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Unemployment reaches 4.7%The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has a difficult balancing act ahead, following the release ...
15/10/2026

Unemployment reaches 4.7%

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has a difficult balancing act ahead, following the release of the latest unemployment figures.

Australia's unemployment rate reached 4.7% in September, up from 4.6% in August and the highest level in nearly five years, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The number of employed Australians fell by 39,300 during September, although full-time employment actually increased by 34,400.

These figures matter because the RBA has two important objectives – keeping inflation under control and supporting full employment.

After four cash rate increases this year, taking the rate to 4.60%, there are signs that higher borrowing costs are weighing on economic activity.

The RBA will now need to consider whether another rate rise is necessary to contain inflation, or whether doing so risks weakening the jobs market further.

The latest data strengthens the case for leaving rates unchanged at its November meeting.

Investor lending for new homes jumps 24%There's been a significant increase in property investors buying or building new...
15/10/2026

Investor lending for new homes jumps 24%

There's been a significant increase in property investors buying or building new homes, despite an overall slowdown in investor activity.

According to the 2026 PropTrack–Terri Scheer Investor Report, the number of investor loans declined 9% in the June quarter compared to the March quarter.

However, during that same period, investor loans for purchasing or constructing new homes jumped 24%.

One reason is the federal government's recent changes to negative gearing, which remove certain tax benefits for future purchases of established investment properties but preserve them for new homes.

PropTrack senior economist Angus Moore said the increase in investor demand for new properties was a deliberate outcome of the changes, which were designed to encourage additional housing supply.

That's potentially encouraging for Australia's housing market, because increased investment in new construction could help expand the supply of rental accommodation.

What's next for interest rates?The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left the door open to further interest rate incre...
14/10/2026

What's next for interest rates?

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left the door open to further interest rate increases, although another rise is far from guaranteed.

Minutes from its September meeting, when the cash rate was increased to 4.60%, reveal growing concerns about inflation.

The board noted that higher global energy prices, stronger-than-expected domestic inflation and widespread business cost pressures had made it harder to bring inflation back to its 2-3% target range.

However, there are also signs that higher interest rates are working.

Household spending has slowed, property prices have fallen and demand for new housing loans has weakened.

The question now is whether those changes will be enough to bring inflation under control without requiring further rate rises.

The RBA has made it clear that its future decisions will depend on incoming economic data, particularly inflation, employment and consumer demand.

Rental growth stalls despite very low vacancy rateAustralia's rental market is showing signs of reaching an affordabilit...
12/10/2026

Rental growth stalls despite very low vacancy rate

Australia's rental market is showing signs of reaching an affordability ceiling.

House rents across the combined capital cities were unchanged in the September quarter (see table), while unit rents rose a moderate 1.5%, according to Domain. That's despite the capital cities having a vacancy rate of just 1.0%, which would normally give landlords considerable power to increase rents.

Domain chief residential economist Nicola Powell said tenants were reaching the limits of their financial capacity.

“The combination of exceptionally tight vacancy rates and flat rents suggests affordability pressures are becoming harder to ignore,” she said.

“Australia’s rental shortage hasn’t disappeared, but it’s no longer translating into higher rents everywhere. Affordability is playing a greater role in determining rental outcomes, even where supply remains exceptionally tight.”

What does a square metre of property cost?We normally compare property markets using median prices. But another way to l...
11/10/2026

What does a square metre of property cost?

We normally compare property markets using median prices. But another way to look at value is how much buyers are paying per square metre.

A new PropTrack analysis found the median asking price for Australian houses in August was $1,535 per square metre – up 10.1% year-on-year.

But location makes an enormous difference.

At the top end, houses in Sydney’s Paddington have an asking price of $28,091 per square metre, while units in Barangaroo command an extraordinary $45,534.

Realestate.com.au economist Luc Redman said scarcity helps explain the premium in some expensive locations, with buyers prepared to sacrifice space to live in highly desirable areas.

At the other end of the spectrum, moving further from expensive inner-city locations can give buyers significantly more property for their money.

