Australian Unity has recently bought a new retirement village in Vermont South, Victoria. When completed the village will have 120 independent living units and an onsite 110-bed residential aged care facility.

The village is located on Burwood Highway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and adds to Australian Unity's existing 13 retirement communities in New South Wales and Victoria.

“We have many older members in the region who are continually asking us when we are going to open another village in Victoria,” says Derek McMillan, Group Executive – Retirement Living Services.

“We already have two facilities in the state – Wahroonga, our aged care facility in Glen Waverley and Walmsley Friendship Village in Kilsyth.

Both facilities are extremely popular. So much so that there's a 10 year wait to get into Walmsley.

“So we've been on the lookout for new business opportunities for a long time and are thrilled with this purchase.

“It means we can continue to offer more of our members the high quality continuum of care lifestyle that many have already experienced with Australian Unity.”

Settlement of the village purchase is due to take place in November this year and we expect to open in early 2008. In the meantime, if you would like more information, call 1800 026 388.

Strong partnerships benefit investors

Australian Unity Investments has more than doubled its size in under three years, lifting its funds under management to over $5 billion.

David Bryant, Australian Unity's Group Executive – Investments, says its established mortgage and property teams, which are now both $1 billion operations, provided a strong foundation for its joint venture approach and growth strategies.

“In April this year, our equities joint venture partner Platypus Asset Management Pty Ltd reached $1 billion in funds under management, a terrific achievement in little more than a year and a testament to the teams outstanding performance over an extended period of time.

“At the same time, our fixed interest joint venture partner, Vianova Asset Management Pty Ltd, has consistently outperformed its benchmark.
v “In fact, the Mercer Investment Consulting has rated Vianova the number one performing Australian fixed interest manager for the year to 31 March 2007.

“And our first joint venture with microcap specialists Acorn Capital Limited has also continued its stellar performance with the Acorn Microcap Trust returning 40.28 percent for the year to 31 May 2007.

“The outstanding performance of our joint venture partners and mortgage and property businesses means we now have a well-diversified product set in most of the major asset classes.”

High Conviction Aussie Shares a Winner

High conviction funds are making headlines thanks to some exceptionally high returns. These funds usually invest in a relatively small number of companies – around 35 or less –which they expect will outperform the market.

Investment research house Intech found high conviction managers were at the helm of four of the five best performing Australian share funds in the year to March 2007, including leading fund manager, Platypus Asset Management Pty Ltd.

As at 31 May, Platypus achieved a one-year return of 42 percent, a long way ahead of the median return of 32 percent.

Results over longer time periods showed the latest returns were no fluke. Platypus also ranked first over three years (40.7 percent per annum) and five years (25.1 percent per annum).

Australian Unity teamed up with Platypus last year as part of a strategy to offer specialised, high quality investment products across all major asset classes.

Since its launch in February 2006, the business has grown from $50 million to more than $1 billion in funds under management.

For more information about Australian Unity Investments managed funds, talk to your financial adviser or call Australian Unity on 13 29 39.

Important information

Returns are calculated before fees and after expenses and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. This information has been prepared by Australian Unity Funds Management Limited ABN 60 071 497 115, AFS Licence No 234454. It contains general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, personal circumstances, financial situation or needs. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this information, we reserve the right to make corrections. You should seek your own financial advice from a financial services licensee or an authorised representative and you should read the relevant, current Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before deciding whether to acquire or to continue to hold a product. You can obtain a copy of the current PDS by visiting www.australianunity.com.au or by calling 13 29 39.

Save up to 30% on your home & contents insurance

At Australian Unity, you can receive loads of discounts when you take out home and contents insurance with us.

To find out more about our range of policies or to obtain a quote, simply call 13 29 39 or visit www.australianunity.com.au.

Important information

Discounts are available when purchasing Everyday Care, Extra Care and Elite Care policies. Maximum aggregate discount applies; 40% maximum applied to Everyday Care and 30% maximum applies to Extra Care and Elite Care policies. This information has been prepared by Australian Unity General Insurance Limited (ABN 47 004 125 268) AFS License No. 234438 is the issuer of Extra Care and Elite Care Home and Contents Insurance. A product disclosure statement can be obtained by calling 13 29 39 and should be considered when deciding whether to acquire, or to continue to hold, this product.