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Policy Watch

Rent caps Australia: 80% back them, but what do they do?

A new poll says four in five Australians want rents capped or frozen. The harder question is who pays when supply tightens.
Policy Watch

WA pre-sale scheme: a $250m backstop shifts risk, not the bank test

A $250m fund aims to help WA apartment developers reach construction finance. Whether it adds homes depends on who ends up carrying the risk.
Policy Watch

Foreign investor property tax Victoria: Labor flags a review

Labor says it will review Victoria's two overseas-buyer taxes if re-elected. The harder question is whether that brings in new homes or just more bidders.
Policy Watch

Victorian reserve price laws: who gains when sellers show their hand

Some Melbourne vendors are already publishing reserves under new state laws. In a falling market, that could change who holds the power at auction.
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Policy Watch

Labor’s Trust Tax Shock Has Estate Planners Rattled

A 30 per cent trust tax starts in 2028, but the estate-planning fallout is only beginning.
Policy Watch

Older Australians Are Losing the Policy Fight

Tax breaks, housing help and retirement rules are shifting. The question is whether this is fairness, politics, or both.
Policy Watch

Landlords face a budget squeeze, but renters may not win

Tax reform may target investors, but the real question is whether it improves housing or just moves the pain.
Policy Watch

The Budget ‘Equity’ Push Could Burn Young Australians

A tax crackdown may target older investors, but younger renters and future buyers could feel the sharper hit.
Policy Watch

Labor’s Property Tax U-Turn Could Hit More Than Investors

Jim Chalmers is preparing voters for a property tax backflip. The question is whether it eases housing pressure or freezes supply.
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Policy Watch

Holiday Home Owners Are Being Squeezed. Buyers Know It

Victoria’s land tax bills are forcing some coastal owners to sell, but the buyer advantage may not last forever.
Policy Watch

The Tax Shield Property Investors Are Rushing to Check

Budget tax changes could reshape negative gearing and CGT. The real test is whether your structure still works.
Policy Watch

Melbourne’s tax squeeze is real, but other cities may dodge the fallout

Victoria has given first-home buyers breathing room. The bigger test is whether other capitals can get the same relief without worsening the housing shortage.
Policy Watch

Why investors are freezing property buys before budget night

Tax reform talk is already changing behaviour. The bigger risk is not just what Canberra announces, but what uncertainty does before it does.
Policy Watch

Why a CGT cut sold as reform could deepen the housing squeeze

Canberra may pitch a CGT change as housing reform, but the real hit could land on rental supply, investor timing and new construction.
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Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.

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