Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise and support the member for Herbert's excellent motion and to reiterate the ongoing success of the Morrison government's HomeBuilder program. You know the government must be onto a winner, in terms of supporting Australians through a government program, when the Labor MPs who speak on the motion do everything but talk about the program in question. The previous Labor speaker spoke about JobKeeper, JobSeeker, homelessness and everything other than the HomeBuilder program, which has been a tremendous success for first home builders and for all Australians.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, we all know that, because of the actions that had to be taken to keep lives and livelihoods safe, business confidence suffered and there was the potential for the construction industry to be brought to its knees. This government wasn't going to allow that to happen. It wasn't going to allow the tradies to sit idle and be put out of jobs, so the Morrison government acted decisively to implement the HomeBuilder program—a targeted initiative designed to provide eligible owner occupiers, including first home buyers, a $25,000 grant to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing home. Importantly, it would provide critical support for the construction industry, which we know plays a vital role in the Australian economy, employing over a million Australians and generating more than $100 billion of annual economic input.

I'm so proud that, in my electorate of Ryan, we have not only a number of first home buyers taking up this grant but a number of fantastic companies who are seeing the benefit of this particular program to keep people employed and on the tools. I had the great pleasure of visiting two of those new builds in the Ryan electorate, in Upper Kedron, along with the 'architect' of the scheme, for want of a better word: the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing, Michael Sukkar. Both of the new builds had received the $25,000 HomeBuilder grants. It was great to be there with the minister to not just see the homes being built for these young families but talk to the guys and girls who were on the tools and working. They have plenty of work waiting for them, I have to say, because of this particular program. I want to give a special shout-out to Lloyd Payne, the general manager of Fresh Homes, who was undertaking both of these builds and gave the minister and I a bit of a tour and explained just how critical the HomeBuilder program had been for his business throughout the pandemic. This is a direct quote from Lloyd. He said: 'Before the HomeBuilder grant, our business was decidedly down. HomeBuilder has really given us and our industry a boost.' That's from somebody who would know and is dealing with it at the coalface.

But Lloyd and Fresh Homes are not only doing great work in the Ryan electorate; they also have their business up in Townsville in the member for Herbert's own electorate, so no doubt he is noticing that as well. Lloyd said this about the member for Herbert's electorate—and I can see why the member for Herbert has gone ahead and moved this notion: 'In Townsville, we are geared to be able to build a bit more volume up there. We went from about 13 to 20 houses a year to about 107 houses.' Let me just say that again: because of the HomeBuilder scheme, Lloyd went from building 13 to 20 houses a year to 107 houses!

What HomeBuilder has done for the nation, I believe, is to really stimulate the employment and the economy. It's just incredible to see the amount of traffic around the new housing estates where homes are being built. What a tremendous outcome for young families and first home builders around the nation, but particularly in my electorate of Ryan and, in the electorate of the mover of this motion, in Townsville, where we are getting these first home buyers and these young families taking up these grants, getting them into their first home or a new home. As well, we are keeping good people like Lloyd and all of his tradies in a job, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and everything that has had to go into dealing with that.

Like Lloyd, I am just so passionate about making sure that we can continue to get young Australians into their new homes and to ensure that worksites are booming because of the HomeBuilder grant. It's a tremendously successful initiative that is supporting jobs and delivering, for our construction industry, the confidence that they need, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was great, during the visit with Minister Sukkar, to jump on the tools myself. I laid a couple of bricks. I can't say it was too tremendous; the brickies very carefully then took them down once I'd left! But I had a great time doing it, and I'm so pleased to be able to support those tradies.

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