The average dwelling price has risen to more than 17 years of a typical household’s disposable income
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House prices have dropped across several Australian capital cities, with major banks predicting falls of 2% to 3% by the end of the year.
But after a decade of accelerating house prices, this wouldn’t make a significant dent in housing affordability.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Economists warn Labor’s removal of caps could be pushing up prices as support flows to people in better financial positions
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Most Australian first home buyers are using the government’s 5% deposit scheme, with one in three new participants earning more than the scheme’s previous cap for high income earners.
The influx of high income earners into the first home guarantee program, economists warn, has pushed up property prices by increasing buying capacity for people who would have bought anyway.
Continue reading...Half of county’s planning infringement notices target caravans in fields, fuelling eviction fears for vulnerable people
People living in caravans and horseboxes on farms in Cornwall because they can’t afford or find a house to rent are facing homelessness after a crackdown by the council.
Cornwall council recently announced that it was one of the top five authorities in England for enforcing infringements of planning regulations. Half of those notices, it said, were served on caravans in agricultural fields.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Data shows buyers are not rushing to get into the market, despite lower prices and less competition
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First home buyers are starting to step back and investor demand is slumping in all areas except new property, as Australia’s housing market enters a downturn.
Research shows the market is transforming, nearly two months on from a third consecutive interest rate rise and sweeping tax reforms.
Continue reading...More than half of homes taken to auction not selling while median property price in Adelaide started to slide in June
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House prices are now falling in four capital cities with the Adelaide market beginning to slide in June, while Sydney values have dropped by $48,000 since the start of the year.
Data from Cotality, released on Wednesday, showed Sydney and Melbourne recorded their biggest one-month decline in values since August 2022, falling 1.2% and 1% respectively.
Continue reading...As Labor pushes on with reforms, the Coalition must decide whether to join in the parliamentary deal-making
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It’s the last week of parliament before the winter break, and not a minute too soon; tensions have been running a little high lately.
The lower house speaker, Milton Dick, has been yeeting MPs mere moments into question time and accused Angus Taylor of “demeaning” the parliament by calling Anthony Albanese a liar; Andrew Hastie claimed One Nation “has declared war on me, so they shall have war”; Labor has been goading the Coalition and its media “cheer squad” for opposing the budget; the Greens hate Labor’s NDIS bill; and people in the Coalition seem to be mad at everyone, including themselves.
Continue reading...State government project among range of works celebrated for community-centred design that goes beyond utility
The reimagined St Kilda pier has added more accolades to its burgeoning trophy cabinet, taking out some of the top gongs at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects’ Victorian awards.
The $53m Victorian government project redesigned by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, alongside Site Office Landscape Architecture and AW Maritime, took home the Victorian architecture medal on Friday, the award given to the most outstanding project of the year.
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Continue reading...Most economists believe the chronic undersupply of homes will eventually push prices higher once interest rates ease and the tax changes are priced in
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The government’s property tax changes have become one of the defining political issues of Labor’s second term, drawing fierce criticism from opponents who argue they represent an “assault on aspiration” that will destroy home values.
In the three weeks after the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were revealed in the 12 May budget, housing data has begun to show how they may affect Australia’s property market. Here’s what the data shows, and what could happen next.
Continue reading...Hanson’s party is leading in the polls, but it has a long way to go before being recognised as a serious political outfit
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When sent out to do a cleanup job, it usually helps to not make the mess even worse.
It took One Nation six separate attempts over nearly 24 hours to clarify the basic details of their policy on foreign ownership of housing. Between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, the story turned from bizarre to farcical, with attempts to clarify the policy just making the situation murkier as Australians watched:
a Barnaby Joyce interview;
a quick do-over on Sky News on Thursday;
a Pauline Hanson social media update on Friday morning;
a Sean Bell interview, again on Sky, on Friday;
and then a 2GB spot;
before a written press release from Bell on Friday afternoon
Continue reading...Instead of relying on tax-enhanced speculation, investors must now look at established properties based on actual profitability – leaving space for first home buyers
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For decades, Australia’s property market has been defined by relentless price rises, reinforcing the old adage that real estate investment is “as safe as houses”.
There’s now a wrinkle in that wisdom.
