PERIFA's Rozelle Village in Sydney's Inner West is the first project to receive funding as part of the&nbsp;Minns Labor Government’s Pre-sale Finance Guarantee program, a programme aimed at fast tracking new homes across the state.

More than 225 new apartments, including 59 affordable homes, will now start construction sooner as part of the $285 million Rozelle Village revamp of the derelict former Balmain Leagues Club site on Victoria Road, which received state significant development approval last year under the Infill Affordable Housing pathway.

The mixed-use precinct also includes retail spaces, community facilities, and a public plaza.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=8142 project_image_fid=335]

The Guarantee is supporting 32 affordable homes off the plan, giving developer PERIFA confidence to secure construction finance and deliver much-needed homes in the Inner West.

This arrangement gives the developer time to lock in a community housing provider to purchase and manage the project’s affordable homes, with a guarantee the Government will buy the 32 units if the level of qualifying pre-sale requirements is not met prior to project completion expected in 2028.

Since the launch of the program in October, 31 expressions of interest have been received from developers across the state, with a third of these already invited to submit full applications.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=8142 project_image_fid=325]

In addition to the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/rozelle-village-rozelle-152-victoria-road-rozelle-nsw-2039">Rozelle Village</a> project, over $100 million worth of pre-sale commitment requests have been received and are currently under assessment. If approved, this support will unlock the construction of over 350 new homes across metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW.

Under the Pre-sale Finance Guarantee, the Government may commit to buy, off the plan, up to 50 per cent of homes in approved developments, valued at up to $2 million each. Support can range from $5 million to $50 million per project, the Guarantee then allows developers to achieve commercial construction finance.

Up to $1 billion in pre-sales over the next five years will be supported through the revolving fund, making sure more projects can move from approval to construction.

The challenge of meeting pre-sale requirements is one of the most common issues cited by stakeholders in securing finance, and has been outlined as a key hurdle for industry in the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission’s Review of housing supply challenges and policy options for New South Wales. Only developers and projects that meet strict criteria for credibility, capability, and capacity to deliver are approved and invited to participate in the program.

&nbsp;

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the program is a "smart use of the State's balance sheet."

“This is exactly what the $1 billion Pre-sale Finance Guarantee was designed to do - move approved projects from paper to construction," Mookhey said.

“By providing a targeted pre-sale guarantee, we’re giving the market the confidence it needs to secure finance and start construction, without the Government having to spend a dollar upfront."

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said Rozelle Village is a great example of how Labor's housing reforms and initiatives are working together to deliver great results.

“The Pre-sale Finance Guarantee uses the Government’s strong credit standing to help bring to life prime housing developments, including sites like this one in Rozelle that sat dormant for years. It allows more new homes to be delivered faster, creating jobs, and easing housing pressure for families across NSW.

&nbsp;

“This project was approved under the Infill Affordable Housing Pathway to deliver 59 affordable homes and now, through the Pre-sale Finance Guarantee, we’re making sure those homes are built sooner.

“By removing planning and financial roadblocks, we’re giving developers and lenders certainty, boosting housing supply, and creating vibrant communities where people want to live which means more people in more new homes quicker.”

PERIFA Group Managing Director Fabrizio Perilli said Rozelle Village is set to become the Inner West’s most vibrant, mixed-use precinct catering to the local community and residents.

“The location provides excellent access to local employment and the critical Infrastructure that key workers rely on every day.&nbsp; Strong demand for our development is already evident, with pre-sales for market homes exceeding expectations. As the first developer to be accepted into the NSW Government Pre-Sale Finance Guarantee, we are now able to accelerate construction of these much-needed homes, while working to secure the right Community Housing Provider, ensuring long-term social impact and community benefit.”

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=8142]

Joel Robinson

Are more homes on the way? NSW Gov backs first project in Pre-Sale Finance Guarantee program

Fresh off completing Pienza Neutral Bay, developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/central-element">Central Element</a> is preparing its next move in the coveted Lower North Shore suburb.&nbsp;

Central Element (CE) has lodged plans for an eight-storey apartment building at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/54-64-barry-street-neutral-bay-nsw-2089">54–64 Barry Street</a>, a 1,659 sqm site just south of Military Road and the Neutral Bay town centre.

