Darwin family 1000th recipients of NT housing grants, as scheme extended to 2026

A Darwin childcare worker and her partner mark a historic milestone for the Territory's new housing scheme, which has now helped a thousand people achieve homeownership.

Anusha and Praveen with their children Nithvik and Nivedh with Anusha’s sister Srilatha (R) joining them to help celebrate their grant. The couple are the 1000th recipient of the NT government housing grants. Pic: Supplied.

Darwin couple Anusha and Praveen mark the thousandth recipients of the Northern Territory’s housing grants, a significant milestone which comes as the government extends the scheme for another year.

The pair have lived in the NT for more than a decade, and accessed a $50,000 HomeGrown Territory grant towards their first new home.

Childcare worker Anusha said they were excited to move into their new place, and that the choice to buy in Zuccoli had been obvious.

“We like living in this area because it feels safe and there are plenty of work opportunities,” she said.

“We’ve always found the community very welcoming and approachable.”

Housing Construction Minister Bill Yan said he wanted to see more people taking up the opportunity to buy in the NT.

“There’s many Territorians like Anusha and Praveen who are aspiring to own a new home which is why we extended the availability of grants to September 2026,” he said.

“This will give a new generation more time to keep saving for a deposit, and if needed find the right block, and contract a builder.”

The CLP government allocated $20m to the HomeGrown Territory program when it launched in May last year.

The Northern Territory government is calling on the Commonwealth to increase the price cap set for first home buyers under the new low-deposit home loan scheme, warning Darwinites are being locked out of the scheme.

Under Labor’s housing reform, first home buyers in the Territory are now eligible to purchase a property with just a five per cent deposit – but only for homes up to $600,000.

Treasurer Bill Yan wants that cap raised to $850,000, saying the cap failed to reflect the reality of the NT housing market and Darwin’s rising house prices.

Member for Solomon Mr Gosling said the $600,000 cap reflected local conditions without adding to inflationary pressures.

Mr Gosling said if there was evidence the $600,000 cap was not helping first home buyers enter the Darwin housing market, he would advocate for a review.

The Home Guarantee Scheme is a federal guarantee enabling first homebuyers to purchase a home using a deposit of 5 per cent without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

On October 1 the scheme expanded to include all first home buyers – removing income caps and limits on places.