News

The ESG landscape is evolving rapidly, and we know that many organisations are still finding their footing. As we partner with more clients on their sustainability goals, we’ve noticed several common misconceptions that can make the process feel more daunting than it needs to be. We’d like to share some of these common myths and more importantly, the reality behind them.

A Clear Downshift in Spend and Space. The Minister for Finance has confirmed that the Commonwealth is reducing property expenditure by consolidating tenancies, embracing hybrid work and tightening energy costs.

Cotality Austalia’s Monthly housing pack for January 2026 has shown an annual growth across all capital cities of 8.6% with a range of 4.8% increase in Melbourne and 18.9% in Darwin. Other notable performers include Perth at 15.9% and Brisbane at 14.5%. So where are the markets headed in 2026. I have reached out to our Residential State Directors at Acumentis to gather their projections for 2026 across each of their respective regions.

We recognise that, across much of the country, housing supply constraints driven by government regulation and elevated construction costs are likely to persist. At the same time, demand is expected to remain resilient, supported by population growth, strong employment conditions, favourable lending practices, and meaningful government incentives. On balance, this suggests that the broad-based growth we have become accustomed to should continue, albeit at a more moderate pace. This moderation reflects an interest rate environment that has been revised upward rather than downward, though it remains manageable in the long term.

Around this time two years ago we posted an article "What’s in store for 2024" where we tried to look through the hour glass into the year ahead, so it’s time to have another go!

Australia has always been a beautiful but unforgiving place. The last few years have proven that more than ever, bushfires tearing through regional communities, flash flooding across the east coast, and severe weather events becoming not the exception, but the expectation. For property owners and strata managers, these events haven’t just been a reminder of nature’s extremes, they’ve underscored the critical importance of having the right insurance in place, backed by accurate, proactive risk management. And at the centre of that conversation is the Reinstatement Cost Assessment.

As we approach the end of a very big year, the term “wind down” feels far from reality. Right now, we’re navigating a mountain of urgent valuations as clients strive to finalise property settlements before Christmas, for a fresh 2026 looking forward and not back. One question I’m asked repeatedly is: “How does a valuation for Family Law or Property Settlement purposes differ from one for Mortgage Security?” and why we only allow a small percentage of our more senior and experienced valuers to complete valuations for this purpose.