Listings jump 21.6% over the yearAustralia’s property market has entered spring with considerably more homes available f...
08/10/2026

Listings jump 21.6% over the year

Australia’s property market has entered spring with considerably more homes available for sale.

SQM Research recorded 276,839 residential listings in September – 2.6% more than in August and 21.6% more than a year earlier.

Some of the biggest annual increases occurred in Brisbane (+43.5%), Adelaide (+39.5%) and Melbourne (+30.3%).

Interestingly, new listings were up a much smaller 8.1% year-on-year. That suggests the increase in total stock isn’t simply because more vendors are listing their homes – properties are also taking longer to sell.

That could be welcome news for buyers. More properties sitting on the market generally means more choice, less pressure to make rushed decisions and greater negotiating power.

Does buying in the city still pay off?Location has always mattered in property – but "good location" doesn't necessarily...
07/10/2026

Does buying in the city still pay off?

Location has always mattered in property – but "good location" doesn't necessarily mean "closest to the C*D".

New analysis from Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee looked at house price growth in selected regional markets near five capital cities over the 10 years to March 2026.

Some of those markets substantially outperformed their neighbouring capitals.

For instance, around Melbourne, selected regional markets increased by about 86%, compared with 42% in Melbourne.

Around Perth, the comparison was about 133% versus 103%.

The figures highlight how property performance can be shaped by much more than distance from a city centre.

Affordability, infrastructure, employment, population growth and lifestyle can all influence where buyer demand – and price growth – ultimately ends up.

First home buyers save $1.4 billion in LMIFirst home buyers who used the expanded 5% Deposit Scheme have collectively av...
07/10/2026

First home buyers save $1.4 billion in LMI

First home buyers who used the expanded 5% Deposit Scheme have collectively avoided an estimated $1.4 billion in lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI) costs over the past year.

That’s according to new federal government figures, which show 102,594 first home buyers have used the scheme since it was expanded on 1 October 2025.

The scheme allows buyers to enter the market with a deposit as small as 5% without paying LMI, which would normally be an additional cost for many borrowers purchasing with less than a 20% deposit.

For someone purchasing the national median-priced home with a 5% deposit, the government estimates the LMI saving at around $23,700.

That doesn’t make buying a first home easy, but it can substantially reduce the upfront hurdle for buyers who qualify.

Financial system well placed to handle shocksAustralia is facing growing risks from overseas, but our financial system i...
06/10/2026

Financial system well placed to handle shocks

Australia is facing growing risks from overseas, but our financial system is in a strong position to handle them.

That’s one of the key messages from the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) latest Financial Stability Review.

The RBA is monitoring risks including geopolitical tensions, rising government debt in some major economies and the possibility of sharp corrections in global financial markets.

Closer to home, though, the picture is considerably more reassuring.

While financial pressure has increased this year, only around 2% of variable-rate owner-occupier borrowers currently have insufficient income to cover both mortgage repayments and essential expenses. Most of this group have enough savings to cover the shortfall for at least six months.

Mortgage arrears also remain around pre-pandemic levels, while less than 1% of borrowers currently owe more on their mortgage than their property is worth.

The RBA said most household borrowers remain well placed to manage ongoing cost pressures, despite higher rates and falling property prices.

House approvals remain strongThe latest building approvals data contains both good and bad news for Australia's future h...
05/10/2026

House approvals remain strong

The latest building approvals data contains both good and bad news for Australia's future housing supply.

The bad news is total dwelling approvals fell 6.1% in August to 16,953, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But detached housing is moving in the opposite direction.

Private-sector house approvals rose 3.7% during August to 10,885 and were 18.4% higher than a year earlier.

August also marked the eighth consecutive month in which more than 10,000 private-sector houses were approved across Australia.

The weak spot was higher-density housing, with approvals for private-sector dwellings excluding houses falling 21.2%.

That matters because Australia needs a strong pipeline of both houses and higher-density homes if housing supply is going to keep pace with demand.

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