The Morrison government has unveiled a $688 million HomeBuilder scheme to combat a predicted 50 per cent decline in the construction of new houses.
The Morrison government has unveiled a $688 million HomeBuilder scheme to combat a predicted 50 percent decline in the construction of new houses. Eligible participants in the scheme will be able to access $25,000 dollar grants for a six month period from July until the end of the year. To be eligible, individual applicants must earn less than $125,000 dollars annually, or $200,000 annually for couples.
A further stipulation requires a new home cannot cost more than $750,000 dollars while those wanting to renovate, must spend at least $150,000 dollars on the work. Compliance checks will be carried out by state revenue offices, to ensure the program remains uncompromised. Despite welcoming support for the building industry, Labor is pushing the government to include social housing in the stimulus package.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New HomeBuilder package aims to safeguard jobs of a million tradiesAustralians will be offered $25,000 to build or substantially renovate a home in a bid to boost the flagging construction industry, which has hit the wall following a coronavirus-induced economic downturn
Read more »
Government unveils $668m plan for Australians looking to build or renovate housesBREAKING: Australians looking to build or renovate in the second half of the year will be able to get $25,000 from the federal government as part of a scheme aiming to keep the construction industry moving. 9News
Read more »
Former judge laments 'alarming lack of oversight' during COVID-19 emergencyOne of Australia's most eminent lawyers is speaking out about a lack of accountability and transparency in the commission charged by the Morrison Government with planning Australia's COVID-19 recovery.
Read more »
Child protection ‘obviously not a priority’ for Queensland government | Sky News AustraliaQueensland Shadow Police Minister Dan Purdie says the minister for child safety is “overseeing a broken department” which he says is “letting down vulnerable kids in our communities”.\n\nThe coroner’s report into the tragic death of Queensland toddler Mason Jet Lee found the case was a “failure in nearly every possible way”. \n\nQueensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the report found the Labor government “effectively ignored the decisions” recommended in the Carmody inquest – a 2012 inquiry into Queensland’s child protection services.\n\nOn Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called for another examination of child safety staff over their handling of the Mason Jet Lee case, this time by the Public Service Commissioner.\n\nThe Child Safety Minister confirmed three people from the Department who were involved with the case are no longer working there, but no one has been fired directly over the failure to protect Mason.\n\nMr Purdie told Sky News host Peter Gleeson it was the LNP government who commissioned the Carmody inquest which showed it had a “roadmap to fix the system,” but the change of government in 2015 showed child protection “obviously hasn’t been a priority” for the Labor government.\n\n“There needs to be a wholesale change in the way the system operates”.\n
Read more »
Governments ‘like the power to lock their citizens down’ | Sky News AustraliaState governments across Australia are “dragging their feet” when it comes to lifting restrictions, despite the threat posed by Covid-19 receding, according to the Institute of Public Affairs’ Daniel Wild.\n\nThere have been eight new cases of Covid-19 across Australia in the last 24 hours.\n\nAfter a peak in March, there are now less than 500 active cases, with 25 people in hospital, five in intensive care and two on ventilators.\n\nWhile states have begun easing restrictions, many businesses are still being forced to shut due to the pandemic.\n\nMr Wild said state governments seem reluctant to relinquish their newfound emergency powers.\n\n“They like the power, they like the extraordinary emergency power that the bureaucrats and the health officials have given them,” he said.\n\n“I think that’s exemplified by Daniel Andrews in Victoria, so they don’t want to let go of those powers.”\n\n“I also think if there was a quick and rapid re-opening it would essentially be an admission they got it a bit wrong.\n\n'That the lockdown measures were imposed a bit hard and went on a bit too long.”\n
Read more »
ABC wants millions of tax dollars to fund zombie apocalypse division | Sky News AustraliaIf you’ve ever wondered how much weight you’d lose in a zombie apocalypse, then for the low price of $3 million dollars ABC Life has you covered.\n\nIt might seem like a hefty bill to pay at a time ABC bosses are complaining they have no money to cover future bushfires but can we really afford to lose such an important journalistic outlet?\n\nIt is doubtful anyone wants to live in a world where we are denied information on how to overcome the fear of cooking tofu or how to stop wearing a bra when returning to work from coronavirus isolation.\n\nAnd I doubt number crunchers at Aunty will be able to justify closing the operation when it has such a devout following.\n\nA recent post about how dogs can cope with “separation anxiety” when their owners go back to work has been retweeted by a total of one person.\n\nThe Guardian is reporting that the website is so cringy and unpopular, even within the most woke circles of Ultimo, that its future is being probed today.\n\n“Guardian Australia understands one of the areas of the ABC under scrutiny at the board meeting is the lifestyle division, ABC Life, which internal and external critics say is non-essential when funds are scarce for hard news coverage,” The Guardian, a political newspaper established by Malcolm Turnbull, wrote.\n\n“ABC Life costs $3m a year and its staff represent 0.5% of staff compared with 6.6% of ABC staff working on its capital city radio network and 12.6% of staff across its regional and rural operations, Senate estimates has heard.”\n\nOuch, brutal analysis from the ABC’s Twitter comrades.\n\nIndeed, revelations of the $3 million price tag for such a mediocre and outright boring website has ruffled feathers within a media industry witnessing unprecedented job losses.\n\nAnd at the ABC, where journalists have been immune from such private sector woes, bosses who blew out their budgets during the tragic bushfires need to recoup millions of dollars.\n\nThe ABC’s managing director David Anderson has inco
Read more »