The Federal Government will give eligible Australians $25,000 to build or substantially renovate their homes, in an effort to boost demand in the construction sector and keep builders employed.
Key points:
- The scheme will give $25,000 grants to eligible homeowners, but recipients will need to spend at least $150,000 of their own money
- The Government hopes it will ease a predicted downturn in construction demand
- Labor and the Greens have called for the Government to invest more in social housing
Industry bodies are painting a grim picture of the second half of this year, warning that the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic could see the number of building projects in the pipeline plummet, putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work in a "valley of death" scenario.
In an attempt to boost new projects between now and the end of the year, the Government will give $25,000 grants to owner-occupiers for certain works on their homes.
But eligibility for the Government's program, which it has dubbed "HomeBuilder", will be restricted to substantial renovations and the construction of new homes, with recipients required to spend at least $150,000 before being eligible.
The grants will be means-tested to exclude couples making more than $200,000 per year and individuals making more than $125,000 per year, while limits will also be placed on the value of the property the grants go towards.
New builds will be capped at $750,000, while renovations can cost anywhere between $150,000 and $750,000, but will only be subsidised if the house being altered is valued at less than $1.5 million.
The scheme will not apply to investment properties or owners who intend on building or renovating on their own without the help of builders.
There had been concern from some in the industry that the Government money would incentivise "cowboys" to rush into the market with little regard for health and safety, which the scheme takes steps to address.
They include requiring that all eligible builders be licensed or registered before the Government's announcement, keeping the timeframe for the scheme to six months, and having tighter eligibility for the program.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said HomeBuilder would save jobs at a time when the industry was facing extreme uncertainty.
"This is about targeted taxpayer support for a limited time using existing systems to ensure the money gets used how it should by families looking for that bit of extra help to make significant investments themselves," he said.
"If you’ve been putting off that renovation or new build, the extra $25,000 we're putting on the table, along with record-low interest rates, means now's the time to get started."
Renovation work will not include structures separate to the main property, such as swimming pools, tennis courts and sheds.
Scheme could cost up to $688m
In recent weeks, Labor and the Greens have called on the Government to bolster the construction industry by investing in social and public housing, however the scheme does not address the issue.
"We need to see social and public housing as a key part of any package of measures to support the building industry," Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers said earlier on Wednesday.
"Australians will take a dim view of a package that's announced in the coming days that doesn't at least deal with the fact that too many workers have been excluded from the bungled JobKeeper scheme, the fact that social housing needs to be part of a package of support for the building industry."
To be eligible for the grants, homeowners will need to enlist a licensed builder to complete the works.
Asked why the Government would only deliver grants for renovation works costing more than $150,000, Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said "we want people to have skin in the game".
"Our expectation is that many thousands of Australians will use this as an opportunity," he said.
"Our advice from the industry and Treasury is this will be the catalyst for many thousands of Australians to make that decision to embark upon a renovation."
The Master Builder's Association has vocally called for more support for the construction sector, warning that without assistance forward contracts could be expected to fall by 40 per cent.
"The lag effect of building activity means that HomeBuilder comes just in time for builders and tradies staring out at a valley of death with forward work for the next six to 12 months fast evaporating," chief executive Denita Wawn said.
The Government has forecast the HomeBuilder program could cost up to $688 million, which would translate to about 27,500 people or couples successfully applying for the grants.
However, like the Government's JobKeeper program, HomeBuilder will be available to anybody who successfully applies, meaning no final costing has been given.
The grants are available from today and will run until the end of the year.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA2LTAzL2dvdmVybm1lbnQtY29yb25hdmlydXMtY29uc3RydWN0aW9uLXN0aW11bHVzLXJlbm92YXRpb25zLTI1ay8xMjMxNzc4NtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjMxNzc4Ng?oc=5
2020-06-03 13:31:55Z
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