Continue reading...Buyers abandon auctions and Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra median house prices end May lower than they were at the end of 2025
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Home prices in Australia’s capital cities have begun to fall, with experts predicting the decline could last at least a year and wipe as much as 10% from values.
The median capital city home price fell in May, the first decline since January 2025, as high interest rates and inflation stretched buyer budgets, Cotality reported on Monday. Auction success hit a new low for the year.
Continue reading...Owners’ lack of motivation due to ‘split incentive’ is main reason rental properties are missing out on energy upgrades, research finds
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Renters make up nearly a third of Australian households, yet many are missing out on energy upgrades – such as insulation, appliances and rooftop solar – that could slash their power bills and improve home comfort.
The problem, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), is landlords’ lack of motivation.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Any attempt to use the budget measures as an excuse to raise rent is opportunistic profiteering, housing advocates say
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Australia’s peak community and housing groups have urged federal parliament to quickly pass Labor’s changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax, saying the reforms would improve fairness for renters and young homebuyers.
The government may introduce its negative gearing and CGT changes into parliament as soon as the coming sitting fortnight, with hopes of passing the legislation soon after with the support of the Greens.
Continue reading...Changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing will make the strategy of renting in a preferred area while buying a cheaper property elsewhere less attractive, experts say
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Rent-vesting – a popular strategy used by young Australians to save for their first home – could be killed off by Labor’s tax changes on investment properties, experts warn.
Renters have used the strategy to keep living in their preferred area while buying a cheaper property elsewhere, hoping it will rise in price so they can sell and put the profits towards their first home.
Continue reading...Taxpayers and first home buyers are the winners in Labor’s 2026 budget, while rich families could be among the losers. Find out who is better off and who is worse off in Chalmers’ budget
Federal budget 2026 LIVE updates: Australia government budget announcement and speech – latest news
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Being a winner or a loser from the federal budget can be the difference between hundreds of dollars – or tightening your belt even further.
Tuesday’s federal budget comes at a strange time. Donald Trump is waging a war on Iran that is impacting fuel supplies globally, including Australia. Inflation is still causing havoc on household budgets. Government programs are costing more than ever.
Continue reading...Tent where twins were born up to a 15-minute walk away from nearest public toilets or running water
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The tent where a newborn baby was found dead at Wagga beach at the weekend was part of a homeless encampment up to a 15-minute walk away from the nearest public toilets or running water, with residents in a nearby apartment block saying conditions were “worse than a Syrian war camp”.
The tragedy has prompted fury in the community, with residents of Wagga Wagga calling on authorities to take urgent action to make the encampments safe and sanitary.
Continue reading...Owner-occupier mortgage growth slowed under growing costs while investor loans grew by $42bn in the year to March, a 9.6% increase
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Property investor borrowing rose at its fastest rate in a decade in March, according to the Reserve Bank, despite higher interest rates and speculation about property tax changes.
Owner-occupier loan growth slowed under the weight of growing mortgage costs but investor lending is continuing its record surge.
Continue reading...PM took questions from leader of the opposition and other MPs in final PMQs before recess
Here is the running order for PMQs.
Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election, Anna Isaac reports.
Continue reading...Noongar woman Mary Ann Miller died of sepsis while homeless to avoid an allegedly abusive ex-partner
Warning: This article contains images of and references to Indigenous Australians who have died
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The family of an Aboriginal mother of seven who died just weeks after giving birth say the Western Australian government knew she was experiencing domestic violence and fearing for her safety weeks before her death.
Mary Ann Miller died of sepsis in Fiona Stanley hospital on 28 March, two weeks after giving birth to her son and after she was allegedly assaulted and had her nose broken by her former partner. Guardian Australia is not suggesting the alleged assault contributed to her death.
Continue reading...Alex Greenwich says inquest crucial to understand what failures led to Bikram Lama’s death and avoid similar deaths
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The New South Wales attorney-general, Michael Daley, has been urged to order an inquest into the death of Nepali rough sleeper Bikram Lama in Hyde Park.
The death of Lama – who was also known as “the birdman” for his love of the area’s pigeons – has prompted widespread calls for change, after Guardian Australia revealed last week that the young migrant’s body lay unnoticed for up to a week in bushes near a busy thoroughfare into St James station.
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