MORE THAN 10,000 HELPED INTO HOME OWNERSHIP IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA

More than 10,000 people in regional Australia have taken advantage of the Albanese Government’s Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee in just its first year. 

2007 regional buyers across Victoria, and including 254 individuals in Ballarat, have accessed the scheme to purchase their home since October 2022. 

The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee was delivered three months ahead of schedule in October 2022. 

The Guarantee provides a government guarantee of up to 15 per cent for eligible home buyers, so regional Australians with a deposit of as little as 5 per cent can avoid paying lenders’ mortgage insurance. 

The Albanese Government has expanded eligibility criteria for the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee to help even more Australians.  

From 1 July this year, friends, siblings, and other family members have been eligible for joint applications under the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee.  

The Guarantee has also been expanded to non-first home buyers who haven’t owned a property in Australia in the last ten years. This will support those who have fallen out of homeownership, often due to financial crisis or relationship breakdown. 

The Albanese Government has helped more than 73,000 people into home ownership since the election across the Home Guarantee Scheme. 

Quotes attributable to Minister for Housing, Julie Collins: 

 “When we were elected, we knew Australians living in regional areas were facing housing affordability challenges, making it hard for locals to save a sufficient deposit.

“That’s why we brought this targeted support forward three months, to assist more regional Australians into home ownership sooner.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Ballarat Catherine King:
“We’re committed to supporting more people in the Ballarat region into home ownership, and this policy is one of many government programs addressing housing shortages and supply.   

“The fact that 254 people in the Ballarat region have been supported through the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, shows that this policy is working. It’s making a real and practical difference in people’s lives.”

In addition to the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, the Albanese Government’s ambitious housing reform agenda also includes: 

·         The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund 

·         A new national target to build 1.2 million well-located homes 

·         A $3 billion New Homes Bonus, and $500 million Housing Support Program  

·         A $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to deliver thousands of new social homes across Australia  

·         A National Housing Accord which includes federal funding to deliver 10,000 affordable homes over five years from 2024 (to be matched by up to another 10,000 by the states and territories)   

·         An investment of an additional $1 billion in the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to support more homes 

·         Up to $575 million in funding already unlocked from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility, with homes under construction across the country 

·         Increasing the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 15 per cent, the largest increase in more than 30 years   

·         An additional $2 billion in financing for more social and affordable rental housing through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation   

·         New incentives to boost the supply of rental housing by changing arrangements for investments in Build-to-Rent accommodation   

·         A $1.7 billion one year extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement with states and territories, including a $67.5 million boost to homelessness funding over the next year  

·         The development of a new National Housing and Homelessness Plan  

·         States and territories committing to A Better Deal for Renters  

·         States and territories supporting the national roll out of the Help to Buy program, which will reduce the cost of buying a home