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Aus Property Invest news

Market notes, product updates, and investment research from Aus Property Invest.

• RBA's Hunter says rate rises have 'not quite yet' done the job, sees no systemic housing stress: RBA Assistant Governor Sarah Hunter told 60 Minutes this year's four rate rises have 'not quite yet' done the job, oil costs are embedding in supply chains including construction, and falling house prices are not causing systemic financial stress. The cash rate is 4.60% ahead of 3 November.
• RBA's Hauser says inflation outlook 'materially worse' ahead of 3 November decision: Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser told a Citi conference on 21 October that the inflation outlook looks materially worse than the RBA projected in August, framing the 3 November meeting as a hard choice between more tightening and protecting the labour market. The cash rate is 4.60%.
• Housing ministers agree to overhaul the National Construction Code: Commonwealth, state and territory housing, planning and building ministers committed on 16 October to modernise the National Construction Code, with a simpler digital code, fewer state variations, tougher cost-benefit tests and easier pathways for modular and prefabricated homes.
• Jobs fall 39,300 as unemployment rate reaches 4.7% before RBA's November call: ABS September Labour Force shows employment down 39,300 and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 4.7%, with participation and the employment-to-population ratio both lower. The cash rate remains 4.60%, with the next Board decision due 3 November.
• Negative gearing bill keeps 24-month new-build window and exempts build-to-rent: Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 3) Bill 2026 on 14 October. Schedule 5 keeps the 24-month certificate-of-occupancy window from the exposure draft in the new-build test and lists negative gearing exemptions for affordable and public housing, specialist disability accommodation, retirement villages, aged care and build-to-rent, ahead of the 1 July 2027 start.
• RBA minutes: faster house price falls were not enough to stop the September hike: Minutes of the Reserve Bank's 29 September meeting show the Board saw housing prices falling faster than expected and investor lending dropping sharply, but judged the hit to spending would be modest and lifted the cash rate to 4.60 per cent unanimously. Members only briefly considered a hold, said excess demand was greater than thought and kept a further increase on the table ahead of 3 November.
• ABS: Home building starts jump 7% as house commencements surge: Australia started 52,201 homes in the June quarter 2026, up 7.0% on March and 14.4% on a year earlier, as private house starts rose 11.6% to their highest level since 2021. Completions rose 5.8% and almost 249,000 homes were still under construction, the most in ABS data charted back to 2018.
• CPI climbs to 4.0% as housing and fuel lift inflation a day after the RBA hike: ABS monthly CPI rose 4.0% in the year to August 2026, up from 3.5% in July, with housing up 5.7% and automotive fuel jumping 14.8% on the month. Trimmed mean held at 3.6%. The print lands a day after the cash rate rose to 4.60%, with building approvals also softer on the month.
• RBA FSR: households can weather softer prices; main risks sit offshore: The Reserve Bank’s October 2026 Financial Stability Review finds Australia’s financial system resilient, with most mortgagors able to manage softer growth and lower housing prices. Negative equity is under 1 per cent; a further 20 per cent price fall would put about 5 per cent of mortgages underwater. Banks remain well capitalised. The Bank says the principal threats now come from abroad, including geopolitics, AI-linked leverage and operational shocks.
• Household spending flat in August as fuel masks softer discretionary demand: ABS Monthly Household Spending Indicator shows current-price seasonally adjusted spending unchanged at 0.0% in August after +1.1% in July, up 6.8% through the year. Excluding fuel, spending would have fallen 0.3%. The print lands the same day the RBA lifted the cash rate to 4.60%.
• RBA lifts cash rate to 4.60%, citing materialising inflation risks: The Monetary Policy Board raised the cash rate target by 25 basis points to 4.60% on 29 September 2026, effective 30 September. The Board said upside inflation risks flagged in August are materialising, noted softer housing prices and new loans, and left open further increases if needed. At the post-decision media conference, Governor Bullock said the hope is that four 2026 increases will prove restrictive enough, refused forward guidance on November, and said the Board will not put heavy weight on a single CPI print. The decision was unanimous.
• Household wealth rises as super offsets first land-and-dwellings fall since 2022: ABS Finance and Wealth for June quarter 2026 shows household net worth up 1.0% to $19.4 trillion as superannuation rose 5.2%, while land and dwellings fell 0.2%. Household credit demand hit a record $72.6 billion, led by housing loans.
• Unemployment rises to 4.6% in August as labour market keeps easing into RBA week: ABS August labour force shows the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate up 0.2 percentage points to 4.6%, with employment still rising and participation higher. Cash remains 4.35%, with the Reserve Bank decision due 29 September.
• RBA board member Ross: no wage-price spiral in sight ahead of 29 September: Monetary Policy Board member Iain Ross AO told a Melbourne audience on 22 September there is no evidence of a wage-price spiral and that today’s labour institutions make a 1970s-style episode unlikely. His views are personal, not a Board decision. The cash rate remains 4.35%, with a decision due 29 September.
• Big Four now call a 29 September cash-rate hike: bank views vs RBA facts: CBA and ANZ today joined NAB and Westpac in putting a September cash-rate rise in their base case. The Reserve Bank has not moved: the cash rate is still 4.35%, with a decision due 29 September.
• Bullock to House Economics: housing softens as Board nears 29 September decision: On 18 September 2026 Governor Michele Bullock told the House Economics Committee inflation remains too high, upside risks are materialising, and housing conditions have softened with prices down in most capitals. The cash rate is still 4.35%; the Board decides on 29 September.
• APRA: ADI housing credit hits $2.56 trillion in June quarter 2026: APRA’s June quarter 2026 ADI property exposures, released 17 September, show residential credit outstanding at $2,558.5 billion (+7.0% year on year), new loans funded $200.5 billion, and investor share of outstanding still edging higher. Arrears remain contained.
• NAB calls a September cash-rate hike: what the RBA has actually said: On 27 August 2026 NAB Economics said it now expects a 25 basis point rise at the RBA's 28-29 September meeting, to 4.60%. That is a bank forecast. Here is how it sits against the Board's own August decision and minutes, with the cash rate still at 4.35%.
• What to look for in a rental property (Australia): A practical nationwide guide for renters: budget and bond, location and hazard checks, property condition, lease terms, applications, inspections, red flags, and what to do after you move in.
• Buying a house in Australia in 2026: a practical guide: A nationwide, facts-first walkthrough for people buying a home to live in: deposit and LMI basics, APRA serviceability, pre-approval, inspections, auction vs private treaty, cooling-off, stamp duty, conveyancing and settlement. Built from RBA, APRA, ASIC Moneysmart and state consumer sources.