The Voice of Issue The Voice of 235 September 1, 2020 FFoorrttnniigghhttllyytt mmhhaaggeeaazz iinnMMee ffoorra a tthhelel tDtDieieaassspspooeerraa Early 20th century photo of The St Ellmo steell footbriidge to the breakwater a Gozo boat heading towards at the entrance of the Grand Harbour iin Valllletta the original St Elmo Bridge as seen from the rocks under Fort St Ellmo. The siinglle-span arched truss steell footbriidge constructed iin 2011/12, stands on the siite of an earlliier briidge that had been buiillt iin 1906 and was destroyed duriing Worlld War II iin 1941. 2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 1, 2020 Charled Muscat Joseph Forace Nicholas Bonello A new High Commissioner iy tnhe be giCnning aof nnext ybear, ewithr disrtincation fobr seveyn. NeHonworary C onYsul. ear 2021, Malta will have a new The first High Commissioner ever In the meantime, the Council of Mal - High Commissioner in Can - appointed from amongst the migrant tese Living Abroad has announced an - berra. After seven years at the helm, population was Joseph Forace who other resignation. Shane Delia (below) , Bby the end of this year, HE Charles served from 1971-1978. He was fol - the well-known chef from Melbourne Muscat will end his tenure as Malta’s lowed by Nicholas Bonello who who was re- High Commissioner for Australia and served as as a non-resident High Com - presenting New Zealand. Although this is not of - missioner for Malta in Australia be - the other ficial yet, The Voice of the Maltese has tween 1986 and 1987. They are both states of acquired this information from reli - deceased. Australia able sources. The Voice believes that the new High (not NSW The current High Commissioner was Commissioner will be arriving in Can - or Victoria), born in Rabat Malta on July 30, 1944, berra early in the new year not with - tendered his and presented his credentials to the stand the pandemic restrictions. resignation Governor-General Quintin Bryce in The Malta Government has recently for personal September 2013. He is married to Vic - been reviewing diplomatic and con - reasons. He toria nee Azzopardi. They have three sular postings around the world. This served for children and six grandchildren. normally occurs when there is a two out of Charles Muscat is the third person to change of Government. There have al - the three hold this position, having been ap - ready been changes in Queensland, years as pre- pointed when he was already a per - Western Australia, and Victoria while scribed by manent resident of Australia. Initially in South Australia there was a resig - the Act. His designated for three years, he served nation and the appointment of a new replacement is yet to be named. Speaker Farrugia discusses counter-terrorism at 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament peaker Anġlu Farrugia participated in groups that spread violent extremism. the Fifth World Conference of Speak - He further questioned why as of yet, no eSrs of Parliament that discussed the theme concrete mechanism stands between the of ' Counter-terrorism and violent extrem - United States and the EU to tackle the in - ism; the perspective of victims' , where he ternational plague of trade-based money pointed out that the best way to stop ille - laundering. gal actions would be by implementing an The conference was organised by the effective information sharing system, IPU in partnership with the Parliament of through which, institutions would find it Austria and the United Nations. far easier to identify the global criminal At the end of the virtual conference, a infrastructure and address specific in - declaration was adopted without amend - stances of trade-based money laundering. ments by the speakers of parliaments and He suggested to parliamentarians to work the President of the Inter-Parliamentary together to put a stop to illegal actions that Union Gabriela Cuevas Barron, on 'Par - endanger the greater good. liamentary leadership for more effective He stated that funds generated from multilateralism that delivers peace and Speaker Anġlu Farruġia during trade-based money laundering are cur - sustainable development for the people the virtual conference rently going directly to finance terrorist and planet'. Tuesday September 1, 2020 The Voice of the Maltese 3 Another service offered by The Voice of the Maltese providing legal information to our readers HomeBuilder Grant criteria finally locked in by Paul Sant information about the formal eligibility cri - of the Grant is now open. teria and application process adopted by You can find the details in relation to the NSW. On August 13, we received confir - HomeBuilder Grant at the website of your n June 4, 2020 the Commonwealth mation that application for the NSW version state or territories’ revenue authority: Government announced the Home - Builder Grant, in the hopes that it Owould act as a