Early days but a door is opening for first home buyers
Rising interest rates were already softening mortgage demand from investors but Labor's tax changes in the federal budget deepened the dive.
housing and urban planning
WA stares down ‘east coast clowns’ over costly GST deal
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook has promised to fight any move to strip his state of its lucrative GST deal, saying changes could cost it billions.
‘Stop the madness’: Liberal eyes big tech, party policy
A Liberal frontbencher has called on his party to slash the construction code, cut migration, tax big tech more and freeze the NDIS to fix Australia's malaise.
Biggest bank bullish on home loans despite budget hit
Commonwealth Bank home loan applications plunged after controversial changes to negative gearing and capital gains taxes, but it's hopeful of a recovery.
Labor budget’s big bank blow as loan applications drop
Federal Labor policy changes for capital gains tax concessions and negative gearing appear to have prompted a decline in mortgage applications.
Home sellers still reap huge profits but cracks appear
A sharp decline in property prices has sparked fears of negative equity but less than three per cent of houses sold for a loss in the first half of 2026.
Rival plan to close Labor’s ‘widow tax’ loophole sooner
Australians who inherit an investment property from their partner won't lose their access to negative gearing, draft laws revealed by the treasurer confirm.
Housing affordability rises as price downturn continues
Home values have fallen at their fastest monthly rate in almost four years as an economist suggests prices could grow more slowly than incomes for a decade.
Housing approvals rebound, but still behind targets
The number of dwellings granted approval has hit a five-year high, but national housing levels still lag behind federal targets.
Red tape strangling efforts to tackle housing crisis
Removing layers of rules and having the political will to stand up to NIMBYs are among a raft of measures put forward to fix Australia's housing crisis.
Investors returning after budget blow to housing breaks
The share of homes bought by investors compared to owner-occupiers is returning to levels seen prior to the federal budget.
Koalas on the brink as developers land in Dreamworld
Conservationists are warning beloved marsupials could become extinct in one part of Australia as a major theme park gets the green light on a new development.
Zoning scorecard reveals most housing-friendly city
A group campaigning for more housing construction has released an online atlas examining the zoning laws of each capital city in Australia.
‘Keeps me up at night’: generational rupture laid bare
Rising rents and falling real wages have squeezed young Australians, who find themselves no better off than previous generations.
Family affair: investor tax changes spawn new tactics
Prospective home buyers are rethinking the type of properties they want to purchase in response to changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax.
Housing costs crisis needs ‘decades’ of falling prices
Recent falling house prices have barely eroded an affordability gap that has built up over years of rising values, as experts warn much more time is needed.
construction and property
economy, business and finance
house building
housing and urban planning
interest rate
lifestyle (house and home)
real estate
Freefall: home prices notch biggest drop in years
Australia's housing market is undergoing a broad-based downturn with interest rate rises and affordability pressures denting investor confidence.
City to take mantle of nation’s most expensive units
Most property markets in Australia will slip in value over the 2026/27 financial year, but there are some outliers in latest data.
Death or divorce: owners could miss out on tax breaks
The federal government is being accused of a crucial oversight as it tries to ram its overhaul of taxes on investments through parliament.
Buyer blow as rising rates offset dip in home prices
Despite property prices falling, the annual income required to afford a median house has risen by thousands of dollars in Sydney and Melbourne since January.
RBA keeps rates on hold but leaves door open to hikes
Economists are split on whether the Reserve Bank's latest cash rate decision heralds the end of the hiking cycle or merely a pause before the next move upwards.
Reserve Bank meets with rates tipped to stay on hold
Borrowers can finally expect relief from quickfire interest rate rises with the Reserve Bank poised to maintain the status quo for the first time in 2026.
Get back on the tools and fix housing, government urged
A Senate committee has been told Australia's long-running public housing crisis is actually worsening under current policy settings.
Tax changes spark house listings boom but fewer rentals
A split is opening in the housing market, with more homes for sale as owners react to controversial tax changes but fewer becoming available to rent.
breaking_news
economy, business and finance
housing and urban planning
politics
state budget and tax
Higher debt, cheaper homes as territory axes stamp duty
Stamp duty will be abolished for ACT first home buyers in an Australian first, despite the territory budget set to surpass $12 billion in debt.
Cooling house market offers hope to first-time buyers
Auction clearance rates have hit a five-year low, and the percentages are the lowest Australia has had in five years.
‘Trainwreck’: One Nation forced to clarify housing plan
One Nation's most prominent figures have scrambled to clarify details of the party's housing policy after a senator stumbled through a "trainwreck" interview.
Liberals mull Greens alliance to kill off tax changes
An unlikely political alliance could put the government's contentious changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount in jeopardy.
Officials bank on economic slump helping tame inflation
Australia is not experiencing stagflation but higher interest rates will help cool the economy and inflation, the nation's top bank official says.
building material
construction and property
economy (general)
economy, business and finance
heavy construction
house building
housing and urban planning
Interest rate impact hits housing approval levels
The number of new homes being approved fell once again during April, and the Reserve Bank is being blamed for the downturn.
construction and property
house building
housing and urban planning
land price
mortgages
politics
prices
Home price falls may signal end of housing super cycle
Rising interest rates, poor affordability, budget tax changes and a political shift towards lower migration could spell the end of a 30-year housing upswing.