The federal budget dropped last week and, if you believe the loudest voices in the room, property investment in Australia is finished. I don’t buy that for a second, but I do think this changes the game enough that investors need to think more carefully than they have for years. I’ve been watching governments tinker…
![[PODCAST] The Real Driver of Property Prices (It’s Not Interest Rates) with Simon Kuestenmacher](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/781_The_Real_Driver_of_Property_Prices-SK-Youtube-cover-270x200.jpg)
If you’ve been following the headlines, you’d be forgiven for thinking property markets rise and fall on the back of interest rates, government policy, or the latest migration numbers. But when you step back and look at what really drives long-term property performance, a different story starts to emerge. In fact, the biggest driver of…
![[PODCAST] Three Rate Rises. One Big Question: Is the Property Boom Finally Over?| Latest Data from Dr Andrew Wilson](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/790-Three_Rate_Rises-AW-Youtube-cover-270x200.jpg)
The property market has just taken an interesting turn. After a strong run, we’re now seeing signs that higher interest rates, affordability pressures and buyer uncertainty are starting to bite. But as always, the headline numbers don’t tell the full story. Some markets are slowing, some are still showing resilience, and underneath it all we…
For years, millennials have been the punching bag of public debate. They’ve been criticised for delaying marriage, accused of spending too much on travel and avocado toast, and blamed for changing workplace culture. Depending on who you listen to, they’re either financially irresponsible or victims of a system that became harder to navigate just as…
The Federal budget on May 12 changed the rules for property investors in ways that most people are still working through, and Westpac’s economics team has now put some concrete numbers around the likely market impact. If you’ve been wondering how to think about the combination of the tax changes and rising interest rates, I’ll…
![[PODCAST] Labor’s Budget Is Making Australia’s Housing Crisis WORSE – Senator Andrew Bragg Explains Why](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/789_Labors-Budget-AB-Youtube-cover-270x200.jpg)
It doesn’t matter whether you own an investment property, whether you’re renting, or whether you’re desperately trying to buy your first home. This Federal Budget has just made your situation harder. If you’re a tenant, rents are already punishing. Vacancy rates are near record lows and there simply aren’t enough rentals to go around. The…
![[PODCAST] Why Investors Who Obsess Over Tax Often Miss What Matters More with Stuart Wemyss](https://cdn.propertyupdate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/784_Obsess_Over_Tax-SW-Youtube-cover-270x200.jpg)
There’s a strange thing that happens to many property investors. They’ll spend hours worrying about tax, negative gearing, capital gains tax, trusts, land tax, and what the next government might change – yet they’ll give far less thought to the quality of the asset they’re buying, the level of debt they’re taking on, or whether…
Before the federal budget lands, I think every Australian property investor needs to understand what happened across the Tasman over the last four years, because New Zealand didn’t just debate whether to remove negative gearing and interest deductibility from property investors. They actually did it! And then, after watching rents hit record highs, investors bail…
They’re not the loudest generation and they don’t dominate social media conversations like Millennials, nor do they attract the political attention constantly aimed at Baby Boomers. In fact they rarely become the focus of think pieces or economic debates, and yet right now, Generation X sits in one of the most influential positions in Australia….
The government’s message sounds simple enough: make property investing less attractive, reduce the advantages investors supposedly have, tilt the playing field back toward first-home buyers, and more young Australians will finally be able to get a foot on the property ladder. On the surface, that sounds fair, and I can understand why many frustrated first-home…
