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Policy Watch

Capital Gains Tax Changes Risk a Bigger Housing Backfire

A narrow start-up carve-out is alarming investors as housing tax reforms redirect demand. The real test is whether capital leaves, shifts or builds.
Policy Watch

Negative Gearing New Builds Could Crowd Out First-Home Buyers

Investor demand is shifting towards new homes, but the tax incentive designed to lift supply could squeeze first-home buyers first.
Market Signals

Foreign Property Tax Deductions Hide a Bigger Issue

Offshore owners are claiming substantial Australian rental deductions, but the headline numbers leave a critical policy question unanswered.
Market Signals

Melbourne Property Investors Are Quitting Rentals Fast

More landlords are selling into first-home buyer demand. The question is whether Melbourne’s rental market can absorb the shift.
Market Signals

First-home buyers retreat as Labor’s tax gamble bites

Loan demand is falling when policy was meant to clear the path. The bigger question is whether confidence returns before prices reset.
Latest
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.
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.
Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.
Policy Watch

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.
Suburb Reviews

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.
Policy Watch

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.

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