The $52 million development will involve the demolition of four detached homes across four lots to deliver 45 apartments, including eight affordable housing units to be managed by Bridge Housing. The mix will comprise six one-bedroom apartments, 24 two-beds, and 15 three-beds. The apartments will sit above three basement levels with 62 car parking spaces and 50 bicycle spaces.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/mhn-design-union">MHN Design Union</a> (MHNDU) has returned as architect following its work on Pienza, again shaping a mid-rise form with a clear street presence. The design features a lower four-storey podium element that responds to surrounding context, with upper levels recessed to reduce perceived bulk. Communal open space is proposed both at ground level and on the rooftop, the latter including an outdoor kitchen and swimming pool.

“The building has been designed with a lower four-storey element and with building materials commensurate with the character of the area,” Beam Planning noted in its submission to the North Sydney Council.

<img alt="Barry Street, Neutral Bay Nsw 2089" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3a28ab3a-b8ba-4476-81cd-e4a8bb84f3a7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Barry-Street-Neutral-Bay-1327x742.png?VersionId=hlgvxszAWXIHgHtdR5HiwIKiSli2lLZV" />

Bridge Housing will manage the affordable units for a period of 15 years, as required under the Housing SEPP’s incentive provisions.

MHNDU’s design report further highlights the site's strategic location just 250 metres from key bus stops and 1.3 kilometres from North Sydney CBD, positioning it for transit-accessible housing supply. In their planning justification, the design team emphasised the site’s compatibility with emerging local character and scale.

Central Element has a solid apartment pipeline spread all over Sydney. They recently completed&nbsp;Pienza, 37 apartments just 500 metres away from the new project, and are currently building Ethos Chatswood, Ballamac House in Coogee, and Bianca on the harbour in Drummoyne.

They have plans for future projects in Mosman, Bondi Beach, Greenwich, Lavender Bay, along with a tower on the edge of Hyde Park.

First look: Central Element unveils second Neutral Bay apartment project

Real estate investment fund Wentworth Wentworth Equities is soon to launch a "Los Angeles-inspired" residential, leisure and lifestyle precinct in Brisbane’s Hamilton riverside ahead of the predicted Olympic-led population explosion for the city.

Drawing its style inspiration and name from Los Angeles’ renowned The Grove, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/hamilton-grove-19-hercules-street-hamilton-qld-4007">Hamilton Grove</a> will feature three residential towers and a vibrant street-level public precinct with curated luxury lifestyle, retail and dining offerings.

The first of the three towers, to launch in March 2026, will comprise 61 apartments, in the same building as a premium hotel.<img alt="Hamilton Grove" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d227fe61-8392-45b7-b386-9133f29a249f" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-01-19%20at%209.10.56%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=HTCV35HZ4h84jQCmHwhsdIPN0ctO5d7Z" />

Wentworth Equities Executive Chairman Sameh Ibrahim said the precinct will be unique in its appeal to both residents and the wider community.

“Hamilton is already one of Brisbane’s most sought-after riverside suburbs and for good reason,” Ibrahim said.

“Where else in the world can you walk out of your front door and have everything you could possibly need at your fingertips? The city is just around the corner, the airport is only ten minutes away, you have the river and green spaces right there and premium retail and dining on your doorstep."

Wentworth Equities acquired the 7637 sqm Hercules St site in 2014, when Ibrahim said he had a "very clear vision" for the precinct, but ultimately it wasn't the right time to develop. He said Hamilton was still very much an "emerging precinct."

“Since then, Hamilton and surrounding suburbs like Ascot and Albion have significantly grown and matured into a precinct that aligns with our vision for Hamilton Grove. Brisbane as a whole has so much to offer in the way of lifestyle appeal, but as it stands it is so widespread – you go to Howard Smith Wharves for fine dining, you go to James Street for shopping, you go to West End to walk along the river – but what if you could go to Hamilton Grove for everything?

“Our vision is a precinct that brings together the best of Brisbane into one central space abundant with culture, class and culinary experience – a place that a lucky few will get to call home, but the rest of Brisbane still get to explore and experience at their leisure.”

