Australian Labor Party spokesperson for the Page Electorate, Patrick Deegan, says the Federal Governments new home builder scheme completely misses the mark. There are not many Aussies who have a lazy $150,000 to renovate their kitchen or bathroom.

There are so many people in desperate need for housing. The homeless who have been put up in hotels during the COVID-19 crisis, the tens of thousands of people on Social Housing waiting lists across the country. Not to mention those left homeless due to the summer bushfires Mr Deegan added, saying this includes many in our own region still living in temporary and makeshift accommodation.

Targeting this funding at people who already own a home or are about to build a new home will have some economic benefits. It will also push up housing prices, making it harder for others to join the housing market.

According to the Everybody’s Home Campaign, “Investing in 30,000 new social housing properties would create up to 18,000 full-time equivalent jobs each year”.

Everyone agrees that the construction industry is suffering as a result of COVID-19 and is in need of stimulus.

Mr Deegan said surely investing in Social Housing, undertaking the backlog of repairs in Social Housing properties and urgent funding for those left homeless due to the recent bush fires, is a better way to stimulate the economy.

This would be a win for the industry and a win for those in desperate need of housing.