| In this e-newsletter | ||
|---|---|---|
| – Set the Scene – National Advocacy Alert: New Accessibility Standards – Advocacy in Action: Apartment Sector – Advocacy in Action: Greenfield Sector – Budget Boost to Attract Visitors to Melbourne’s CBD – Yadda Yadda Podcast |
Set the Scene.
- The Federal Budget was handed down on Tuesday and features expansion of the Commonwealth deposit gap guarantee initiative, including an additional 10,000 places aimed at new housing under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, plus an additional tranche for single parents to buy their first home with a 2% deposit. The Budget also features an increase to the voluntary superannuation withdrawals permitted under the First Home Super Saver scheme from $30,000 to $50,000.
- The Federal Budget assumes that a gradual return of temporary and permanent migrants will occur from mid-2022.
- The Victoria State Budget will be handed down on Thursday, 20 May. We are advocating for support for all sectors of our industry, including to:
- Extend the 50 per cent stamp duty waiver on all new homes until 30 June 2023;
- Reinstate 100 per cent off-the-plan stamp duty concessions for new apartment builds for 24 months;
- Extend the Vacant Residential Land Tax waiver until 30 June 2023;
- Provide a 24-month holiday from the Foreign Purchaser Additional Duty;
- Provide funding to the Victorian Planning Authority and local government; and
- Encourage active promotion of the central city as a great place to reside.
National Advocacy Alert: New Accessibility Standards
A majority of the nation’s building ministers have agreed to include minimum accessibility provisions for residential housing and apartments in the National Construction Code 2022 based on the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines silver standards.
Advocacy in Action: Apartment Sector.
In an opinion piece in the Herald Sun on Saturday 1 May, our CEO Matthew Kandelaars highlights the role we will need the apartment sector to play when it comes to liveability and housing affordability post-COVID.
Read the opinion piece, published in the Herald Sun.
Advocacy in Action: Greenfield Sector.
The UDIA Victoria team remains a trusted adviser to Government on matters affecting our industry.
We have continued our close engagement with the Government’s review of the Infrastructure Contributions System. Not only have we maintained regular dialogue with the Infrastructure Contributions Advisory Committee (comprised of Jude Munro, Anna Cronin and Chris De Silva), we have outlined the industry position directly to the Treasurer and Minister for Planning and we were recently joined by Matt Ainsaar, Managing Director of Urban Enterprise, to brief their offices and the Office of the Premier on the rising cost of infrastructure contributions over the past decade.
Separately, we joined Colin Keane from Research4 to brief both DELWP and the VPA on the current state of the land market in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Read more about our policy priorities.
Budget Boost to Attract Visitors to Melbourne’s CBD.
The Victorian Government has confirmed the State Budget 2021/22 will contain a $107.4 million injection to continue the boom in outdoor dining in the heart of Melbourne, attract events to bring visitors from near and far, and bolster city businesses.
Yadda Yadda Podcast.
Our CEO Matthew Kandelaars joined the Yadda Yadda podcast to discuss the upcoming Victorian budget, the success of the HomeBuilder program, and the state of the Melbourne residential market.
