The Sunshine Coast Federal electorate of Fisher is among the ten regions to have benefitted the most from the Morrison Government’s HomeBuilder scheme nationwide, supporting thousands of construction jobs on the Coast. The Coast saw 670 new building approvals for dwellings in Fisher during the three months to October 2020, for a total value of $41.9 million.
Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace, who worked closely with the Federal Minister for Housing on development of the scheme, said that HomeBuilder has had a transformative impact on the Sunshine Coast.
“Construction is critical to the Sunshine Coast, adding more than $6 billion to our local economy and employing around 20,000 locals. Thousands of these jobs were put at risk by the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic, when the construction of new homes was expected to halve across the country.”
“Now however we are seeing firsthand the Government’s HomeBuilder scheme helping to save jobs and livelihoods on the Sunshine Coast and providing a great leg up for locals who are looking to buy their own home.” Mr Wallace said.
In the three months to October the Federal Electorate of Fisher saw 439 approvals for new detached houses and 231 approvals for medium density dwellings. There was a further 129% increase in approvals for home alterations and additions covered by the HomeBuilder scheme.
“Local builders who had contacted me in May saying that they were facing an economic cliff in the second half of this year are contacting me again right now to say that they are receiving more enquiries than they ever have before. With the help of HomeBuilder, construction will be a central part of our region’s economic recovery in the months to come.” he said.
Following the Morrison Government’s recent extension of the scheme until 31 March 2021, HomeBuilder is continuing to provide all eligible owner-occupiers with a tax free grant of $25,000 ($15,000 after 31 December 2020), to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing home.
AVID Property Group’s Project Director Queensland Anthony Demiris said its popular Sunshine Coast community – Harmony in Palmview – had seen “phenomenal” sales since the Grant launched in June.
“Sales have been phenomenal, having sold more than 550 blocks of land since HomeBuilder was announced, Mr Demiris said.
“Whilst Harmony has always been a popular community for buyers, this type of activity has been exceptional – we’ve even had eager buyers camped out from 2am the morning of, waiting in line for land to be released.
“Back in early 2018 we saw strong sale numbers – which we didn’t think would ever be exceeded, but recent numbers have smashed those previous figures out of the park.
“Our builder partners are experiencing just as much positive activity with our display village carpark often full until well after 6pm in the evening and almost all of our builders booked until late next year.
“It was clearly a game changer, buyers can now buy with more certainty and confidence,” Mr Demiris said.
HomeBuilder complements existing state and territory First Home Owner Grant programs, stamp duty concessions and other grant schemes, as well as the Commonwealth’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and First Home Super Saver Scheme.
“If you have been saving toward renovating your home, or building a new home to live in, there is still time to take advantage of the HomeBuilder Scheme. If you are eligible, there are thousands of dollars in support available from the Morrison Government, and your action now will help to keep locals in work and the Sunshine Coast economy strong for all of us.” Mr Wallace said.
More information on HomeBuilder, including eligibility, can be found at https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder.