<img alt="Hamilton Grove" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="46550990-8aeb-44d4-bb47-150cdca96529" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-01-19%20at%209.10.50%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=bmCkApPKY_Bj3z02Q8vI7Kyo_caJXOnv" />

Experienced civil engineering contractor Mainland Civil has been appointed to commence early works for the project, adding Hamilton Grove to their extensive portfolio where it will join other iconic Brisbane developments including Queens Wharf, 300 George Street, Infinity Tower and 1 William Street.

Construction on Tower One is scheduled to commence in early 2026 with completion expected in late 2028.

Fast Facts 
 
• Three residential towers and a vibrant street-level public precinct with curated luxury lifestyle, retail and dining offerings. 
• Construction on Tower One is expected to commence in Quarter One 2026, with completion expected in late 2028. 
• 7,637 square metre site at 19 Hercules St, Hamilton (part of Economic Development Queensland’s 304 hectare Northshore Hamilton Priority Development Area). 
• 61 waterfront residences and skyhomes in the first tower, ranging from two to five bedrooms. 
• Hamiton Grove will be officially launched in March 2026.

"LA-inspired" Hamilton Grove to launch on Brisbane riverside

There’s a quiet patch of <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/hawthorn-vic-3122">Hawthorn</a>, between the bustle of Glenferrie Road and the curve of the Yarra, that rarely sees change, and even more rarely, new apartments. But that’s exactly where <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/pomeroy-pacific-quattro-corp">PQD</a> is planting Kooyongkoot: a deliberate, 18-residence answer to the question of what downsizers actually want.

“This is something this pocket of Hawthorn has never seen before,” says Fil Gacesa, head of sales at PQD. “<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/kooyongkoot-hawthorn-1-kooyongkoot-road-hawthorn-vic-3122">Kooyongkoot</a> will deliver just 18 large-scale apartments in the heart of Hawthorn. It is the true definition of resort-style living.”

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/59D7VxzltmM?si=1iCzRD7FRneKryfv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

That scale is central to the story. It’s what allows for two dedicated lift cores, short corridors, and a generous lightcourt that draws natural ventilation and sunlight into every residence. It’s also what makes room for the sort of amenity usually confined to high-density towers: a fully equipped wellness centre with infrared and traditional saunas, yoga and pilates studio, cold therapy shower, and treatment room. There’s a golf simulator, car and dog wash stations, and extensive storage too, not bolted on, but baked in from the start.

But more than the checklist, it’s the design intent that carries weight. “This project has been many years in the making,” says Mark Pomeroy, Director of PQD. “Not just in planning, but in listening, to what our buyers and the local community are looking for”.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355289]

That listening shows up in the materials, oak floors, natural stone, V-ZUG appliances, and in how space is handled. Penthouses feature private rooftop terraces with pools. Terraces and garden residences embrace outdoor connection. Inside, the layouts skew large and open, geared for hosting, not just housing.

Architecturally, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cera-stribley-architects">Cera Stribley</a>’s approach is grounded. There’s no reaching for spectacle here. Instead, the building offers a sculptural calm, anchored by landscaping from Eckersley Garden Architecture.&nbsp;

“We wanted to create spaces that feel expansive, serene, and meaningfully connected to daily life,” said founding partner Chris Stribley elsewhere.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=102717 project_image_fid=355304]

That sentiment, calm, connection, echoes in the location itself. Kooyongkoot sits just a short stroll from Central Gardens, Fairview Park, and the Rivoli Cinema. Tram lines and schools are close, but the street is tucked, quiet, and leaf-lined.&nbsp;

“Residents of Kooyongkoot will be a short stroll from Fairview Park, Central Gardens, and the Glenferrie Road retail strip," Gacesa notes, "but you're also cocooned in this peaceful pocket behind extensive landscaping by Eckersley Garden Architecture.”

Kooyongkoot is set for completion in late 2026.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=102717]

Staff Writer

The project that said no to compromise: Inside Kooyongkoot, Hawthorn

When long-time Ivanhoe locals Graeme and Catherine, decided it was time to downsize, they weren’t necessarily in a rush.&nbsp;

Like many in their stage of life, they had started thinking about apartment living, but anticipated making the shift in two to three years.

