feed_link"]=> string(1) "1" ["feed_summary"]=> string(1) "0" ["feed_show_readmore"]=> string(1) "0" ["sef_advanced"]=> int(1) ["sef_ids"]=> int(1) ["custom_fields_enable"]=> string(1) "1" ["show_page_heading"]=> NULL ["layout_type"]=> string(4) "blog" ["menu_text"]=> int(1) ["menu_show"]=> int(1) ["page_title"]=> string(66) "Borrow Money - Your Guide to Loans and Credit Management | nestegg" ["menu-meta_description"]=> string(138) "Finance, credit and debt feel like a minefield? From financing a credit card debt to deciding on a home loan, Nest Egg’s got your back! " ["secure"]=> int(0) ["page_description"]=> string(7) "nestegg" ["page_rights"]=> NULL ["robots"]=> NULL ["page_heading"]=> string(66) "Borrow Money - Your Guide to Loans and Credit Management | nestegg" ["access-view"]=> bool(true) } ["initialized":protected]=> bool(true) ["separator"]=> string(1) "." } ["displayDate"]=> string(19) "2021-07-13 07:55:25" ["slug"]=> string(123) "17060:do-lockdowns-boost-property-prices-are-short-sellers-levelling-the-playing-field-did-you-lodge-your-tax-returns-early" ["catslug"]=> string(11) "302:podcast" ["link"]=> string(136) "/resources/podcast/do-lockdowns-boost-property-prices-are-short-sellers-levelling-the-playing-field-did-you-lodge-your-tax-returns-early" ["image"]=> string(65) "images/podcasts/230221_Angel_Zhong_Steve_Waters_Timothy_Munro.jpg" ["image_alt"]=> string(0) "" } }

Latest Podcast

Do lockdowns boost property prices? Are short-sellers levelling the playing fiel...

Resources

There is $17.5 billion in lost and unclaimed super across ...

Borrow

400k Aussies caught up in shonky car loan schemes

By Grace Ormsby

July 20 2020
Share

Borrow

400k Aussies caught up in shonky car loan schemes

By Grace Ormsby
July 20 2020

Two banks are in hot water after they allegedly colluded with car dealers to hit consumers with “unfair” high-interest loans on their purchase of a vehicle.

400k Aussies caught up in shonky car loan schemes

By Grace Ormsby

July 20 2020
Share

Two banks are in hot water after they allegedly colluded with car dealers to hit consumers with “unfair” high-interest loans on their purchase of a vehicle.

According to a statement from Maurice Blackburn, “borrowers were not told that Westpac and St.George had a cosy deal with car dealers that allowed the car dealers to hike up the interest rates on car loans from a ‘base rate’ in order to earn substantial ‘flex commissions’.”

The law firm said it has commenced a class action in the Victorian Supreme Court about the matter, which saw consumers charged more than three times the base interest rate set by Westpac and St.George in some cases.

In many cases, higher interest rates weren’t determined by objective criteria such as credit risk.

Instead, the law firm said higher rates “were crudely used to boost the profits of care dealers and Westpac and St.George”.

It’s reported that flex arrangements were a feature of the industry for more than 25 years before ASIC finally outlawed the practice in 2018.

Not long after, the final report of the financial services royal commission also condemned the practice, highlighting “the dealer’s interest in securing the highest rate possible is obvious”.

It read: “To the borrower, the dealer might have appeared to be acting for the borrower by submitting a loan proposal on behalf of the borrower. The borrower was given no indication that in fact the dealer was looking after its own interests.”

According to Maurice Blackburn’s national head of class actions, Andrew Watson, hundreds of thousands of Australian car purchasers have been affected by the practice.

The lawyer explained how “the expectations of consumers were that the dealer was a conduit for, but was not setting, the interest rate. It is safe to assume that most consumers understood that the roles of car dealers and lenders were distinct.”

But he said the Westpac and St.George arrangement actually rewarded car dealers for going above and beyond — and gouging higher interest rates out of consumers.

“This case will seek to prove that Westpac and St.George failed to comply with their obligations under consumer credit protection laws and that this failure caused substantial losses for many consumers,” he noted.

In some cases, consumers were slugged with interest rates that were more than 10 per cent above the underlying base rate offered by the bank, Mr Watson flagged, with a number of consumers not even told of the loan’s interest rate until after they agreed to purchase the car.

Maurice Blackburn has revealed that there appears to be approximately 400,000 Australians who have been impacted by such schemes. However, the current class action will be restricted to anyone with a Westpac or St.George car loan from 1 March 2013 to 31 October 2018.

Forward this article to a friend. Follow us on Linkedin. Join us on Facebook. Find us on Twitter for the latest updates

Rate the article

About the author

Grace Ormsby

Grace is a journalist on Momentum Media's nestegg. She enjoys being able to provide easy to digest information and practical tips for Australians with regard to their wealth, as well as having a platform on which to engage leading experts and commentators and leverage their insight.

About the author

Grace Ormsby

Loans

What does COVID-19 mean for my HECS debt?

Australia’s consumer price index has been bumped up and down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but what does that mean if you have a HECS debt? ...Read more

Loans

ME Bank faces criminal charges

The corporate regulator has filed criminal charges against ME Bank, alleging false and misleading behaviour and breaches of the Credit Act. ...Read more

Loans

Australia’s largest bank begins to lift rates in a sign of things to come

Record-low interest rates could be a thing of the past as Australia’s largest bank begins to lift rates, despite the RBA’s ongoing “lower for longer” narrative. ...Read more

Loans

Responsible lending laws set to stay

The controversial axing of responsible lending laws appears all but over, as independent senators announce they will not support the legislation. ...Read more

Loans

Westpac introduces a savings buffer for distressed mortgage customers

Westpac is looking to make life a little easier for financially distressed customers by introducing a savings buffer to its existing suite of mortgage products. ...Read more

Loans

New loan commitments reach record high

Record-low interest rates are leading to record-high new loan commitments as investors and first home buyers flood the market, official figures have revealed. ...Read more

Loans

Rate of inflation disappoints, silencing interest rate doomsayers

Speculation that the likelihood of rising March quarter inflation data would signal the prospect of interest rate rises has predictably once again fallen well wide of the mark, an economist has said. ...Read more

Loans

Home loan commitments crash for the first time since May

New loan commitments for housing have declined for the first time since May 2020, but months of growth have ensured records have been maintained, new data has shown. ...Read more