NEWS

Jul 23, 2024

IT outage compensation talk inevitable: CrowdStrike

The Australian president of CrowdStrike has apologised for the cybersecurity company's role in causing an outage that crippled global IT systems. Friday's outage, which hit an estimated 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide, was caused by a logic flaw in a software update sent by cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike to its customers, the company's Australian president Michael Sentonas told Sky News.

By JACOB SHTEYMAN

Jul 23, 2024

Australia warned to wise up as cyber attacks continue

As technology evolves, so do criminals, and the government must update its infrastructure and standards to keep Australians safe, an expert has urged.

By KAT WONG

Jul 23, 2024

Home building to gather steam but undershoot 1.2m goal

A recovery in home building is coming but will take time and is still expected to fall short of the 1.2 million national target.

By POPPY JOHNSTON

Jul 18, 2024

Renter relief hits with more cooling in sight

Clouds are finally starting to part for Australian tenants, with rents in most major cities either falling, stalling or growing at a slower pace. Low vacancy rates have pushed advertised rents higher for several months running but the latest report from real estate platform Domain shows conditions are improving for renters.

By POPPY JOHNSTON

Jul 18, 2024

Home lending slips but still well ahead over the year

New home lending remains far ahead of where it was a year ago despite a minor dip in May for property investors and owner-occupiers. Over the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics logged a 1.7 per cent fall in all new housing loans, to $28.8 billion, with first-home buyer loans down the most, sinking 2.9 per cent.

By POPPY JOHNSTON

Jul 18, 2024

First mini-cities revealed in fast-tracked housing plan

The first planned mini-cities have been unveiled under a signature NSW housing policy a minister insists will enable the state to deliver on ambitious home-building goals. Tens of thousands of homes could be built near four stations as part of a blanket high-density rezoning around those and other transport hubs. Plans for the initial fast-tracked precincts were revealed on Tuesday as part of a strategy the government says will rebalance housing growth around new metro stations and existing train infrastructure.

By ANDREW MITCHELL

Jul 18, 2024

Competition freedoms suffer in eConveyancing reform delay

For the past decade, conveyancers have used digital provider, PEXA to settle properties on behalf of home buyers and sellers. PEXA operates as a monopoly. A regulator has been established to promote a competitive environment that drives efficiencies, cost-savings and innovation in the e-settlement space.

By MELISSA IARIA

Jul 14, 2024

Australia shuts the laundry door

Of the $1.1 billion of criminals’ assets seized by AFP between July 2019 and June 2024, more than $720 million involved real estate. Now federal authorities are working to close the gap and pushing lawyers and conveyancers to fall in line.

By SAM MCKEITH and LEWIS PANTHER

Jun 17, 2024

Suburban shift: we’re moving out.

Outer suburbs that ring Australian capital cities are home to the country’s record population growth.   Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show a record 517,200 added to the rolls of the nation’s state capitals. The biggest increases over the course of the 2022-23 financial year were in…

May 21, 2024

Conveyancers: We’re cooked

Working in a high pressure, time-poor, multi-tasking environment, many Australian conveyancers are at risk of reaching burnout if they don’t heed the warning signs and learn how to deal with them, according to health and industry experts. With the Australian property market at near-record high clearances and conveyancers…

By LEIGH REINHOLD