HomeBuilder Program

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:45): Can the Treasurer advise how many applications have been received to date and how many have been approved?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:45): I will have to take the exact numbers on notice, but my recollection is that there are more than 1,000—maybe 1,100 or 1,200—applications. The industry is of the view that it will be significantly more than that. Some are estimating it might eventually be as high as somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 applications. They are industry estimates that have been provided to my office, but at this stage I think there have been just over 1,000 applications.

In terms of approvals and conditional approvals, I think the numbers are lower than that. My recollection is that it may be about 50 or 60 approvals and it may be 150 or so conditional approvals. It is being very largely driven, in terms of this time line, by builders and home owners wanting to get the maximum value of the period between when the contract is signed and the work has commenced, and it is able to be commenced, which is the three months.

So there is this—game is not the right word—calculation being engaged in by the industry. One or two builders have actually closed off their books because they are not sure that within the time lines they are going to be able to process all the people who have applied to them to have a home built.

I will take it on notice, but I think my office advised me earlier today that there may be over 300 separate builders in South Australia potentially actively engaged in work under the scheme. It will be enormously successful in terms of concentrating work in a period of time, to the extent that we can spread it out over a longer period by getting greater flexibility, which would make great sense to potential home owners, the housing sector and the broader South Australian community.