Victoria establishes taskforce to fast-track flammable cladding probe
Architect and former premier Ted Baillieu will head up the new Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which has been established to investigate how widely flammable cladding has been used on Victorian high-rise buildings.
Vic government introduces new laws to protect Yarra River
New Victorian legislation identifies the Yarra River and the land it flows through as one living, integrated entity, the first time in Australia such a declaration has been made.
Capital gains withholding tax too low for foreign residents says REIA
The threshold for foreign-resident capital gains tax withholding has been reduced to an unnecessarily low level, subjecting agents and conveyancers to additional red tape and costs for no good reason, says Malcolm Gunning of the REIA.
NSW moves a "great first step" to improve affordability: REINSW
John Cunningham, president of the REINSW, says the state government's moves to help first-home buyers are welcome "first steps" to address housing affordability pressures in NSW.
NSW expected to increase charges for foreign investors, help first-home buyers
With recent data showing that one in every 10 buyers in NSW is from overseas, the state government is expected to double the foreign investor surcharge, raising funds to help first-home buyers.
Federal government should reconsider changes to investment deductions, says REIA
Changes proposed by the federal government mean that an investor who owns a commercial investment property can claim travel costs for their annual site inspection, but a residential property investor can not.
The NSW government is set to consider allowing development applications over a certain size to be automatically deferred to independent planning panels.