lifeline to the construction in - NSW https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/grants-schemes/homebuilder dustry. The grant provides eligible owner- Victoria https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/homebuilder-grant-guidelines occupiers (including first home buyers) with a grant of $25,000 to build a new home or Queensland https://www.qld.gov.au/housing/buying-owning-home/financial- substantially renovate an existing home. help-concessions/homebuilder Announcement of the grant caused much ex - citement amongst home owners and trades- Northern Territory ps://www.revenuesa.sa.gov.au/grants-and-concessions/home - persons alike, and the feedback seemed to builder-grant indicate that builders have observed an up - swing in enquiries and contracts. South Australia https://www.revenuesa.sa.gov.au/grants-and- Where Can I find the details? concessions/homebuilder-grant https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/home - Although the Grant was initially announced Western Australia and defined by the Commonwealth govern - builder-program-assist-renovations-and-new-builds ment, in order for it to apply across the na - Tasmania https://www.sro.tas.gov.au/about-us/covid-19 tion each state and territory is required to enact its own legislation. ACT https://www.revenue.act.gov.au/covid-19-assistance/home - On July 31, the NSW government released builder-grant The HomeBuilder Grant will not replace following two income caps: 2. a contract to purchase an off-the-plan existing state and territory benefits and a. $125,000 a year for an individual; or apartment; programs as well as the Commonwealth’s b. $200,000 per annum for a couple. 3. a contract to knock down and re-build First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and What is an eligible contract? the dwelling; or First Home Super Saver Scheme. 4. a contract to build a new home on a va - An eligible contract is a building contract cant block. Am I eligible? to either: Who is not eligible? The basic criteria are as follows: 1. build a new home as a principal place of Owner-builders are ineligible for Home - 1. The “eligible contract” (see below for residence, where the property value does Builder. definition) must be signed between 4 June not exceed $750,000; or Investment properties are ineligible for 2020 and 31 December 2020 (inclusive). 2. substantially renovate your existing home HomeBuilder 2. Construction must commence within as a principal place of residence, where: A building contract between related parties three months from the date of the contract. a. the renovation contract is between is ineligible . In negotiating a building con - 3. Construction cannot have commenced $150,000 and $750,000, and tact, the parties must deal with each other at before 4 June 2020. b. where the value of your existing prop - arm’s length, without some special relation - 4. you must be a natural person (not a erty (house and land) is less than $1.5 mil - ship, such as being a relative. The contract company or trust); lion (before the renovation). should be commercially reasonable and the you must be aged 18 years or older; An eligible contract can also be: price should not be inflated compared to the 5. you must be an Australian citizen; 1. a contract to purchase a house and land fair market price. 6. your income must be below one of the package, Constructing of stand-alone granny flats, swimming pools, tennis courts, saunas, stand-alone garages and other structures PAUL SANT that are not connected to the dwelling and therefore do not improve the ‘accessibility, (SOLICITOR) safety or liveability’ of the dwelling are in - eligible . PARTNER AT LONGTON LEGAL Property owned or purchased by a com - For All Your Legal Needs pany or trust are ineligible . Now at: How do I apply? 21 George Street If you are eligible, you may either apply di - rectly with your state or territory Revenue Parramatta Authority, or an application can be made by Phone: 8599 8877 your bank if you are in the process of ob - Also at: taining a mortgage. Level 4, 370 Pitt Street, Sydney. Ph: 8355 9999 We have provided you with an overview of Email: [email protected] the topic above but you should consult a professional for advice specific to your cir - Maltese Spoken cumstances. 4 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 1, 2020 St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral in Valletta can now be visited in a special virtual tour ne of the most recognisable build - itals of the Corinthian order while the cap - makes it feel like one is ings on the Valletta skyline is St itals of the six columns of the portico are going around this glori - Paul’s Pro-Cathedral with its of the Ionic order. The internal dimen - ous iconic Valletta land - Osteeple a landmark notably visible in the sions of the building are 33.5 metres x mark at Independence Marsamxett Harbour.