Lion IQ, 159 Main Street Osborne Park, Perth (2026)

02/09/2026

Australian economy grows 2.1%

Australia’s economy continued to expand in the June quarter, despite households remaining relatively cautious.

Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.4% during the quarter and 2.1% over the year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

There were also some encouraging signs for household finances.

Compensation of employees – which includes wages and salaries – increased 1.5% during the quarter, helping lift household disposable income. At the same time, households saved 6.5% of their income, up slightly from 6.4% in March.

The economy also performed better over the full financial year, with GDP growing 2.4% in 2025-26 compared with 1.5% the year before.

The Reserve Bank of Australia will be watching the data closely as it considers the future path of interest rates.

01/09/2026

Property market shifts in favour of buyers

Property buyers are gaining more negotiating power as the national housing downturn becomes increasingly widespread.

Australia’s median property value fell 0.9% in August from July, according to Cotality, with 93% of capital city suburbs recording a decline over winter.

At the same time, buyer demand has weakened. Estimated home sales during the past quarter were 15.5% lower than a year earlier and 11.5% below the five-year average.

That means properties are taking longer to sell and available stock is accumulating. Capital city listings at the end of August were 24% higher than a year earlier and 8% above the five-year average.

Cotality said longer selling times, larger vendor discounts and persistently low auction clearance rates were all pointing towards a buyer’s market.

31/08/2026

Most Australians want to hold onto the family home

The family home may be one of Australians’ largest assets, but most don’t appear particularly keen to cash it in during retirement.

Vanguard research found nearly six in 10 Australians intend either to remain in their home for life or leave it to their family.

Only around one in four view their home as a potential source of retirement funding through downsizing or releasing equity.

Even among retirees who had moved or planned to move, lifestyle considerations were more common than financial ones. Almost half (48%) wanted to move to a preferred location, while 37% said their home had become difficult to maintain.

Just 23% cited accessing money for retirement and 20% cited paying off their mortgage.

So while downsizing is often discussed as a retirement strategy, relatively few Australians appear to be planning on it.

30/08/2026

First home buyer lending holds steady year-on-year

First home buyer activity has cooled in recent months, but the longer-term picture is more resilient.

The number of new owner-occupier first home buyer loans fell 2.9% in the June quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), following a 3.6% decline in the March quarter.

Despite those two consecutive quarterly falls, first home buyer lending was unchanged compared with the June quarter of 2025.

That compares favourably with the broader owner-occupier market, where the number of new loans was 1.6% lower than a year earlier – the first annual decline since the September quarter of 2023.

So while fewer first home buyers are entering the market than at the start of the year, their overall presence has held up relatively well during a period of softer lending activity.

27/08/2026

Why national house prices may not fall far

Australia’s housing downturn is underway, but new analysis from Ray White suggests the national decline may be relatively contained.

National house values fell 0.8% in July and 2.0% over the three months to July, according to Cotality. However, they remain 5.7% higher than a year ago.

Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee modelled what could happen if prices continued falling at their recent pace of 0.68% per month.

If that continued for another six months, the annual decline would reach about 4.9%. For the fall to reach 7.9% – comparable with the Global Financial Crisis – prices would need to keep declining at the recent pace until April 2027.

Importantly, Conisbee said the current downturn is very different from the GFC, which involved a global credit shock and severe financial-system stress. Today, transaction volumes are exceptionally low, but there is no equivalent shock forcing large numbers of homeowners to sell.

Conisbee also identified several factors that could limit the downturn, including greater interest rate certainty, improving investor returns, high construction costs and the continuing shortage of housing.

So while prices may fall further, the underlying conditions suggest the national downturn could ultimately prove relatively shallow.

26/08/2026

Inflation slows to 3.5%

Australia’s inflation rate has fallen, but the latest figures suggest the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) won’t be declaring victory just yet.

