Scott Morrison reassures bushfire victims over HomeBuilder

Scott Morrison says special consideration will be extended to eligible residents if building approvals delay construction in bushfire-affected regions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reassured bushfire victims over their eligibility for HomeBuilder.

Scott Morrison has shot down Anthony Albanese’s claims that bushfire victims may be excluded from the government’s HomeBuilder scheme, telling the Opposition Leader special consideration will be extended if building approvals delay construction in bushfire-affected regions.

In a letter sent to Mr Albanese, the Prime Minister acknowledged access to the HomeBuilder program was an important issue “for those facing the heartbreaking decision to rebuild”.

“These families will be eligible for the HomeBuilder grant, provided they meet eligibility requirements,” Mr Morrison wrote.

Ahead of the Eden-Monaro by-election on Saturday, an area devastated by the summer bushfires, Mr Morrison told Mr Albanese the National Partnership Agreement to implement HomeBuilder would extend provisions to support bushfire communities.

The Australian understands NSW, South Australia, Western Australia, ACT, Northern Territory and Victoria have all signed-up to the HomeBuilder scheme, with Queensland expected to join soon.

“The National Partnership Agreement to implement HomeBuilder provides scope for the states and territories to exercise discretion if commencement is delayed beyond three months from the contract date due to unforeseen factors outside the control of the parties to the contract

(e.g. delays in building approvals),” he said.

“This could help accommodate some of the challenges of rebuilding in bushfire-affected regions.”

In his June 16 letter, Mr Albanese asked Mr Morrison to “make considerations around access to the HomeBuilder program so that bushfire victims … are not unfairly excluded from the scheme”.

“This group of people have been through a massive trauma in losing their home … for some, the clean-up is not even complete,” Mr Albanese wrote.

“Many are also unintentionally uninsured or underinsured so are going through this process with financial anxiety.”

“Bushfire victims need time to work out what options are available to them and cannot make significant financial decisions sooner than they are ready.”

Mr Morrison unveiled the HomeBuilder program, estimated to cost up to $688m, to provide eligible applicants $25,000 grants to build a new home or substantially rebuild or renovate an existing home.

The package was designed to stimulate the residential construction sector, supporting 140,000 direct jobs and a further million indirect jobs.