Australian regulators warn of chaos in private credit markets, a lifestyle community giant twice rebuffs a $2 billion-plus takeover bid, a quarter of a million coastal homes face rising seas, the treasurer kills off any inheritance tax talk, and mandatory home energy ratings edge closer to reality.
Australia's mandatory disclosure of residential energy ratings is expected to move from pilot programmes to broader rollout in 2026, according to an analysis by Cotality's head of sustainability solutions. Key policy milestones in 2025 — including national framework updates and state-level trials — have laid the groundwork for a structural shift in how energy efficiency is treated in the Australian property market. Financial institutions are also taking notice, with green lending products driving demand for data-driven portfolio assessment tools.
A new report from the independent Climate Council of Australia finds that rising seas could destroy 250,000 homes worth $274 billion by the end of the century, with total economic losses — including land-use impacts — reaching at least $855 billion. Queensland and Western Australia face the largest exposures, while Victoria stands to lose the most residential land. Most of those losses would not be covered by insurance under standard policy exclusions for 'actions of the sea'.
Australian land lease operator Ingenia Communities has turned down a second takeover approach from US private equity firm Warburg Pincus within three weeks, rejecting a revised offer of A$5.05 per stapled security that implies a total equity value exceeding A$2 billion. The board again declared the bid undervalues the company and refused to drop its planned acquisition of Perth-based residential developer Peet Limited. Warburg Pincus says it remains open to further talks and views its all-cash proposal as superior to the Peet deal.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has flatly rejected calls to reintroduce an inheritance tax, saying the Labor government has no plans to capture a share of the massive intergenerational wealth transfer underway among baby boomers. The remarks came hours after the release of Australia's latest Intergenerational Report. New Zealand, which also has no inheritance tax, may find the Australian debate a useful reference point.
