Equilibria Finance - Mortgage Brokers

16/06/2026

The RBA held the cash rate steady at 4.35% at its June meeting. While rates are on hold borrowers aren’t in the clear.

• The cash rate held at 4.35% — what the market expected.

• The decision was unanimous.

Despite softer data, the tone remains firmly hawkish.

• Headline inflation is slowly easing . 4.6% in March to 4.2% in April.

• Trimmed mean (RBA’s key measure): 3.3% in March to 3.4% in April

• The RBA target rage is 2% - 3%

The RBA is signalling:

• Growth will slow further

• The full impact of oil and global pressures is still unclear

• Higher rates are working — but with a lag

Michele Bullock’s message was blunt:

Households should brace for another 1–2 years of cost-of-living pressure.

You can read the full statement here: (https://www.rba.gov.au/media-releases/2026/mr-26-15.html)

09/06/2026

Budget Shock Hits Housing Confidence — But The Real Problem Is Supply

This week on Ausbiz, we unpack how the budget has already rattled confidence across the property market — and we’re seeing it play out in real time through client behaviour, investor pullback, and mounting pressure on rents.

Let’s call it what it is — a cynical tax grab dressed up as ‘housing reform’, without a mandate.

We discuss how this is flowing through to prices, rents, and buyer decisions right now and how the bigger issue is supply, with migration still running at ~500,000+ p.a., construction is constrained, and new housing simply isn’t keeping up.

And until that imbalance is addressed, no amount of policy spin will fix the problem.

With sentiment shifting fast take a look! (https://youtu.be/h60XEg2NKyQ?si=iv7HrLHNpMSwTwzv)

07/06/2026

Canstar found that housing costs remain Australians’ top financial worry heading into 2026, with 22% of respondents nominating mortgage and rent costs as their biggest concern.

Additionally Roy Morgan reported that 26.8% of mortgage holders were ‘at risk’ of mortgage stress in the three months to March 2026, which equates to 1,447,000 people.

And the pressure isn’t coming from just one direction. The ABS Selected Living Cost Indexes for March 2026 showed living costs rose between 2.6% and 5.2% annually depending on household type, with housing, health and transport among the main contributors.

As such many owner-occupiers are carrying the cost of the family home while absorbing rising day-to-day living expenses at the same time, with cost-of-living pressures showing up in mortgage repayments, the grocery bill, the insurance renewal, power bill etc etc etc.

How we’re helping mortgage holders right now

1 - Negotiating better rates:
Many borrowers are unknowingly overpaying. Even a small rate reduction can make a meaningful difference to monthly cash flow.

2 - Restructure loans for breathing room:
Review repayment types
Adjust loan splits
Align their loan structure with current lifestyle pressures

3 - Refinance strategically — not just chasing rates, but improving:
Cash flow
Flexibility
Buffer management

4 - Stress testing household budgets — helping clients understand:
What happens if rates move again
How to build resilience back into the household

03/06/2026

Three rate rises in four months are hitting household budgets – with most lenders having now passed on the Reserve Bank’s May cash rate increase to variable-rate borrowers. That means many households are now feeling the combined impact of the February, March and May rate rises all at once.

According to Canstar analysis, a borrower with $600,000 remaining on their mortgage is now paying an extra $3,265 per year in repayments following the three increases.

For many households, that’s a meaningful change to monthly cash flow, and the Reserve Bank has made it clear inflation remains a concern, and further rate increases are still possible.

31/05/2026

The weekend’s auction results suggest the Budget is already reshaping buyer behaviour and hitting confidence.

Auction Results as reported by Cotality below report a Sydney clearance rate of 51.9% for the week ending 31 May 2026, while the combined capitals sat at 54.5%.

At the same time, the Government’s 12 May 2026 Budget introduced major changes to property tax settings, including limiting negative gearing on established residential property to new builds from 1 July 2027 and replacing the 50% CGT discount with cost-base indexation plus a 30% minimum tax rate for individuals, trusts and partnerships from 1 July 2027.

