Policy Watch

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The Property Shortcut Young Buyers Count On Is Starting to Break

Higher rates are already squeezing buyers. If tax settings shift as well, two of the most popular paths into home ownership could get a lot harder, but the real damage may not show up straight away.

The 5% deposit trap pushing first-home prices even higher

Homes inside Labor’s buyer scheme caps have jumped 6.7% in six months. That may get buyers in sooner, but it could also leave them thinner on margin if rates bite again.

AUSTRAC’s property crackdown starts well before July

Real estate businesses can already enrol with AUSTRAC before the 1 July 2026 deadline. The real risk is treating a major compliance shift like a paperwork exercise.

Labor wants super gatekeepers to pay after $1bn wipeout

A $1bn super scandal has forced Canberra to act, but the fix could shift costs and risks across the whole system before investors know where the line is drawn.

The overseas home dream could trigger a brutal tax bill

An offshore move can turn an Australian family home into a tax problem. The lifestyle upside is obvious, but the real cost often appears only when you sell.

Budget tax hit could trap property investors for longer

A CGT cut is meant to cool investors. The catch is it may give many of them one more reason to hold, not sell.

PEXA kept its moat. So why did the market punish it?

PEXA kept a key threat at bay, yet its shares still slid sharply. That points to a bigger problem inside the business and around its pricing power.

Why Australia’s migration fight could make housing worse

Migration is slowing, but the political push to cut it harder risks hitting housing supply, labour and growth all at once. The real question is what breaks next.

Sydney’s new crane fee could make housing even dearer

Hills Shire wants to charge $610 a week for some cranes. The stated aim is safety, but the bigger question is who ends up paying.

The RBA is killing card surcharges. Who really pays?

Card surcharges are set to disappear from October 2026, but lower merchant fees do not automatically mean lower prices. The real winner is still up for debate.

The bigger threat to property investors is not the Treasurer’s gearing cap

A negative gearing cap would sting some landlords. But the bigger threat may be what happens when investors try to cash out.

Labor’s housing promise is slipping and the gap is widening

Australia’s 1.2 million-home target is already off pace. The shortfall is growing, costs are rising, and the budget now has nowhere to hide.

The wage myth hiding Australia’s housing squeeze

Official wages look stronger on paper. Add house prices to the equation, and a very different affordability story emerges.

Property tax perks are making it harder to buy in

Tax settings meant to reward investment may be locking younger buyers out. If Canberra changes the balance, property investors will feel it.

Jim Chalmers sold the RBA shake-up as reform. The early verdict looks a lot messier

Labor’s Reserve Bank overhaul was meant to modernise monetary policy and improve confidence. But with inflation still awkward, split votes now public, and the bank’s priorities under debate, the harder question is whether the new model is actually making decisions better.

The ATO’s family trust warning could get expensive fast

A quiet tax issue is turning into a costly one for family groups. The ATO is offering a limited chance to cut interest charges on old trust mistakes, but the window narrows once a review starts.

Why SMSF trustees could be forced to pay for advice failures they never signed up for

Most self-managed super trustees do not use a financial adviser. So why are they being dragged into a compensation scheme built around adviser blow-ups?

No Death Tax? The Super Mistake That Could Cost Your Family 17%

Most Australians think a will covers everything. It doesn’t. And when super is left to the wrong people the tax hit can be far bigger than families expect.

Victoria just changed the rules on mid-rise apartments, and suburbs may never feel the same

Victoria’s latest housing move looks technical on the surface. In practice, it could redraw the balance between growth and local resistance.

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