How long will you have to wait for your Home Improvement Scheme voucher

TERRITORY businesses desperately waiting on work to flow from the Home Improvement Scheme have been promised the flow of vouchers will be ramped up.

Territory businesses desperately waiting on work to flow from the Home Improvement Scheme have been promised the flow of vouchers will be ramped up. Picture: IStock

• Home Improvement Scheme delays ‘hurting businesses’

TERRITORY businesses desperately waiting on work to flow from the Home Improvement Scheme have been promised the flow of vouchers will be ramped up.

Department of Trade, Business and Innovation chief executive officer Shaun Drabsch said more staff were being trained to handle the Home Improvement Scheme voucher approval process and he expects the distribution of vouchers to increase to around 600 to 800 a week – more than double the current rate.

Mr Drabsch said as of 8am Thursday, of the 19,551 applications 790 had been assessed and 617 approved.

In acknowledgment of the concerns by trades and voucher scheme applicants, Mr Drabsch said the team of 70 people currently working across multiple stimulus schemes will be increased.

“We’re going to ramp up, we have a team of 70 people that we have combined,” he said.

“I’ve reallocated about 30 people around my agency into this grants program and we have another 30 or 40 from other agencies that have come across to help.

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“They have to be trained to get an understanding of the material they are going to be seeing and they are starting to get through that.

“Once we get fully going around 600 to 800 applications per week for the Home Improvement Scheme will be processed.”

Mr Drabsch said the six- month timetable to process the 19,551 applications would be met, but he stressed the need for all applications to be thoroughly checked to ensure money is being properly spent.

“This is not a tick and flick exercise, we need to check each application as a proper quote with a registered contractor,” he said.

“It’s an important process that we have to go through.

“We have to make sure taxpayers’ money is going out to the right people and that householders using the scheme are properly protected.

“It’s about ensuring taxpayers’ money is being properly spent.”

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Mr Drabsch also pointed to the difficulty of dealing with multiple stimulus schemes at the same time.

“There is also the Business Improvement Scheme and the Survival Fund, which is a key priority,” he said.