🟠 Taylor talk and milk bars

WHAT’S COMING UP 🎟️

• FRIDAY 17/07/26, 7-9PM | Monash Musique

• SATURDAY 18/07/26 AND SUNDAY 19/07/26, 9AM-5PM | Melbourne Comic and Toy Fair

• TUESDAY 21/07/26, 9-11.30AM | Yarran Dheran Nature Reserve – Monthly Bird Survey

• FRIDAY 24/07/26, 7.30PM | Beccy Cole

• FRIDAY 24/07/26, 8-11PM | Lior

• SATURDAY 25/07/26, 11AM-10PM | The Big LAN

• EVERY DAY TO SUNDAY 26/06/26 | Immerse

• EVERY DAY TO SUNDAY 12/07/26, 10AM-5PM | Play School: Come and Play!

📰 THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES

🎤 Federal Opposition leaders make eastern Melbourne stop to spruik their economic plan

Speaking from the Glen Shopping Centre in Glen Waverley, opposition leader Angus Taylor has blamed Labor for a “collapse in confidence” in the housing market and backed Jess Wilson’s state election campaign.

Taylor and deputy leader Jane Hume visited private tutoring college Breakthrough Education on Thursday for a “business roundtable” with about 30 members of eastern Melbourne’s Chinese Australian business community.

The Eastern Melburnian had time to ask three questions during the media standup, starting with what Taylor’s message was to young home-buyers after the home prices in Melbourne dropped by 1.8 percent over the past 12 months.

Taylor argued there had been an “absolute collapse in confidence” in the housing market.

“The government’s imposed taxes will mean less homes,” he said. “Affordability means lower interest rates and higher incomes. How can more first home buyers get into the market when there's less homes?”

When asked if a Coalition government would invest more money into public education, he said he believed investment in public, private and vocational education was “enormously important”.

“We'll continue to support education that delivers outcomes for young Australians that gets them into better jobs and higher incomes,” he said. “It's one of the great enablers.”

On Victoria’s upcoming state election, Taylor criticised the Allan Government over corruption allegations and said Opposition leader Jess Wilson offered a “powerful alternative”.

🏠 Eastern Melbourne’s landlords will have to install better heating and insulation soon. A housing expert says many are not ready

With new energy efficiency standards for rental properties introduced in March 2027, a housing expert is urging Victorian landlords to upgrade inefficient homes sooner rather than later, or risk getting caught in a logjam.

From March 2027, landlords will be required to install more efficient heating, cooling, hot water systems, shower heads, ceiling insulation and draughtproofing in certain circumstances.

The standards will apply when an existing system fails or can’t be repaired, at the start of a new rental agreement, or if an annual agreement becomes monthly.

A La Trobe University survey of more than 11,000 Victorian rental homes between March 2021 and May 2024 found 54 percent complied with current minimum standards.

Energy-efficiency upgrades lower utility bills and make homes more comfortable when it’s baking hot or freezing cold, meaning tenants are less likely to consider moving out.

Bell Real Estate director Trevor Bell was doubtful that landlords in the Dandenong Ranges and suburbs in the foothills would be rushing to make upgrades before the changes came into play, but said it was ultimately up to them.

“We're writing to them about what's coming in,” Bell told the Eastern Melburnian. "If a property becomes vacant within the next 12 months, that would be the ideal time to upgrade."

Research from Sustainability Victoria found improving an energy-inefficient Melbourne home from a one- or two-star NatHERS rating (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) to five stars through insulation, draughtproofing and efficient heating, cooling and hot water could cut annual energy bills from about $3,500 to $1,000.

Domain's Sustainability in Property report found homes marketed with energy-efficient features sold for a median 23.8 percent more than comparable homes without them. In Hawthorn, sustainable homes sold for 34.4 percent more, while Kew recorded a 32.8 percent premium.

RMIT associate professor Trivess Moore, who led a research project into rental retrofits, said landlords who delayed upgrades could face supply shortages and longer waits for trades if many property owners sought to comply all in one burst when next March hits.

“My advice for those who can afford to do so would be to try and make those changes sooner rather than later, because you're going to need to make them,” he said.

Moore said the new standards were relatively modest and early upgrades could improve both tenant comfort and the long-term value of rental properties.

Moore said the priority now should be raising awareness of the changes and encouraging landlords to act while rebates remain available.

“More needs to be done to communicate what's happening,” he said. “People don't like change, particularly if they feel it's forced upon them, so trying to explain why this is needed is going to be really important.”

🦮 A matter of when, not if, for $19 million Balwyn North park as dog owners bite back

The five-year battle to approve a plan for upgrades to Balwyn North’s Myrtle and Macleay parks has hit a final hurdle in the last stretch, with councillors deciding to wait for at least another two weeks before giving it a green light.

The $19.18 million plan includes $1.83 million in general park road works such as pedestrian crossings and the planting of 150 new trees and the $5.5 million renewal of the Myrtle Park pavilion.

During council’s Monday meeting, members of the Macleay Park Dog Group addressed Boroondara councillors, opposing plans that would shift the park's preferred off-leash dog area to Oval 5, arguing the site has poor drainage, inadequate fencing and sits too close to a playground.

Boroondara Eagles Soccer Club volunteer member Murray Fenwick also told councillors the master plan did not appropriately address the club’s concerns with player safety, as it places soccer pitches in a location where players would have to run through a cricket pitch during play.

Councillors deferred approval until another meeting on July 27, pending review.

 🍬 SWEET STORIES

WATCH: What happened to Australia’s milk bars?

Milk bars used to be on most main shopping strips. Now, they are slowly closing their doors.

However, some local businesses are finding ways to breathe new life into those left. Check out the video below to hear about how a family has revitalised the Aussie Milk Bar in Mooroolbark.