That timeline changed when they visited <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/new-apartments/candela-ivanhoe-40-upper-heidelberg-road-ivanhoe">Candela</a>, a new boutique development by <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/developers/salter-brothers">Salter Brothers</a>. The project ticked all the boxes they were looking for: location, quality design, and long-term lifestyle benefits, which prompted them to bring their decision forward.

“It was the right place at the right time,” they said. “We knew immediately it ticked all the boxes, and we didn’t want to wait.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=358855]

Their decision to downsize was driven by a combination of practical needs and lifestyle considerations. Their existing home, while much loved, had become increasingly difficult to maintain. It spanned multiple levels, included extensive front and back gardens, and was starting to show the wear that comes with age.&nbsp;

They were looking for a more manageable lifestyle, one with less upkeep and more freedom. A brand-new apartment with no maintenance requirements and the ability to simply “lock up and leave” gave them peace of mind and a greater sense of control over their future.

Financially, the purchase made sense as well. The available stamp duty savings, strong price-to-value offering, and timing of the settlement suited their plans, making the transition smoother and more cost-effective. The apartment's design and inclusions further supported their choice.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=357493]

The layout was both functional and flexible: three bedrooms, a butler’s pantry, a separate laundry, and a large open-plan living area. It gave them the freedom to host a family, accommodate guests, or set up a home office. The expansive balcony and elevated views added to the appeal, providing a sense of openness and connection to the outdoors.

“It just had a really good flow,” Catherine noted, something they found lacking in many other apartments they’d considered, particularly in the established market.

Candela’s boutique scale was another deciding factor. With a smaller number of residences and a top-floor penthouse position, the couple felt the development offered the privacy and space they were looking for, without feeling isolated.

“We liked that it wasn’t a huge development. It felt well-balanced, modern but still with a sense of community, not overwhelming,” they said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=342 project_image_fid=357508]

Equally important was the ability to remain in Ivanhoe, a suburb they know well and have deep roots in. After 46 years in the area, proximity to local parks, shops, and familiar faces mattered just as much as the apartment itself.

“We didn’t want to give up the community we’ve known for decades. Candela allowed us to upgrade our lifestyle while staying in the place we call home.”

With a Walk Score of 90, the village location supports a convenient, connected lifestyle. <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/ivanhoe-vic-3079">Ivanhoe</a> Station is just a eight-minute walk away, and the neighbourhood offers access to parks, cafes, restaurants, and schools along Upper Heidelberg Road, all within easy reach.

Beyond the apartment, the couple also saw value in the broader vision for Candela, one that integrates residential living with public spaces and local amenities.&nbsp;

The development introduces 58 new apartments as well as a mix of commercial and social spaces that integrate contemporary architecture with the suburb’s existing character.&nbsp;

At ground level, residents will find a charming café and a lifestyle wellness centre, perfect for unwinding and rejuvenating. Meanwhile, the rooftop garden offers a stunning vantage point for residents to enjoy breathtaking sunsets, host gatherings, or enjoy barbecues with family and friends. It's not just a place to live; it's a vibrant community where every moment is an opportunity to connect and create lasting memories.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=342]

