New migrants make for proud but anxious Aussies
Migrants value their Australian identity and feel they are improving productivity and innovation despite concerns with skilled migration settings from industry.
housing and urban planning
Tax changes ‘crack the nut’ on housing affordability
Property investors and real estate agents are reeling as Australia's housing downturn deepens, but for young Australians the positives are growing.
Sydney rents fall despite fears of a post-budget spike
Even though Labor's tax changes have pushed some investors out of the market, rental vacancy rates have climbed and price growth has eased across Australia.
Industry wants visas for skills that ‘really matter’
Prospective migrants wanting to travel to Australia for apprenticeships should be eligible for student visas, business leaders argue.
Housing target slips further away as data centres boom
Australia's housing construction pipeline is the largest it's been, but headwinds are growing as the nation aims to build 1.2 million homes in five years.
Spain’s PM calls election amid pressure over housing
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called an early election for November 29 after Spain's parliament rejected his government's key housing decrees.
Auctions flop as home buyers digest rising rates
Australia's auction clearance rates have dropped to nearly their lowest levels of the year as another interest rate rise eats into buyer budgets.
Riders rally over potholes as land tax cut locked in
Land taxes will be slashed regardless of who wins Victoria's election in a pledge that could save 250,000 people sizeable sums.
Housing market downturn the steepest in four decades
First-home buyers are being told they will be in a better position to afford a property once Australia's widening housing downturn runs its course.
Danish architect helped Aussie cities find their mojo
Danish nonagenarian architect Jan Gehl has helped inject Copenhagen's walkability and cycling culture into Australian cities over the past 35 years.
Little incentive to have kids and no way to move out
How the cost of living and policy has impacted Australians has been laid bare in the latest update of the nation's longest running and broadest reaching survey.
‘Doing what we want’: Labor stands by housing tax moves
Tax changes will help boost housing supply in the long run, even though a downturn is impacting new home sales, the housing minister says.
Coalition slams ‘Big Brother’ social media reform bill
The opposition is declaring the government's digital duty-of-care laws the "Big Brother bill", doubling down on its stance to block the reforms in parliament.
Sellers flee auctions as housing downturn deepens
More than three in five homes listed for auction converted to private treaty in July, the highest rate since the 2022 downturn, property site Domain has found.
Reserve Bank’s grim rates warning as oil prices spike
The war in the Middle East is threatening to push oil prices back above the crucial $US100 a barrel mark and make inflation even harder to get back to target.
‘Economically disastrous’: Hanson’s super policy panned
Allowing workers to divert a quarter of their super income to rent and mortgage payments won't pump up inflation, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson insists.
Developer hammered as staff stood down, projects paused
The business model of a crumbling development firm has been labelled strange and opaque, after workers were stood down and construction projects halted.
Cold start to nation’s normally hot home sales season
The property market is yet to shake off its winter chill as capital cities reported fewer auctions in the first week of the normally busy spring sales season.
Worse than 2007: productivity stat bad news for the RBA
Low productivity means Australia's economy is growing above its "speed limit", amplifying concerns the Reserve Bank will hike interest rates again.
Property market to face ‘deeper correction’, bank warns
Property prices in major capitals are set to fall even further, one of the big four banks has cautioned, following a further downturn in the last month.
‘Perfect storm’: builder collapses, buyers in lurch
Insolvency experts have been called in to help rescue a major property developer which has thousands of homes to build across three states.
Median rental unaffordable for Australians on $130,000
The median rental costs more than half the pay of an average worker in every Australian capital city, a report by Everybody's Home has found.
Australia slips further behind 1.2m new homes target
The Middle East conflict and higher interest rates have hit project feasibility for builders, as advocates call for a rethink of affordable housing.
‘Got our own plans’: treasurer demolishes housing push
The ACTU has called for a rise in the number of public houses built in its next policy fight, but the treasurer is confident the right settings are in place.
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.
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.