Headline annual inflation eased from 3.8% in June to 3.5% in July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

However, the result was higher than economists had expected, while trimmed mean inflation – which strips out some volatile price movements to provide a better indication of underlying inflation – remained unchanged at 3.6%.

Housing was the largest contributor to annual inflation, rising 5.0%, including a 5.7% increase in new dwelling prices. Food and non-alcoholic beverages also continued to put upward pressure on household budgets.

The RBA held the cash rate at 4.35% earlier this month, but made clear that another increase remains possible if inflation doesn’t continue to ease.

So while headline inflation is falling, borrowers may need to wait a little longer for greater certainty on interest rates.

25/08/2026

Property scam confidence falls

Australians are becoming less confident in their ability to spot property scams, as scammers use increasingly sophisticated tactics.

New PEXA research found that 41% of recent and prospective property buyers were confident they could detect a property scam, down from 51% a year earlier.

The research also tested how well people could identify warning signs in a simulated scam email:

* 42% couldn’t identify any of the scam markers
* 99% failed to spot the fraudulent email address, even after being told the email was a scam

That matters because property transactions involve large sums of money and can already be stressful – 87% of respondents ranked them among their most stressful life experiences.

One important precaution is to independently verify any unexpected request to change payment details. Rather than replying to the message or using the contact details it provides, contact your conveyancer, lawyer or other property professional using a number you already know to be genuine.

24/08/2026

Housing supply improving – but target remains challenging

Australia hasn’t been building enough homes to keep pace with demand, contributing to housing shortages and putting pressure on property prices and rents.

To help address that imbalance, federal, state and territory governments agreed to a national target to help facilitate the construction of 1.2 million new homes over the five years from July 2024 to June 2029. This is known as the National Housing Accord.

So how are we tracking?

The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council’s latest report shows some encouraging signs. Quarterly building approvals have increased 26% since the National Housing Accord period began, while commencements are up 15%.

There were also a record 244,000 homes under construction in the March quarter.

However, getting those homes completed remains challenging. House construction costs increased 2% in the June quarter and are now 51% higher than before the pandemic.

The Council expects recent interest rate rises and softer market sentiment may also cause some construction to be deferred.

As a result, it estimates Australia will reach 1.2 million new homes in the December quarter of 2030 – about 18 months after the original target date.

So while the pipeline is improving, Australia will need to build homes considerably faster if supply is to catch up with demand.

23/08/2026

Don't assume you can't refinance

If you've thought about refinancing but assumed you wouldn't qualify, it may be worth getting a second opinion.

Finder's 2026 Home Loan Report found only 45% of mortgage holders believe they could switch to a better loan today.

Income and expenses were the most common obstacle, cited by 22% of borrowers, followed by being on a fixed rate (13%) and not having enough equity (11%).

But Finder home loans expert Richard Whitten said one of the most expensive assumptions borrowers can make is believing they can't refinance without investigating their options.

That's because every lender assesses borrowers differently.

So even if refinancing hasn't looked possible in the past, it may be worth asking a mortgage broker to check whether another lender would view your situation differently.

20/08/2026

Unemployment rises to 4.5%

Australia’s unemployment rate has edged higher, adding to signs that the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) interest rate rises are cooling the economy.

The unemployment rate rose from 4.4% in June to 4.5% in July, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Employment fell by 15,800 people, while unemployment increased by 4,200.

The result is broadly in line with the RBA’s expectations. Earlier this month, the central bank forecast unemployment would reach 4.5% by the end of 2026 before gradually rising to 4.8% by mid-2028.

The RBA has been using higher interest rates to slow demand and bring inflation under control. A softer labour market is one sign that this strategy is working. Of course, one unemployment result won’t determine what happens next. But if the labour market continues to soften and inflation moves in the right direction, the RBA may have less reason to raise rates again.

Lion IQ

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

27/08/2026

26/08/2026

25/08/2026

24/08/2026

23/08/2026

20/08/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category

Listing takedown request