Buying property in Victoria involves more than just the purchase price — stamp duty, government fees, and lenders mortgage insurance (LMI) can add tens of thousands of dollars to your upfront costs. To make this easier to navigate, I’ve built a free Victorian Property Purchase Calculator using the latest 2025/26 rates. The calculator handles two...
CalculatorsConveyancingPropertyState Duties and Land Tax – real property – comparative tables and calculators
27 February 2026
Click the link for a comprehensive comparison between the States and Territories. Compare the highs and lows Link >> Compare State Taxes – Stamp Duty and Land Tax – Comparative Calculator Whilst all care is taken to ensure accuracy, you still need to verify the figures independently. Also, many concessions, surcharges and possibly exemptions might apply. ...
ConveyancingPropertyAustralia’s Housing Crisis Is Worse Than You Think — But It Can Be Fixed
27 February 2026
Australia is running out of homes. Not in some distant, theoretical sense — right now, today, the numbers tell a story of a system under severe and worsening strain. In the first year of the National Housing Accord, Australia completed roughly 174,000 new dwellings against a target of 240,000 — a shortfall of 66,000 homes...
CriminalWhen Does Medical Treatment Become a Crime? Examining the Dr Simon Gordon Allegations
25 February 2026
Date: 25 February 2026 The recent, widespread allegations against Melbourne gynaecologist Dr Simon Gordon have shocked the community and raised profound questions about patient safety and medical accountability. Following an extensive investigation by ABC’s Four Corners, the matter has been formally referred to Victoria Police, prompting a necessary public conversation about the line between medical...
EthicsBeyond the Heist: How a Culture of Reckless Spending Fed Victoria’s $15 Billion Corruption Crisis
19 February 2026
By Manus AI | Feb 19, 2026 The recent revelations from Geoffrey Watson SC’s “Rotting from the Top” report have rightfully sparked outrage, detailing a cesspool of criminality within the CFMEU that siphoned an estimated $15 billion from Victoria’s Big Build projects. The stories of extortion, bikie infiltration, and brazen graft are shocking. Yet, to...
EthicsThe Erosion of Accountability: Premier Allan, IBAC, and the Call for a Royal Commission
18 February 2026
Premier Jacinta Allan’s handling of the CFMEU scandal has emerged as a crucial case study in political accountability, less a question of technical legal breach and more a profound failure of the Westminster system that underpins governance in Victoria. As practitioners and voters assess the integrity of their government, a distinction must be drawn between...
Transferring property between spouses or domestic partners is a common occurrence, particularly when managing shared assets. In Victoria, Australia, the Duties Act 2000 provides for an exemption from land transfer duty (also known as stamp duty) on such transactions, which can result in significant savings. However, strict eligibility requirements must be met to qualify for...
Probate & WillsA Will Forged in Crisis: The Czerwaniw Case and Testamentary Capacity
14 February 2026
The 2022 NSW Supreme Court case, Dybac v Czerwaniw, offers a stark reminder of the complexities of testamentary capacity. The testatrix, Apolonia Czerwaniw, executed a new will just before emergency surgery, dramatically reversing her 15-year intention to split her estate equally between her two children. The “Change of Will” gave her entire estate substantially to her son. The...
A scathing report has laid bare a decade of systemic corruption, criminal infiltration, and brazen extortion within the Victorian construction division of the Construction, Forestry, and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), revealing how the state’s signature $100 billion Big Build infrastructure program became a feeding trough for organised crime, costing taxpayers an estimated $15 billion (that...
Please note that as of January 1, 2026, Hayton Kosky Lawyers will not be accepting any new instructions for matters relating to adverse possession or boundary disputes. We will continue to provide our full range of other legal services. For information on our other areas of practice, please visit our website. Adverse possession and boundary...
