HomeBuilder facing weeks long delay as nation awaits digital portal

All but two Australian states are facing weeks of further delay to access the federal government’s $25,000 HomeBuilder grants, with most states and territories waiting for the same thing to be done.

Most Australians will be waiting for weeks more to access HomeBuilder grants.

Australian homebuyers are still weeks away from accessing the federal government's $25,000 HomeBuilder grants in all but two states.

While South Australia and Tasmania are already taking paper applications for the program which was announced on June 4, the rest of the nation is waiting for an online HomeBuilder portal to be built.

Victoria’s State Revenue Office has confirmed they are working with the SRO in other states and territories to launch digital access “as soon as possible”.

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Industry sources have said they believe the timeline is more likely to be weeks than days, delaying the first applications for most of the nation even further into August.

It is understood the web build has been underway since as early as June.

Victoria and most other states had signed up for a national agreement around HomeBuilder by June 29.

While the $680 million program is uncapped and it is believed no eligible buyers will miss out by applying later in the year, there is a time constraint with only building projects commencing after June 4 and before the end of the year able to claim the grants.

Industry and buyers are still confused over what defines key terms such as ‘construction commenced’.

The delays have frustrated development communities around the nation, with many prospective buyers still uncertain about key terms such as how construction commencing will be defined.

Urban Development Institute of Australia Victorian chief executive Danni Hunter said they welcomed the update in guidance from the SRO.

“But there are still a number of caps, and we are committed to working with the government to make this widely applicable to as many home builders and buyers as possible,” Ms Hunter said.

Opposition housing spokesman Jason Clare today said prospective home builders had been waiting longer than it takes to climb Mount Everest and tradies jobs were on ice.

Master Builders Association of Victoria chief executive Rebecca Casson said it was “good to see progress on HomeBuilder”.

“It’s created great interest around Victoria and we are working with the State Government to get the certainty our industry needs, and maximise the scheme’s effect,” Ms Casson said.

Those seeking the $25,000 must build a new home for under $750,000, or renovate an existing one for between $150,000 and $750,000. They must also not exceed certain income caps.