Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News Australia

HomeBuilder package misses the mark​ for the poor, Vinnies says

byMark Bowling
12 June 2020
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA

Needy: “Now, as rental arrears build up and some landlords continue to threaten eviction, we are likely to see a surge of temporary visa holders in clusters of Western Sydney who are unable to self-isolate or practise social distancing.”

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Need: The package offers a grant of $25,000 to build a new home worth less than $750,000 or to spend between $150,000 and $750,000 renovating an existing home.

AUSTRALIA’S new $688m HomeBuilder package has been described as “hitting the jackpot” by some potential homeowners, but there are warnings that the initiative has failed low-income families.

The package offers a grant of $25,000 to build a new home worth less than $750,000 or to spend between $150,000 and $750,000 renovating an existing home.

The scheme is limited to owner-occupiers with reported incomes below $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples.

However, the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council has expressed disappointment that not one cent of the HomeBuilder package will go towards strengthening social housing – something the Society has been advocating for during the last four years.

“We’ve been going backwards on the social housing front for the last 15 to 20 years. No national government has demonstrated leadership,” the Society’s chief executive officer Toby oConnor said.

“Right now, there’s an estimated shortfall of at least 438,000 dwellings and that’s before the anticipated COVID-19 recession fully hits and unemployment peaks in the next few months.

“Investing in social housing would have delivered long-term good will beyond the pandemic.”

Several leading building industry analysts say the scheme’s primary goal is to supply work for the residential construction sector, with the Government expecting about 27,000 homeowners or builders to access the scheme.

That’s a relatively small number considering there are 7.7 million private dwellings across Australia.

Mr oConnor said the HomeBuilder package also failed low income home-owners because it was restricted to substantial renovations and requires recipients to spend at least $150,000.

Related Stories

Murdered Nigerians found suffering at foot of cross, bishop says at funeral

Telling stories and praying together at the heart of Catholic Refugee Week event

Rain or shine, Logan deanery brings families together at festival day

The Society was concerned about the welfare of those who have been temporarily housed but were likely to end up back on the streets if nothing was done to address the affordable housing shortage.

‘We believe the Government can do better. It can boost economic activity in the building sector and address the chronic shortage of social housing at the same time,’ Mr oConnor said.

‘We and other social housing organisations have land available and have lined up building and maintenance projects that are ready to go.

“All we need is the funds. We know we can’t do this alone but, together, with governments, industry, the private sector and other charities, we can make this happen.”

The Society said housing was a human right and would like to see all governments agree to halving the rates of homelessness and housing shortfalls by 2025.

“Action was taken during the global financial crisis to build 20,000 new social housing units and renovate existing social housing,” Mr oConnor said.

“If we could do it then, we can do it now. We remain optimistic our leaders will do the right thing and commit funds to address the housing shortage.”

ShareTweet
Previous Post

COVID-19 leads Charismatics group to new world of prayer

Next Post

There is no day you are ‘meant’ to get married

Mark Bowling

Mark is the joint winner of the Australian Variety Club 2000 Heart Award for his radio news reporting in East Timor, and has also won a Walkley award, Australia’s most-respected journalism award. Mark is the author of ‘Running Amok’ that chronicles his time as a foreign correspondent juggling news deadlines and the demands of being a husband and father. Mark is married with four children.

Related Posts

Murdered Nigerians found suffering at foot of cross, bishop says at funeral
World

Murdered Nigerians found suffering at foot of cross, bishop says at funeral

21 June 2022
United Nations nuncio joins others in calling for end to hostilities in Ukraine
Australia

Telling stories and praying together at the heart of Catholic Refugee Week event

15 June 2022
Rain or shine, Logan deanery brings families together at festival day
QLD

Rain or shine, Logan deanery brings families together at festival day

7 June 2022
Next Post

There is no day you are ‘meant’ to get married

Refugee Week shines brightly on Axel with news about his family

Gabrielle is walking with others in discovering their own personal relationship with God

Popular News

  • Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

    Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Confraternity Carnival ready for a full return in Mackay next week

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Queensland deacons preparing for priestly ordinations in the next week

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • US states start banning abortion following historic Supreme Court ruling

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parents of young mother considered for sainthood share powerful testimony at World Meeting of Families

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Abdallah family deliver powerful Vatican speech
Family

Abdallah family deliver powerful Vatican speech

by Guest Contributor
27 June 2022
0

By Agencies including CNS, Vatican News and staff writers Danny and Leila Abdallah used a speech during...

Look to the future, not the past, pope tells families

Look to the future, not the past, pope tells families

27 June 2022
US states start banning abortion following historic Supreme Court ruling

US states start banning abortion following historic Supreme Court ruling

27 June 2022

Why you should go on a pilgrimage — more than once

25 June 2022
Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

Celebration marks Sister Angela Mary’s 75 years’ service to Mater and Queensland

25 June 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping