Melbourne, May 4, 2026, 07:07 (AEST)
- REA Group called on lawmakers to scrap stamp duty, loosen housing-density restrictions, and broaden financing options for first-home buyers.
- Just days ahead of its March-quarter earnings report, the owner of realestate.com.au is stepping up the effort.
- PropTrack’s latest figures revealed that national home prices dipped in April, marking their first decline of the year.
REA Group Ltd stepped up its involvement in Australia’s housing affordability debate this day, telling a Senate inquiry it wants stamp duty scrapped in favor of a broad-based land tax, and calling for fewer restrictions on higher-density housing in well-connected suburbs.
This shift is important for REA, whose core business depends heavily on property market momentum. When buyers, sellers, and agents feel upbeat, listings climb—and with them, advertising and appetite for data and finance offerings. The company’s submission landed as investors look ahead to its March-quarter update, coming later this week. MarketScreener
REA plans to post its March-quarter results on Friday, May 8. Chief Executive Cameron McIntyre and CFO Andrew Cramer are set to lead a 9:00 a.m. AEST briefing. The company runs realestate.com.au, realcommercial.com.au, Flatmates.com.au, property.com.au, and holds ownership of Mortgage Choice and PropTrack.
Stamp duty hits buyers as an upfront state tax when purchasing property. REA is pushing to swap it out for a land tax—paid regularly, pegged to land value—saying the existing setup makes moving pricier and keeps some younger buyers out.
The company threw its support behind increased social and affordable housing, pushed for federal incentives aimed at state and local planning reform, and advocated for stretching first-home buyer loans out to 35 or even 40 years. That kind of longer-term borrowing trims monthly repayments, though it means homeowners stay in debt for much longer.
REA’s submission highlighted how housing affordability has deteriorated, noting that a median-income household can now afford just 15% of homes sold across Australia in 2024-25—well below the 43% seen four years ago. Buyers in Melbourne and Sydney, it added, are looking at stamp-duty charges that amount to around half a year’s worth of full-time post-tax pay.
Fresh numbers are starting to tilt the policy debate. PropTrack’s April Home Price Index, put together by REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh, recorded a 0.1% dip in national home prices for April—the first monthly drop of 2026. Sydney lost 0.5% over the month, Melbourne 0.3%. “National home prices edged lower in April, suggesting a turning point in the housing cycle,” Creagh said.
REA isn’t the only player tracking the change. Domain, now under CoStar’s umbrella, still stands as its main portal competitor at home. After wrapping up the Domain deal last year, CoStar laid out plans to ramp up tech and client offerings in Australia. CEO Andy Florance said the company was focused on delivering “a more compelling user experience at a lower cost.” CoStar Group
That kind of competition sharpens REA’s commercial approach. If the housing market improves, more listings could follow. But when affordability gets tight, deals tend to slow, and agents start feeling the pinch from portal fees.
The reforms still face uncertainty. Stamp-duty tweaks remain a political headache for states across Australia, and stretching mortgage terms could simply raise how much buyers can borrow while leaving the supply problem untouched. Should Sydney and Melbourne prices continue to edge down, fewer sellers might list, putting listing momentum to the test ahead of the May 8 update.
Investors want to see just how much softer buyer confidence has hit March-quarter ad sales, data, and mortgage volumes. Another focus: whether management suggests Domain’s new CoStar partnership is actually shifting agent pricing or driving changes in product spend.
Housing policy isn’t just background noise for REA. The company is plugged right into the transaction pipeline that drives its portals, data offerings, and finance division.
