Approvals turbocharged in bid to tackle housing crisis
Longstanding, complicated planning processes will be swept aside in an effort to build more homes faster in a state that's fighting to keep young families.
housing and urban planning
AFL stadium push a political football as MPs pick sides
The future of Tasmania's planned AFL stadium and team is firmly in the hands of politicians after a scathing report recommended the venue not go ahead.
NZ offers blueprint for home-building productivity fix
Australia should follow New Zealand in reforming zoning rules to boost limp construction productivity and expand housing supply, leading economists say.
Home scheme extension set to open more doors
Lifting the caps in an expanded government home-buying scheme will open the door for more first-time buyers, but it also risks fast-tracking price rises.
Worrying trend for bargain-hunting first home buyers
Abolishing "terrible" stamp duty would help arrest the loss of affordable homes, with lower-end properties growing in price faster than the rest of the market.
Tree-change trend slows but regions remain attractive
The rate of migration from capital cities to regional centres continues to outpace moves in the other direction despite slowing towards pre-pandemic levels.
Pause on new regulations to fast track building homes
A pause in new regulations on construction standards will aim to have homes built faster under changes stemming from the productivity roundtable.
Housing bubble warning as deposit scheme fast-tracked
House prices could surge and mortgage defaults rise when a government scheme to help first home buyers begins ahead of schedule, experts warn.
Fast or gradual: RBA debate shapes rates outlook
A debate inside the Reserve Bank board over the tightness of Australia's labour market could determine how quickly it moves to cut interest rates.
Cutting ‘nightmarish’ red tape may awaken productivity
Fixing Australia's regulations could help businesses and shoppers save and reinvigorate Australia's languishing productivity base.
Real wages boost for workers, but costs might worry RBA
Strong annual growth in wages will be noted by the Reserve Bank as it collates data leading up to its next decision on whether to cut interest rates.
Further rate cuts at risk as rent pushes up inflation
Future rate cuts may be less likely if renting and construction costs contributing to housing inflation continue to grow.
Fast approvals only add to housing construction logjam
Hastening development approvals without increasing building capacity will only add to the bottleneck in housing construction, researchers warn.
Rates take back seat to affordability for home buyers
Interest rates might be weighing less on Australians' decision to buy or sell a property, with affordability now ranked as the leading influence.
Mortgage holders ready for relief after past rates blow
The Reserve Bank of Australia board is expected to deliver mortgage holders more hip-pocket relief in its upcoming interest rates decision.
Red tape slashed to fast-track building new homes
In a bid to meet it's target of building 800,000 homes over the next decade, a state government has announced new housing laws designed to speed up approvals.
Hopes RBA won’t repeat shock rates hold as board meets
The "Trumpification" of the US Federal Reserve provides an unsettling backdrop to the Reserve Bank's August meeting, where it is expected to cut interest rates.
Prefab house ferried to island by night wins top award
A house built in a factory and ferried to one of the nation's favourite holiday islands has won Australian House of the Year at the 2025 Houses Awards.
‘Not right’: Australia urged to wind back tax breaks
Reforms to Australia's tax system have been politically risky, but without urgent action, home ownership could be out of reach for the nation's workers.
Airbnb hosts say caps won’t shift them to rental market
Short-term rental hosts would be more likely to leave their properties empty than list them on the long-term rental market to aid supply, a survey shows.
House price growth spurt shows no signs of easing
Further interest rate cuts on the horizon have stirred the nation's housing market with prices rising for a sixth straight month alongside demand.
House prices break records as rent unaffordably high
Property prices have soared to record highs in most capital cities, prompting buyers to shift expectations amid increasing high rental prices.
Dollar dazzler designs no silver bullet for housing woe
Political leaders hope a sluggish planning system can be jump-started with cheap, pre-approved architectural designs to entice developers to break ground.
House values break ceiling in almost half of suburbs
An upswing in home values has broadly eased, but almost 45 per cent of Australian suburbs are at record-high dwelling values after sustained growth.
Olympic city house values join the million-dollar club
Interstate migration and the allure of warmer weather have contributed to a city's house prices surging past the million-dollar mark.
Affordability ‘tipping point’ nudges renters into units
A slowdown in rental growth even with still-low vacancy rates suggests renters have maxed out on what they can afford.
‘Get on with it’: next move key with rate cut baked in
With markets all but assured the Reserve Bank board will cut interest rates at its upcoming meeting, the bigger question for traders is what they say next.
Retail spending tipped to stay soft as home prices soar
Housing prices are expected to climb ever higher, even as a predicted recovery in dwelling consents shines a ray of hope on Australia's supply ambitions.
Lower interest rates, tighter supply lifts home prices
Australia's residential property market is being stoked by strengthening demand fuelled by lower interest rates and a tighter supply of homes for sale.
Red tape and silver bullets: tough task for housing fix
Governments are taking aim at red tape to fix a chronic undersupply of housing in Australia but the industry warns cultural issues will be harder to fix.
Major boost for tradie students to solve housing crisis
Tradies will be able to complete their apprenticeships for free as a state government tries to ease the housing crisis.