Why Ivanhoe locals are choosing to downsize to Candela

Retirement Income

<html><body>
GUEST OBSERVATION
Here’s the boldest idea the government’s inquiry into retirement incomes should consider but might not: no longer exempting all of the value of each retiree’s home from the pension assets test.
The test would merely exempt part of the value of retirees’ homes. The change would free-up funds to support other retirees who are struggling because they have to pay rent.
It’s an idea with an impressive lineage.
The <a href="http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=html/pubs_reports.htm" target="_blank">Henry Tax Review</a> suggested exempting only the first A$1.2 million. The bit above $1.2 million would be regarded as an asset and subject to the test.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298025/original/file-20191022-56220-7y2uln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298025/original/file-20191022-56220-7y2uln.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
<a href="http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/content/Content.aspx?doc=html/pubs_reports.htm" target="_blank">Henry Tax Review</a>
The review said it would hit only 10,000 retirees. The $1.2 million figure was in 2009 dollars, meaning that if the change came in today the review would want it to cut in at a higher dollar figure.
The <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/news/theres-no-silver-bullet-when-it-comes-to-housing-affordability/" target="_blank">Grattan Institute</a> suggests a lower cut in: $500,000. The first $500,000 of each mortgaged home would remain exempt from the pension assets test, the part above $500,000 would be regarded as an asset. Grattan says it would save the budget $1 to $2 billion a year.
The <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-03/family-home-should-be-included-in-pension-asset-test-acci-says/8237206" target="_blank">Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry</a> agrees, as does the <a href="https://actuaries.asn.au/Library/Miscellaneous/2019/RetirementIncomesGreenPaperFinal.pdf" target="_blank">Actuaries Institute</a>.
The idea scares homeowners
Who could object?
The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association says asset testing the family home would be “<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-03/no-homes-in-assets-test-say-pensioners/8238828" target="_blank">massively unfair</a>”, targeting the vulnerable.
But people with high-value mortgage-free homes aren’t normally thought of as vulnerable.
Labor’s treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers says it would push more retirees “<a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansardr/e79ccb2b-a20c-483b-95e8-ca89001fbbd2/&amp;sid=0011" target="_blank">off the pension, out of their homes, or both</a>”.
He is right about the former, but wrong to think the retirees who suffered a cut in their pension or lost their pension would be badly off.
The worst off retirees, as recognised by a <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/Economic_security_for_women_in_retirement/Report" target="_blank">Senate Committee</a>, are those without homes making do with grossly inadequate rental assistance.
Right now it is possible for a single person owning a $1.3 million mortgage-free home and $260,000 of other assets to get the full age pension.
Assuming that person draws down on those other assets at the rate of 5% per year, he or she can spend $37,000 per year and pay no rent.
Yet homeowners do well
A non home owner with $785,000, or half the assets, would be denied the pension.
Like the much-richer homeowner, that person would be able to draw an income of about $37,000 per year, but half it will have to go on rent.
It’s hardly fair.
It encourages retirees with homes to stash more and more of their assets into them in order to get the pension (and pass something valuable on to their children). Retirees with lesser assets miss out and have to rent.
But fairness is in the eye of the beholder.
The problem is that a ceiling on exemption from the assets test that seems fair in one part of Australia might not seem fair in another where home prices and perhaps the cost of living is higher.
Our suggestion could be sold as fair
In order to make more equal treatment seem fair to all retirees with homes I and fellow actuary Colin Grenfell have <a href="https://actuaries.asn.au/Library/Miscellaneous/2019/RetirementIncomesGreenPaperFinal.pdf" target="_blank">worked up an option</a> that would use the median (typical) price for each postcode as the cut off point for exemption from the assets test.
It would happen postcode by postcode, updated every year using Council valuations and as the median prices changed.
Only the owners of homes who values were atypical for the area would be affected, and only that part of the value of their home that was atypical would be included in the assets test.
Its key selling point is that it wouldn’t threaten homeowners with values at and below the average for their area.
The funds freed could increase the overall pension, but would probably be better applied to lifting rent assistance.
It’s important to treat retirees in the same financial circumstances the same, regardless of whether they own a mortgage-free home, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/fall-in-ageing-australians-home-ownership-rates-looms-as-seismic-shock-for-housing-policy-120651" target="_blank">fewer and fewer</a> retirees are owning mortgage-free homes.
It would have the added benefit of reducing the pressure on our parents and grandparents to own houses with bedrooms on the first floor that are never opened, not until they die and their houses are sold.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125500/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Anthony Asher, Associate Professor, UNSW.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/postcode-by-postcode-a-clever-way-to-include-homes-in-the-age-pension-assets-test-125500" target="_blank">original article</a>.
</body></html>

j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

Postcode by postcode: a clever way to include homes in the age pension assets test

