Talking Property with CBRE

Happy New Year!

To kick off 2026 we canvassed four Australian property leaders to discover where they see the best market opportunities, the potential industry game changers or challenges, the areas ripe for transformation and to find out what market trend or issue they think everyone will be talking about this year.

For this same Predictions series in 2025, we zeroed in on Australia’s new property CEO’s, who’d been in the hotseat for less than 18 months.

This time around we’ve gathered perspectives from a major superannuation fund, a global investor, an Australian REIT/developer, and a fund manager with a big private wealth following.

Leading us off is Mirvac Group CEO and Managing Director Campbell Hanan and Aware Super’s Senior Portfolio Manager, Property Investments, Anjana Moran.

Then we’ll be back on January 29 with the co-head of Australia for Brookfield’s Real Estate Group, Ruban Kaneshamoorthy and Centuria Capital’s co-founder and joint CEO Jason Huljich.

We hope you enjoy their insights.

Happy New Year!

To kick off 2026 we canvassed four Australian property leaders to discover where they see the best market opportunities, the potential industry game changers or challenges, the areas ripe for transformation and to find out what market trend or issue they think everyone will be talking about this year.

For this same Predictions series in 2025, we zeroed in on Australia’s new property CEO’s, who had been in the hotseat for less than 18 months.

This time around we’ve gathered perspectives from a major superannuation fund, a global investor, an Australian REIT/developer, and a fund manager with a big private wealth following.

Leading us off is Mirvac Group CEO and Managing Director Campbell Hanan and Aware Super’s Senior Portfolio Manager, Property Investments, Anjana Moran.

Then we’ll be back on January 29 with the co-head of Australia for Brookfield’s Real Estate Group, Ruban Kaneshamoorthy and Centuria Capital’s co-founder and joint CEO Jason Huljich.

We hope you enjoy their insights.

In this episode, we unpack the trends shaping Australia’s commercial property investment market.

From 2025’s performance to predictions for 2026, CBRE's Flint Davidson, Andrew McCasker and Tom Broderick discuss transaction volumes, offshore investment flows, lender sentiment, and the outlook for alternative asset classes.

Whether you’re an investor, lender, or industry observer, this episode offers actionable insights into what’s driving capital decisions and where opportunities lie in the year ahead.

Key Takeaways

Preliminary numbers show total transaction volumes fell 10% year-on-year to $32.7 billion, with retail emerging as the standout sector,
Despite overall volume declines, offshore investment rose 12% to $9.3 billion, led by U.S. investors ($2.9 billion), followed by Japan and Singapore as currency advantages and Australia’s strong fundamentals continue to attract global capital.
On the lending front, industrial remains the preferred asset class. Meanwhile, domestic banks are pushing up leverage and reducing pre-sale requirements, making it a borrower’s market.
High construction costs and limited new supply are expected to create tailwinds for existing assets, particularly in the retail and office sectors.
In 2026, expect steady deal activity with more structured transactions (JVs, recaps, M&A) and continued interest in alternative sectors.

In this episode we explore why Australia’s pub sector has been one of the country's most resilient property asset classes. Drawing insights from CBRE’s Raising the Bar research report, we sit down with industry leaders Danielle and Shane Richardson of Laundy Hotels and with CBRE valuer Adam Nadile to unpack the evolution of pubs from traditional watering holes to sophisticated hospitality hubs, the surge in investment activity, and the strategies shaping the future of this uniquely Australian sector.

Key takeaways include:

Sector Resilience: Pubs have consistently adapted to changing consumer needs—from traditional bars to family-friendly venues.
Investment Trends: The second half of 2025 saw a surge in pub transactions, with the top 10 deals totaling around $580 million, driven by strong investor appetite and lender confidence.
Operational Challenges & Scale Benefits: High entry costs, rising operational expenses, and increasing regulation pose challenges, but economies of scale allow large groups to maintain efficiency and profitability.
Food, Beverage & Experience as Differentiators: Quality dining and curated experiences are now critical to success, with pubs competing directly with restaurants and event spaces to attract customers.
Future Outlook: Despite regulatory and labour challenges, the outlook for the next 12–24 months remains optimistic, with strong demand, vibrancy reforms, and opportunities in regional markets continuing to shape the sector's performance.

In this episode of Talking Property, we delve into the Mandala Report, a pivotal study examining the impact of taxation on global investment into the Australian property market.

Joined by Torie Brown, Capital Markets Executive Director at the Property Council of Australia, and Pete Menegazzo, CEO and President of the Property Council's Capital Markets Divisional Council, the discussion highlights the significant effects of foreign investor surcharges in Victoria and Queensland.

Key takeaways include:

Foreign investment in Melbourne fell 53% after Victoria doubled its surcharge.
Queensland’s investment has flatlined despite strong fundamentals.
Frequent tax changes create sovereign risk, eroding investor confidence and liquidity.
Removing surcharges could unlock $8.1B in new investment, $3.6B GDP growth, and 8,400 jobs nationally.
Brisbane could become Australia’s second property gateway market if it reforms taxes before Victoria.

Tune in to understand the broader implications for Australia's property sector and the role of international capital in shaping the nation's economic future.

You can read more about the Mandala report here (this is available only to Property Council of Australia members until November 25 and will then be available to everyone).