Australia rolls out NSW real‑estate watchdog and Labour’s housing tax overhaul

New South Wales Fair Trading has launched a publicly searchable “Name and Shame” register for real estate agents, listing 209 disciplinary actions, licence suspensions and fines since its January 2025 start. The database is intended to empower buyers, sellers and renters by exposing misconduct, though it only covers agents operating in NSW. Deakin Business School Associate Professor Adrian Lee said the register “helps to empower buyers, especially when dealing with a new agent or agency” and warned that “it’s hard to hide from this list”. Commissioner Natasha Mann affirmed that the register supports consumer confidence in the industry.

At the federal level, the Labor government is pushing a tax reform package aimed at improving housing affordability for first‑home buyers. Treasurer Jim Chalmers argued that “if you work hard, you should be able to get ahead but that hasn’t been the case for many Australians”. The reforms would scrap the 50 % capital gains tax discount, tax gains adjusted for inflation, and phase out negative gearing, while retaining incentives for new home builds. Opposition leader Angus Taylor called the changes “toxic”. The package has been referred to a Senate committee, which will report by 22 June.

Both initiatives target the Australian housing market: the NSW register seeks to curb unethical practices by agents, and the federal tax changes aim to reduce investor advantages that have priced younger Australians out of home ownership.