Today I tabled in Parliament a new draft law to double the First Home Builder Boost from $10,000 to $20,000.
The Government wants to double the Boost not just to help Tasmanians build their first home, but to support jobs right across the State.
This initiative is expected to generate around $175 million worth of building activity in Tasmania.
Our economy is growing at its fastest rate in six years, business confidence is among the highest in the country, the unemployment rate is down, and the budget is back in the black.
But there is still more that can be done and that is why the Government wants to encourage more investment in the building sector.
The Boost will be backdated to 1 January 2016, so that Tasmanians who have already applied and qualified for the $10,000 grant can qualify for the full $20,000.
We want the confidence we are seeing in the construction sector to continue, and that’s why we are supporting the sector through assisting first home builders, fixing the planning system and implementing the headworks holiday that has slashed the cost of investing.
The Boost will generate millions of dollars of work for Tasmanian builders, plumbers, bricklayers, electricians, retailers and many others.
This initiative will act as a stimulus, not only for the building sector, but much more broadly through the economy for housing-related spending, such as retail.