<html><body>
The 2015 budget confirms pre-budget announcements that the government is committed to reducing the cost of the age pension, but will now do so more fairly than it had intended in last year’s budget.
<h2>Indexation plans dumped</h2>
The government had previously wanted to link the annual increase of the age pension to CPI instead of wages. Since prices grow more slowly than wages, this would have affected negatively anyone expecting to receive the pension in future.
Crucially, that policy would have lowered the safety net for those with the lowest incomes, halving its value relative to wages in the next forty years. Of the different options to reduce pension costs, this was the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-intergenerational-report-and-reforming-the-age-pension-38056">most inequitable</a>. Thanks to Senate opposition it has now been abandoned. The freeze on eligibility thresholds relating to the pension will also be abandoned.
<h2>Changes to means-testing</h2>
The <a href="https://scottmorrison.dss.gov.au/media-releases/fairer-access-to-a-more-sustainable-pension">new proposal</a>, to start in 2017, is to make the pension more targeted by tightening the asset test, particularly for home-owners.
As with any means-tested benefit, there are <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-intergenerational-report-and-reforming-the-age-pension-38056">three parts</a>: maximum benefit (i.e. the full pension), the amount of assets you can have before the pension is reduced (i.e. the asset “free area”), and the rate at which the pension is reduced as you have more assets (i.e. the taper). Income is tested separately.
The previous policy would have cut the maximum. The new proposal is to extend the free area, but to make the taper on extra assets more aggressive (see illustration) – a measure originally <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/media/release/drop_unfair_plan_to_lower_pension_indexation_reform_super_and_pension_asset">proposed</a> by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).
The family home is still not counted as an asset. But as this graphic shows, people who own their own home will be affected differently to those who do not because the free area increases much more for non-home-owners than for home-owners.
 
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/81342/area14mp/image-20150512-19524-1rgvrrx.png"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/81342/width668/image-20150512-19524-1rgvrrx.png" alt=""></a>Asset test changes for pensioners <a class="source" href="https://scottmorrison.dss.gov.au/media-releases/fairer-access-to-a-more-sustainable-pension">Data from DSS</a>, Author provided
<div class="enlarge_hint">Click to enlarge</div>
<h2>Who will be affected by the new means test?</h2>
You will be affected if your (non-home) assets are within the green or red asset ranges, which differ depending on relationship status and housing tenure. One consolation: the Treasurer has <a href="https://www.budget.gov.au/2015-16/content/speech/html/speech.htm">promised</a> that “anyone who currently has a Pensioner Concession Card will continue to receive a concession card that provides the same benefits.”
The vast majority of older people will see no change. Those gaining and losing are part-pensioners. The Government <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4231137.htm">estimates</a> that 170,000 with modest savings are expected to gain some age pension and about 330,000 part-pensioners with more assets will lose at least some of their entitlement.
For example, older couples who own their home and have other assets between about A$800,000 and A$1.2 million are expected to lose their part-pension altogether.
Of the $2.4 billion savings to the budget created by these changes, almost the entirety is borne by changes affecting better-off home owners.
So the measure takes a step toward redressing the inequality of excluding the family home from the asset test, where someone who used their savings to buy a house is favoured over someone who uses theirs to pay rent.
The ideal policy would include the family home beyond a certain level and make better use of the <a href="https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/pension-loans-scheme">Pension Loans Scheme</a>, under which pensioners can get the age pension and eventually pay it back from the equity of their home.
While not saving as much as the previous indexation policy, the effect of a tougher asset test will build over time as Australians accumulate more superannuation savings. In future, more Australians will have assets that will reduce their age pension.
Either way, Australia would be expected to continue to spend very little on public pensions <a href="https://www.oecd.org/els/public-pensions/pensionsataglance.htm">compared</a> to most OECD countries.
<h2>Fragility of retirement incomes</h2>
The proposed policy is a fairer alternative to the indexation changes proposed in last year’s budget. That such indexation changes had any currency at all points to the fragility of the retirement income system when policy-makers focus only on sustainability. Issues remain, but at last both sustainability and adequacy are being considered.
<h3 class="fn"><a href="https://theconversation.com/budget-brief-will-i-lose-my-age-pension-41447?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+12+May+2015+-+2805&amp;utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+12+May+2015+-+2805+CID_67c2eed5a2983e7197bcdbadd5314e11&amp;utm_source=campaign_monitor&amp;utm_term=Budget%20brief%20will%20I%20lose%20my%20age%20pension" target="_blank">Rafal Chomik</a> </h3>
<h3 class="fn">Senior Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, UNSW at UNSW Australia Business School.</h3>
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