When you reduce the incentive for investors to participate in established housing, you don’t “rebalance” the market — you remove depth. T

he result? Weaker auctions, thinner competition, and more pressure on both investors and owner-occupiers.

This isn’t improving affordability — it’s undermining confidence

28/05/2026

23/05/2026

Fantastic to have our new silent equity partner Anthony Albanese or "Albo" as he asked to be called join us this week.
"Albo" contributed 0%. 0% capital, 0% risk, 0% effort.
As a business owner:
- We sign the leases.
- We cover payroll.
- We work weekends.
- We mortgage homes.
- We absorb losses when things go wrong.
I Don’t Need a 47% Business Partner

21/05/2026

Right now, many Australians are questioning whether this economically illiterate government backs small business owners, entrepreneurship, mum and dad property investors looking to get ahead, young home buyers or those renting.

A tax grab budget dressed up as reform and shrouded in a litany of broken promises has caused anger and disbelief, where bad policy creates uncertainty and unintended consequences. Investors are pausing. Small businesses are angry. And banks are making changes and watching closely.

This week on Ausbiz, I shared what I’m seeing on the ground as a small business owner and mortgage broker:
— from growing concern and changing sentiments among property investors, young home-buyers and renters looking at higher rents
— how property investor buying capacity has been impacted
— to anger from small business owners
— to how banks are responding and what it could mean for the housing market - not only for investors but young home buyers alike.

21/05/2026

Right now, many Australians are questioning whether this economically illiterate government backs small business owners, entrepreneurship, mum and dad property investors looking to get ahead, young home buyers or those renting.

A tax grab budget dressed up as reform and shrouded in a litany of broken promises has caused anger and disbelief, where bad policy creates uncertainty and unintended consequences. Investors are pausing. Small businesses are angry. And banks are making changes and watching closely.

This week on Ausbiz, I shared what I’m seeing on the ground as a small business owner and mortgage broker:
• from growing concern and changing sentiments among property investors, young home-buyers and renters looking at higher rents
• how property investor buying capacity has been impacted
• to anger from small business owners
• to how banks are responding and what it could mean for the housing market - not only for investors but young home buyers alike.

17/05/2026

Federal Budget 2026 just reshaped property investing in Australia. With no mandate this ill-disciplined government that is addicted to spending has proposed the biggest changes to CGT and negative gearing we’ve seen in 20 years.

Essentially a tax grab, dressed up as reform these changes could materially change how investors approach the market and take away a pathway for future wealth generation strategies for younger Australians.

What’s Changing with Capital Gains Tax?

From 1 July 2027, CGT may move from a flat 50% discount to an inflation-based system:
- Purchase price indexed to CPI
- Tax applied only to “real” gains above inflation
- Minimum 30% tax rate applies

Negative Gearing: What’s Changing?
- Existing properties (pre-budget): No changes
- Established properties (post-budget): From 1 July 2027, losses cannot offset salary or other income, can only offset property income or future gains
- New builds: No changes (full tax benefits remain)

The Budget says it will improve housing affordability. The reality? It risks doing the opposite. Here’s what stands out:

👉 Investors get pushed out: Removing the CGT discount and restricting negative gearing to new builds fundamentally changes the maths.
Lower returns + higher risk = less investment.

👉 First home buyers who use rent-vesting as a pathway to home ownership are pushed out of the market

👉 Rental supply gets squeezed: Fewer investors means fewer rental properties. And when supply drops, rents don’t stay flat.

👉 New housing won’t keep up: The assumption that investors will simply pivot into new builds ignores:
- Labour shortages
- Rising construction costs
- Planning delays

👉 The market freezes
Grandfathering existing properties creates an incentive to hold, not sell.
Fewer listings = less liquidity across the entire market.

👉 The big issue
You can’t improve affordability by discouraging the very capital that funds housing supply.

👉What this means:
- Higher rents
- Slower housing delivery
- A more constrained market overall

Short-term optics. Long-term consequences.

Full summary here: (https://equilibriafinance.com.au/federal-budget-2026-property-tax-summary/)