South Australia axes downsizer stamp duty
After a tumultuous election in South Australia, which saw the Labor government gaining seven seats (the highest in history), One Nation gaining four and Liberals losing a whopping 11 seats, the government has flagged one of its first policies will be axing stamp duty for downsizers.
The abolition will apply to people aged over 60 to buy a smaller, newly built home or off the plan apartment worth up to $2 million. The government said this would save the eligible buyer up to $103,830. This exemption can only be accessed once.
The government said it would focus on “building more homes” and allow downsizers to get a new property, while freeing up larger homes for families. It will be available for housing contracts signed on, and after the day the new government is sworn in, it said.
EV charging speeds up in the US
Despite what would make US President Donald Trump happy EVs are on the rise in the US, and the first quarter of this year saw 605 new public high-speed EV charging stations go up. There are now nearly 13,500 chargers across the country, 25 per cent more than a year ago. Bloomberg believes the charging networks are still racing to keep up with demand.
Even Tesla, which has been “skidding for months”, has had rising sales in the first quarter this year – although it continues to fall behind analyst expectations.
EV advocacy group Plug In America’s policy director Ingrid Malmgren said while it’s been anti-EV on the federal level – “people love their cars”, and once people start driving an EV, “nobody wants to go back.”
Real estate agents join NatHERS for existing homes
Now that the NatHERS for existing homes is on the way (albeit voluntarily), the Real Estate Institute of Australia has announced a partnership with Cotality to deliver a white paper demonstrating how energy efficient features help influence residential property sales outcomes.
While the institute acknowledged that research already exists on energy efficiency, the white paper will “translate data into practical knowledge” for real estate agents when talking to clients.
And as a sweetener, they’re offering up $500 gift cards for case study contributions. Rules and reg apply, of course.
ESR secures $A1.21 billion investment
Industrial asset owner and manager ESR has secured $US850 million ($1.21 billion) in additional equity capital to invest across its logistics, real estate and data centres.
The company said it had achieved significant progress after it privatised in July 2025, to position the business for long term growth.
Last year construction of its Amazon fulfilment centre at the Craigieburn Logistics Estate 40 kilometres north of the Melbourne CBD, was put on hold after construction firm Roberts Co collapsed. Construction recommenced in December last year after builders Multiplex took over the project and is set to be completed mid 2027.
Platform for tracking net zero
The Climate Change Authority is looking for help to develop an “evidence platform” to track how the nation is performing on Australia’s resilient and net zero future.
The organisation said it wants to pilot a small set of outcomes, metrics and benchmarks based on impact, urgency and feasibility. It is now calling for submissions – saying it wants to consult stakeholders and receive early input to help build an enduring framework that can be replicated in the future.
Jobs
Engineers Mott MacDonald has appointed Paul McCormick as transport market leader in Australia. McCormick comes from his most recent role as the executive director for Transport for New South Wales, where he led billion dollar projects such as the Western Harbour Tunnel, Sydney Gateway and WestConnex. Prior to that, McCormick was a managing director at AECOM.