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.
housing and urban planning
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.
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.
RBA ‘no knight in shining armour’ for mortgage holders
The Reserve Bank is unanimously expected to leave interest rates on hold but whether the next move is up or down remains uncertain.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
‘Vested interests’ protest against housing tax changes
The property industry is challenging the government's modelling on the impact the federal budget will have on renters and housing supply.
Labor shrugs off claim tax shift will sink house prices
The government is selling controversial investment tax changes as an attempt to rebalance the playing field between young and old Australians.
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.
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.
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.
‘Huge mistake’: how Howard spurred Boomer investors
The share of property investors older than 60 has more than doubled since the capital gains discount was introduced, Reserve Bank of Australia research shows.
Treasurer hoses down calls to carve up his tax revamp
Business groups are urging the federal government to have a major rethink over its capital gains tax measures but Jim Chalmers is remaining steadfast.
Budget measures could cut house prices by 10 per cent
Changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions could cause the biggest housing downturn in 40 years, in a boost for first home buyers.
Budget brawl escalates over rival tax cut proposals
The government has conceded its budget is unlikely to win immediate support from voters as Labor and Liberals taking aim at each others' policies.
Labor defends budget tax changes despite critical polls
Labor insists it's taking the right approach to tax reform despite a majority of Australians saying the latest budget will leave them worse off.
Mixed results from first post-budget auction weekend
The treasurer and prime minister are doing a sales job on government attempts to boost housing supply as property investors chew budget changes to tax breaks.
Why ditching car park rules could make homes cheaper
More than $1 billion is being wasted on building parking spaces that aren't used as part of new housing, a study has found.
Middle ring could be ‘hollowed out’ by tax overhaul
Tax changes in the federal budget will likely shift property investors to new houses in the outer suburbs and inner-city apartments, economists say.
Tax relief for workers and pain for investors in budget
Australians who earn a wage will get $250 in tax relief as part of Labor's budget, but investors and wealthy families could be left worse off.
Labor tucks away $77b war chest for further tax cuts
A new $250 a year tax offset gives the government an option to return bracket creep directly to working Australians, Treasurer Jim Chalmers says.
Australians move to regions seeking affordable housing
Australians are leaving the cities for inland areas as growing house prices shift migration patterns, bringing positive and negative flow-on effects.
‘Troubling’ crackdowns no fix to homelessness crisis
Strained by chronic housing supply challenges, a leading researcher has warned councils against forcibly removing their homeless populations.
Budget builds up to shift for ‘broken’ housing market
An extra $2 billion will be pledged in the budget to build sewerage and roads for new homes as the treasurer frames housing policy as a remedy to populism.
‘Need to do more’: Labor to lift lid on housing reform
Australians are under financial pressure and the government cannot "just sit back", the prime minister says, as his treasurer prepares to hand down the budget.
‘Exhausted’: housing supply hit as affordability dips
Low-income earners are locked out of the private rental market, with JobSeeker recipients only able to afford one listing in Australia, a leading charity warns.
PM rubbishes budget tax speculation as home prices slow
Sydney's home price premium over Brisbane and Perth continues to narrow as values retreat in Australia's two largest cities.
Budget to address ‘immediate needs’ of households: PM
The upcoming federal budget is widely tipped to pare back incentives for property investors as the prime minister promises to tackle intergenerational inequity.
Right tax moves matter more than mandates: treasurer
Expected changes to negative gearing or capital gains tax would not break an election promise because they would be for the right reasons, Jim Chalmers says.