STATE BUDGET 2025-26

 (thank you to Reiwa for this report) 

REIWA Advocacy Update - 20 June 2025   There were few surprises for housing in the 2025-26 State Budget, with funding allocated for previously announced election promises, including stamp duty concessions for first home buyers, loans for modular housing and shared equity loans. Below is a summary of the key points. You can read REIWA President Suzanne Brown’s full response here.  Housing affordability and accessibility  ·  $119 million to reduce stamp duty costs for first home buyers.  ·  $210 million for new Keystart initiatives including loan products for modular homes, apprentices and graduates, as well as an expanded shared equity scheme to support 1,000 loans for new apartments and townhouses. REIWA welcomes the increase to the thresholds for the First Home Buyer Rate of Duty, but would like to see the thresholds pegged to REIWA’s median and lower quartile prices to ensure they better reflect market conditions and ensure the concessions are available to as many first home buyers as possible. The rental market  ·  The WA Rent Relief Program to support tenants facing hardship has been extended to 31 December 2025. ·  $75 million has been allocated to the Build-to-Rent Kickstart Fund to provide low and no-interest loans for up to 10 years to assist in the delivery of Build-to-Rent  projects. The fund will be administered by Keystart. This investment in build-to-rent won’t have an immediate impact on the market, but it is a move in the right direction and will help meet future demand as our population continues to grow. Social housing ·  $246 million for 548 additional social and affordable homes in partnership with community housing providers and the Federal Government's Housing Australia Future Fund. ·  $177.4 million for the maintenance of social housing. REIWA members have seen firsthand the toll the rental crisis has taken on the more vulnerable in our society and REIWA's 2025 State Election platform called for ongoing investment in social housing. Regional housing ·  $104 million has been allocated to double the Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) construction program, aiming to deliver over 100 new homes in the regions over 2026-27 to 2028-29. ·  $25 million over four years for the Regional Housing Support Fund, which will provide grants of up to $5 million to support new housing and land supply across regional WA to support regional subdivision, and providing additional support to key worker and community housing projects to boost the viability of regional Housing Projects. ·  $43 million for 169 residential lots at Mulataga in Karratha, part-funded by the Federal Government. REIWA welcomes the investment in GROH but notes these homes are needed now. Construction With housing supply continuing to be a key issue for WA, the Budget also provided a range of support for construction. ·  The first $101 million of the $400 Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund to fund 21 projects in metropolitan Perth and key regional areas to provide about 33,000 new residential housing lots. · 49 million to continue to expand the construction workforce including increasing the number of apprentices funded through the Group Training Organisation wage subsidy to 1,000 and making more construction TAFE courses free to train more tradespeople. ·  $50 million for the Housing Innovation Fund to support alternative production methods, building materials and approaches that help building more houses faster. REIWA welcomes initiatives that may boost housing supply but also acknowledges there are many other factors that are currently impacting the timely delivery of new housing, such as delays in getting land titles and energisation for completed builds. Cost of living - housing ·  $337 million for the State’s Residential Battery Scheme. This complements the Federal Government’s subsidy and is expected to provide cost of living relief to 100,000 households. As part of the scheme, households with an income of less than $210,000 will have access to no-interest loans, making savings through solar power more accessible. REIWA welcomes the opportunity for more people, particularly lower-income households, to have affordable access to solar power.  (Now from me - really with $40 billion in the deficit guys and all the money you have had come in from the GST etc. you have not paid one cent back)  Keep splashing the cash around Labour act like real heros - god knows how anyone is going to pay anything back.  Maybe we need a recession!!!  MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND GIVE IT A REAL GO!! SELLING MOSMAN PARK & THE WESTERN SUBURBS!! KEEPING IT REAL IS OUR MOTTO!!