Morrison says housing 'scalpel' already working

Treasurer Scott Morrison has seized on a new report that shows house prices in Sydney and Melbourne are slowing to claim regulatory measures to easy Australia's housing affordability crisis are working.

Sydney house prices fall for first time in 18 months

Sydney house prices are set to suffer their first fall in 18 months, new figures show, in the wake of of strong action from regulators designed to curb the growth in investor loans.

The upside-down school funding debate is hurting students

• COMMENT

Schools need certainty. It's not just pencils they need to budget for, it's speech therapy teachers or school counsellors, where every bit of money could makes a difference to a student's life.

The new enemy of renters: Mums and dads

• COMMENT

Few seem to care about renters fate but, for once, a little help may be coming their way.

RBA flags 'drastic action' to curb 'dangerously dumb' house prices

The Reserve Bank has warned regulators it could be forced to clamp down further on home loans and take more drastic action to cool the overheated housing markets.

One in three new home loans at risk, warns RBA

One third of new mortgage owners have less than a month's buffer against financial instability, the Reserve Bank has warned.

Property investors cool as crackdown takes effect

Investors are being shut out of the market with value of home loans written falling by 6 per cent.

Rates on hold amid increasing concern about house prices

• UPDATED

The Reserve Bank has held the cash rate steady amid growing pressure to lift rates to contain soaring home prices.

The next major Australian city in a cyclone's path

A cyclone the size of Debbie would have catastrophic consequences on the Gold Coast, new modelling has shown, as climate change pushes cyclones further south and building codes fail to keep up on the high-rise strip.