November
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.
- John Kehoe
July
- Exclusive
- Property development
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.
- Michael Bleby
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.
- Michael Bleby
June
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.
- Michael Bleby and Tom McIlroy
April
- Opinion
- Federal budget
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.
- Jim Chalmers
- Exclusive
- Rural property
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.
- Larry Schlesinger
March
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.
- Michael Smith
January
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.
- Michael Bleby
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.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Opinion
- Aviation
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.
- John Wylie
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.
- Larry Schlesinger
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?
- Updated
- Andrew Clark, Bonnie Campbell and Michael Read
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.
- Myriam Robin
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.
- Brian Platt and Ari Altstedter
February 2022
- Exclusive
- Commercial property finance
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.
- Emma Connors
August 2021
- Opinion
- Opinion
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.
- Adele Ferguson
March 2021
Dexus brings Singaporeans into 1 Bligh Street deal
The investment adds depth and diversity to Dexus’ funds management business, consolidates its control over the asset and supports the valuation of prime office towers after a year of turmoil.
- Nick Lenaghan
US companies’ demands for FIRB changes will be considered: Treasurer
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has taken a conciliatory tone to complaints from US-based companies about Australia’s foreign investment restrictions.
- Matthew Cranston
January 2021
- Opinion
- China relations
Why banning China from buying Probuild is justified discrimination
The security reality is that different rules must apply for takeovers by Chinese firms because Beijing sees every commercial entity as a tool of the state.
- John Lee
October 2020
FIRB chairman urges calm on rule changes
FIRB chairman David Irvine insists that new rules designed to protect Australia’s national security interests in takeovers will affect only a small number of transactions.
- James Thomson