Traeger MP Robbie Katter said a regions-only version of Queensland's First Home Owners' Grant was the only way to address the housing crisis impacting communities outside major cities.
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With regional rental vacancy rates drop to unprecedented lows despite a huge number of older homes on the market, Mr Katter renewed his calls for the grant scheme, currently worth $15,000 to those who are eligible across Queensland, to be extended to existing homes in smaller regional centres and expanded to $20,000.
Mr Katter said the current scheme only applied to new or off-the-plan builds and not to existing homes, disadvantaging younger people who want to remain in smaller centres.
An additional $5000 has been on offer since 2020 for first home buyers in regional locations, but again this only applies to new-builds.
Mr Katter said there was abundance of older homes in for sale in small towns like Mount Isa but there were no real-estate developments underway meaning home buyers could rarely buy "off-the-plan".
"The only way first home buyers in these smaller centres can access the grant is to be completely irrational, ignoring all the older homes on the market and instead going and buy a brand-new block and build from scratch," Mr Katter said.
"The result is a growing surplus of old and abandoned homes being left to rot, all thanks to a combination of market forces and unfair government policy that discriminates against the regions."
Mr Katter said current regional trends were out-pricing many from the rental market, leading to displacement and homelessness.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
