Town planning is one of the most misunderstood yet powerful levers in property development. Behind every subdivision, every development application, sits a planning strategy that most developers, investors and landowners never really see — until something goes wrong, or a site's full potential gets left on the table.

In this episode, Melissa Ashcroft is joined by Chris Wilson from Willowtree, a specialist town planning consultancy working across town planning, strategic advisory, and stakeholder communications. Willowtree has advised on more than $30 billion in development value across sectors including residential, commercial, health and aged care, data centres, and industrial and logistics — helping clients move from concept to consent with more clarity and less guesswork.

Chris and Melissa unpack why planning strategy matters earlier than most people think, what actually sits behind a successful approval, and how developers, investors and landowners can work with a planner to unlock a site's real potential from the outset.

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Dale Walsh is Head of Mortgage Management at Altura Funding, a non-bank lender specialising in out-of-the-box lending — including SMSF — for borrowers who need tailored solutions.

From 10 August 2026, self-managed super funds can no longer use a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA) to purchase a residential investment property. In this special episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Dale joins Melissa Ashcroft to unpack what the changes mean — and all of the options that still remain.

Dale breaks down:

→ What's changing from 10 August 2026, and what isn't

→ Why commercial property remains open to SMSF lending — an option many trustees overlook

→ How existing LRBAs, including refinancing, are fully grandfathered

→ What SMSF trustees should be asking before their next move

If you're weighing up your SMSF's next step, or are keen to find out more about how this could work for you as a future wealth creation tool, reach out to Dale at Altura Funding to talk through your options.

www.alturafunding.com.au

dale@alturafunding.com.au

0436 674 536

Dale Walsh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-w-818262108/

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Julie Ockerby made the leap from nursing to design, and that experience still shapes how she works today. Now an award-winning designer and serial entrepreneur specialising in aged care, healthcare and boutique hotel design, Julie has built a career around human-centric, experiential spaces — and around leading on her own terms.

In this episode, Melissa Ashcroft speaks with Julie about the career shift that changed everything, the leadership lessons that came with building multiple businesses, and what it's taken to lead in an industry where women haven't always been well represented at the top. They speak openly about what it actually takes to make a bold career shift, the lessons that experience left her with, and how it's shaped the way she leads, mentors and designs today.

Julie also delivers arguably the strongest Q&A round we've had on the podcast so far, so make sure you listen to the end for that!

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