澳大利亚房地产市场近期陷入全国性下行，悉尼和墨尔本房价下跌超过5%，布里斯班、阿德莱德和珀斯的房地产繁荣也在缩水[1]。与此同时，澳大利亚政府于7月1日实施了新的反洗钱监管措施，房地产中介、会计师和律师首次被纳入《反洗钱与反恐融资法》的监管范围，要求识别交易方身份并报告可疑活动[1]。
2020年以来，澳大利亚警方冻结了约12亿澳元的犯罪资产，其中三分之二与房产相关[1]。2024年，澳大利亚犯罪委员会资产没收小组成功没收了两处悉尼房产，这两处房产在2020年被冻结后以大幅亏损出售，其中一处从1750万澳元跌至940万澳元，另一处从1400万澳元跌至940万澳元[1]。AUSTRAC主管Brendan Thomas表示，改革措施将有助于揭露房地产交易中的洗钱行为[1]。
然而，专家对新规对房价的实际影响看法不一。Domain首席经济学家Nicola Powell认为改革对平均房价影响不大，市场驱动因素仍主要是供应、需求和利率[1]。AMP首席经济学家Shane Oliver估计，通过房产洗钱的价值占房地产交易额不足1%，且主要集中在高端房产市场[1]。
Australia's residential property market is experiencing a nationwide decline, with house prices in Sydney and Melbourne falling by more than 5 percent, while booms in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth are also contracting [1]. This downturn coincides with strengthened regulatory scrutiny of the real estate sector, which has long been vulnerable to illicit financial flows.
Since 2020, Australian police have frozen approximately 1.2 billion Australian dollars in criminal assets, with roughly two-thirds linked to property [1]. In 2024, the Australian Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce successfully seized two Sydney properties that had been frozen in 2020, subsequently selling them at substantial losses—one dropped from 17.5 million to 9.4 million dollars, and the other from 14 million to 9.4 million dollars [1]. From July 1, 2024, real estate agents, accountants, and lawyers were brought under Australia's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act for the first time, requiring them to identify parties to transactions and report suspicious activity [1].
According to AUSTRAC director Brendan Thomas, these reforms will help expose money laundering conduct in real estate transactions [1]. However, economists disagree on the reforms' impact on average property prices. Domain's chief economist Nicola Powell contends the regulatory changes will have minimal effect on median values, with supply, demand, and interest rates remaining the primary drivers [1]. AMP's chief economist Shane Oliver estimates that money laundered through property represents less than 1 percent of transaction value and is concentrated in the high-end market segment [1].