With both sides of the South Australian government proposing to make stamp duty changes for pensioners if they win the state election, it has highlighted how many retirees can't afford to downsize without tax relief.
Both South Australian Liberal and Labor parties want to make sweeping changes to stamp duty for pensioners to help them downsize if they are elected on Saturday March 21, 2026.
Julia Irwin, in her late 60s from Melbourne, agrees that stamp duty and other buying and selling costs are stopping her downsizing from her Edwardian home.
Ms Irwin said every state should get rid of stamp duty for older buyers, regardless of whether they are self-funded or not.
"There should be a waiver of stamp duty [for people aged] under 35 and over 65 ... because it's a massive cost," she said.
Although Ms Irwin is from Victoria, where eligible pensioners are entitled to a stamp duty exemption on properties worth up to $600,000 and a concession if they are valued between $600,001 and $750,000 - she is self-funded and is not entitled to any discounts.
Even though the former journalist is living off her superannuation for now, she said having to pay the tax to downsize "would be very difficult".
"You're getting nothing for it - it's just money to the government," she said.
Ms Irwin, who has been looking for a suitable downsizing property for about a year, said she feels "overwhelmed" by all the costs.
"You've got to pay real estate costs and all that too, which adds up. And I'd have to pay packers too," she said.
Ms Irwin wants to find a single-storey townhouse where she can age in place because her current "quite large" home and "big backyard" has a lot of maintenance.
But she has found there is nothing suitable in her location.
"There's a real lack. I really like this area, but all the townhouses being built are double storey, and it's not good for ageing," she said.
And if she were to go elsewhere, she couldn't afford it.
"I probably wouldn't get as much for my house as what I'd end up paying for a townhouse somewhere like Torquay or Ocean Grove [in Victoria]," she said.
"The government needs to make it much easier for people to downsize. There needs to be a real effort to build places that are suitable for older people and retirees."
The South Australian Labor Party has promised to abolish stamp duty for people aged over 60 who are buying a smaller, newly built property, or an off-the-plan apartment worth up to $2 million.
The state's Liberal opposition wants to introduce a stamp duty concession of $15,000, which will be capped at homes worth up to $1.2 million. Their concession is for existing homes and new builds.
National Seniors Australia CEO Chris Grice said that while the action of the political parties in South Australia should be "commended", he wants to make sure any policy works for older people.
"What we don't want is a policy that encourages housing that older people don't want to live in," he said.
"We call for this commendable policy to be replicated in the remaining states and territories, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia ...so all older Australians can more easily downsize into age friendly housing."
NSW Minister for Seniors Jodie Harrison told The Senior the Labor government is "working hard to support seniors", but did not say if she supported stamp duty concessions for pensioners.
"The NSW Government recognises the cost of living pressures seniors are facing in the current environment," she said.
The NSW Government has introduced a number of planning reforms to increase housing types that are more suitable for downsizers, such as townhouses, apartments, terraces and manor homes.