Australia government puts restriction on foreign property buyers

I am not sure how to response to this news properly because I am a foreigner in Australia right now.

In one hand, We have worked in here for almost 2 years. We plan to live and work in here for much longer, so we have planned to buy a home for ourselves in near future. I think that buying their own home to live is a normal dream for most normal people, but this dream has drifted a little bit further away from us now.

In the other hand, I am glad that Australia government has taken action to protect her citizens. If you are not going to live in it or rent it, why do you buy it?

呵呵，去年澳洲才放鬆了外國人在澳洲購屋的限制，沒想到卻再度因為亞洲人 (特別是中國人) 惡意競標及炒作房價，使得不少澳洲人更加買不起房子，而前幾天電視還特別做了一個專題報導描述這些可惡的外國買家是如何的抬高房價買下房子，然後既不住人也不租人，只是在哪裡等著房價上漲後再賣出賺錢。在全球經濟不景氣的情況下，澳洲房價卻繼續大幅上漲 (>10%)，這讓一般澳洲的受薪階級挺生氣的，畢竟正常領薪水的人，是比不上那些可以輕易貪污就變得很有錢的人。

在吃了中國人在澳洲惡意炒作房市的苦果後，澳洲政府終於再度做出限制外國人在澳洲買房的決定，只是不知道台灣的政府何時才會學會保護自己的國民。

Property bungle (Today Tonight video)
Foreign property investors are buying up homes illegally, pricing Australians out of the market and leaving thousands of properties vacant for years.

Wealthy migrants force Aussies out of housing market

Chinese buyers underpin housing prices
Turi Condon and Bridget Carter From: The Australian March 27, 2010 12:00AM
ASIAN buyers are putting a fire under the country's housing markets, with capital-city sales -- particularly to Chinese buyers -- doubling in the past 12 months, according to a real estate group.

Sherry plays it cool on foreign property buyers
Patricia Karvelas, Milanda Rout From: The Australian April 05, 2010 12:00AM
THE Rudd government has sought to hose down concerns that foreigners are buying up Australian homes and pricing locals out of the market, but has conceded it is investigating an emerging trend.

Assistant Treasurer Nick Sherry said yesterday the debate about Chinese people purchasing residential property sounded as alarmist as the debate about Japanese investment 30 years ago.

New curbs on foreign home buyers
Matthew Franklin, Chief political correspondent From: The Australian April 24, 2010 12:00AM

COMPLAINTS about foreigners driving up Australian house prices have forced the Rudd government to reinstate a rule it scrapped in 2008 requiring temporary residents to sell their houses when they leave the country.

Govt muscles in on foreign homeowners
Saturday, April 24, 2010 » 05:04am
The government has reportedly made it more difficult for temporary residents to buy property in Australia.
The federal government has reportedly moved to make it more difficult for temporary residents to buy property in Australia.

Australia tightens rules for foreign property buyers
(AFP) – 1 day ago
SYDNEY — Australia Saturday clamped down on foreigners buying property after complaints that a rapid influx of Asian money had helped make its housing among the most expensive in the world.

擔心炒作 澳洲限制外資買樓 (自由時報 April 25,2010)
〔編譯劉千郁／綜合報導〕澳洲擔心中國等外國投資客推高房價，將限制海外資金投資澳洲房產市場，以保障本國人民居住權利。

澳洲助理財政部長謝理（Nick Sherry）表示，短期居民必須要經過外國投資審查會（Foreign Investment Review Board）同意之後才能購買房產。

澳洲總理陸克文（Kevin Rudd）說，要確保一般家庭的居住權不受到高房價擠壓。澳洲房產協會主席艾瑞（David Airey）指出，澳洲房價上升主要歸咎於海外投資客，特別是中國資金炒高房價，數據顯示到今年二月止的一年內，澳洲房價上漲十二．七％。

由於中國政府致力打擊高漲房價，中國資金轉而投資海外市場。有澳洲資產管理公司表示，中國主權基金對澳洲房市表達高度興趣。ＣＦＳ房產部門主管史坦堡（Darren Steinberg）說，「我們可以明顯看出大型中國機構對投資澳洲房產市場興趣，澳洲是他們分散投資組合標的之一」。

澳洲財政部二○○八年底放寬非澳洲居民的投資限制以刺激國外投資，但去年房價漲幅超過十％，促使澳洲央行不得不連五次調升基準利率，謝理說，政府將強力執行新措施，並制定罰則，罰則包括強制違法投資人出售買入的房產。