May
The property tax surcharge creating an opportunity for local investors
Two states, Victoria and Queensland, levy an extra tax on offshore buyers that is pushing them out of a key asset class, to the benefit of locals.
April
Why Darwin Port struggles to excite potential buyers
Chinese firm Landbridge won an auction with 33 interested parties in 2015 for the tricky and political Port of Darwin. It was a very different time to now.
February
FIRB delays leave $800m renewable energy sale on the brink of collapse
Lightsource bp said it was “considering all options” after failing to secure approval to sell a major portfolio of assets to a Chinese government-backed firm.
December 2024
New year, new rules: all the January 1 changes you need to know
From pricier passports to more fuel-efficient cars, the start of the year will bring changes that will hit your finances, your workplace and even your kitchen.
November 2024
How a year-long wait worsens the housing crisis
A near 12-month wait for a Thai property developer for approvals to buy housing estates could deter other foreign developers, warns adviser Joseph Gersh.
July 2024
Japanese investors eye Australian residential real estate
Competition for Australian sites is heating up for Japanese companies such as Asahi Kasei Homes, Sumitomo Forestry Group and Daiwa House.
Foreign land buyers take class action against Victorian surcharge
It’s the latest step in a debate between those who argue taxation based on nationality is discriminatory and state governments that say it’s about revenue.
June 2024
Post-pandemic demand for Australian housing softens
Overseas interest in Australian residential real estate softened in the six months to December, according to new Treasury figures of Foreign Investment Review Board applications.
April 2024
Labor’s reforms will de-risk foreign investment
The overhaul in the budget will strengthen the review framework where we need to, streamline it where we can, and make it more transparent, writes Jim Chalmers.
Chinese billionaire to sell Tassie dairies after Fonterra deal sours
The Woolnorth dairy farms in north west Tasmania and the near 200-year-old Van Diemen’s Land Company are being sold by Chinese businessman Xianfeng Lu.
March 2024
Chinese offload property after failing to keep up with repayments
Squeezed by higher interest rates overseas and a cash crunch at home, Chinese investors are putting up “for sale” signs in Australia.
January 2024
States stand by ‘discriminatory’ taxes for foreign property buyers
The IMF criticised states for charging overseas buyers higher imposts on housing, saying it does nothing to boost affordability. The states agree – mostly.
November 2023
Abu Dhabi cash could win the battle for UK’s top Tory media titles
Manchester City soccer club owner Sheikh Mansour has lobbed a plan that could trump a pack of moguls such as Rupert Murdoch. But the UK government isn’t sure.
It’s time to scrap the Qantas foreign ownership cap
Capping the foreign ownership of Qantas makes the airline a supplicant of Canberra, and many of its problems flow from that.
Chinese buyers on private jets lining up for Toorak mansions
Buyer’s agent Alex Bragilevsky says he has a dozen Chinese clients who will pay cash for $30m mansions in Melbourne’s most expensive suburb.
Behind the Chinese luxury property buyer boom
Cashed-up purchasers are once again keen on high-end Australian property. But where does the money come from?
June 2022
How Brazilian bribes got JBS Australia started
Corruptly obtained cheap financing helped JBS set up in Australia, an inconvenient fact rarely mentioned by JBS’ defenders.
April 2022
Canada to ban foreigners from buying homes as prices soar
The move signals that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is becoming more assertive about taming one of the developed world’s most expensive housing markets.
February 2022
Cashed-up GIC’s quiet takeover of Australian commercial property
After splashing out $11 billion in the last five years, Singapore’s state-owned investor GIC is now the biggest offshore player in Australia - and it’s about to get a lot bigger.
August 2021
The ‘secrecy bug’ in foreign investment deals
Approvals of foreign takeovers of local companies often take place in the dark, but a Senate report has shed light on the problem and calls for reform.