Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Housing, Senator Ruston. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Morrison government's HomeBuilder grants—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Sorry, Senator Rennick, I'll ask you to start again. I can't hear the question. Order on my left! I can't hear. Senator Rennick has the call. Senator Rennick, you can start again.

Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Minister for Housing, Senator Ruston. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Morrison government's HomeBuilder grants are helping to drive our coronavirus economic recovery?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Rennick for his question. I think everyone in this place understands the huge contribution that the construction sector has always played in being a key pillar of our economy, and it is a very essential pillar of our economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The Morrison government's HomeBuilder program is providing Australians with grants to build new homes or to renovate existing homes. I'm pleased to say that, as of 31 December 2020, more than 83,000 households had applied for this particular grant. I'm also pleased to inform the chamber that 80 per cent of the applications have been for new home construction. In your home state of Queensland, Senator Rennick, there have been more than 18,000 applications to this program. That has been absolutely fundamental in assisting the state's building industry. The ABS is now reporting that approvals for private sector houses rose by 7.5 per cent in December, reaching the highest levels that we've seen since 1994.

At the outset of the pandemic, sales of houses virtually stopped overnight and up to 500,000 jobs across many industries were put at risk. But, as we ended 2020, new home sales were up 32.5 per cent compared to the previous year, a remarkable turnaround thanks to this amazing program and the investment that we've made in the construction industry.

HomeBuilder was created as a stimulus to increase confidence and encourage buyers back into the market as the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic started to hit the market. We can now say with no doubt whatsoever that the HomeBuilder program has well and truly exceeded our expectations and its goals and has kept hundreds of thousands of tradies in work who otherwise would have been unemployed. We extended the program, and we are delighted—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Rennick, a supplementary question?

Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How does the Morrison government help Australians who want to enter the housing market for the first time?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all know that homeownership is an absolutely intrinsic part of the Australian dream and it's also a very important component of creating lifelong stability for Australians. That is why, as the government, we have given young Australians the mechanism and confidence to invest in their future. Saving for a deposit can be particularly difficult, so our First Home Loan Deposit Scheme helps Australians to buy their first house by making their deposit as little as five per cent. As part of our economic plan to rebuild our economy, the scheme was extended to allow an additional 10,000 young Australians who are buying their first home to be able to access this particular program, with a guaranteed loan until 30 June 2021.

When we first introduced the HomeBuilder program, those opposite insisted that nobody would take up the offer and it was only for the rich. We now know that first home buyers were the biggest cohort to use this grant and, despite the pandemic, we've seen the highest number of first home buyers in 11 years.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Rennick, a final supplementary question?

Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How is the HomeBuilder program supporting Australia's construction industry?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The livelihoods of more than one million Australians lie in residential construction. We know that every new home that is built in Australia will support 43 tradies through that process; that's bricklayers, glass manufacturers—Australian jobs in rural areas and in urban areas. They are the beneficiaries of the construction support in our HomeBuilder grant program. Treasury has estimated that the HomeBuilder program will support $18 billion worth of residential construction projects. I would like to quote the CEO of the Master Builders, Danita Wawn, who said:

There is no doubt that the Federal Government's decisive action to implement HomeBuilder … saved the day for thousands of small builders and tradies, the people they employ and communities they support around the country.

As the coalition government, we will always prioritise jobs, support home buyers and get our tradies back to work to support a strong Australia.