Invest
$50k boost on the cards for new property purchasers
A radical plan to kickstart economic recovery post-COVID-19 could see Australians handed $50,000 for buying a new home.
$50k boost on the cards for new property purchasers
A radical plan to kickstart economic recovery post-COVID-19 could see Australians handed $50,000 for buying a new home.
It’s just one element of a seven-point plan put forward by the Property Council to stimulate construction, grow skills, attract investment and boost confidence across the property industry.
Considering it a “demand stimulus” to kickstart construction and the economy, the Property Council believes such a scheme could stimulate the building of 50,000 new dwellings, support more than 200,000 jobs and bring forward market demand for new housing.
The $50,000 grant would only be applicable to purchasers of newly constructed dwellings, at an expected cost of $2.5 billion to the federal government.
With no pricing cap, the Property Council said the aim will be to bring forward all possible market demand and stimulate the greatest economic response, despite being limited to just 50,000 purchasers.
This would sit on top of current first home buyer grants, stamp duty and foreign investor surcharge relief that’s either already on offer or being contemplated by each of the states and territories.
It’s also calling for an unlocking of the $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Facility that’s managed by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation to facilitate new housing projects.
The Property Council is also recommending broad-based tax reform, including the abolition of stamp duty.
It’s proposed that this revenue stream could be replaced by a broadening of the GST base in the medium term while existing negative gearing and capital gains tax settings could be retained.
Elsewhere, the Property Council is hoping to improve housing affordability through the recommendation of permanent improvements to planning systems, support for an emergence of Build-to-Rent, and incentivisation of such projects in the private sector.
The recommendations to kickstart the economy through construction come as the Housing Industry Association has flagged that 500,000 construction jobs could be at risk over the next year.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
