Garth Hamilton (Groom, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Absolutely—new utes that are filling the streets—and extending homes as a direct result of the Morrison government's first home owner grant and HomeBuilder schemes. These crucial ingredients of the plan of the Morrison government for driving the housing and construction sector are creating a new demographic that I cheekily call 'Sukkar's battlers'—people who are building and people who are taking advantage of the HomeBuilder scheme.

I highlight to the member for Macnamara that it's not the availability of support that is the issue; rather the availability of land is the problem we are facing. In my electorate of Groom, the construction industry is one of the key building blocks of our economy. We like to build. From major national firms to small mum-and-dad operations, the Toowoomba region businesses deliver big at both the residential and commercial level. The sector employs nearly 7,000 people, generating $890 million, making it our region's third most valuable industry. It's an industry that has not only survived but thrived during the challenges of COVID. Our local building boom is being supported by migration to the regions, with young people and families making the tree change coming to Toowoomba. I encourage them all to continue doing so as our great city builds.

This boom is a direct result of the Morrison government's HomeBuilder program which has received over 26,000 applications in Queensland. It continues to support jobs in the construction sector and owner-occupiers with grants of $25,000 to build a new home or to substantially renovate an existing home. Tradies are doing very well. A wise man would invest in hot pies and flavoured milk. Tradies are out there getting out and doing their work. The take-up of this program has turned around the fortunes of developments like The Avenues in Highfields, which sits in my electorate. Project director Stephen Bowers tells us he was feeling pretty sick about the COVID situation last February, but, since HomeBuilder was announced, he has sold 220 lots, with 50 per cent of those being to first home buyers—people coming into the market and getting their first home. It's fantastic news. The Avenues provides a way for people to move to Highfields with more affordable housing. It's a fantastic place. Again I encourage people to come to Toowoomba. I hope I say that enough times. They've now released the next stage of the development four years ahead of schedule. We are bringing more homes onto the market in Toowoomba in response to the government's action.

The Morrison government is truly committed to helping more Australians get into a home of their own sooner, and the Toowoomba region has truly answered the call to renovate, extend and build. Building approval figures are up, with the December data shows that a remarkable turnaround took place in the last three months of 2020 with Darling Downs dwelling approvals skyrocketing by 121 per cent. The Morrison government's programs have provided the incentive for people to build. However, the problem now lies with state governments through planning instruments to provide the land necessary for construction. In city, town and village, we see evidence of this construction taking place. We know people coming to Toowoomba are indeed looking for new houses. They're looking for affordable housing. We're building as much as we can. The work is there, and the skills are coming in. We have apprentices. I haven't mentioned the 50 per cent apprentice wage subsidy. This is bringing new skills into the workforce to provide these homes for the future. We call on the state governments to open up the land to allow new housing projects to take place.

See this speech in context