Homes for Australia

For a generation of Australians, home ownership feels too far away, and being a renter feels too insecure. Labor's tackling the housing crisis with a $43 billion Homes for Australia plan. We’re making it easier to buy, better to rent, and we’re building more homes.

✅Achieved

In its first term, the Albanese Labor Government:

Delivered smaller deposits to make it easier to buy a home.
Labor’s expanded Home Guarantee Scheme is helping first home buyers into a home of their own with a 5% deposit and no lenders mortgage insurance. We’ve helped 150,000 first home buyers so far.
Building more rentals with stronger protections.
We’re changing the way we rent with our Build to Rent scheme. Legislation, passed by Labor last year, will help deliver 80,000 new rentals across the country. All rentals delivered under this scheme must offer 5-year leases – giving Australians more rental security.
Working with states and territories to make renting fairer.
We’re working with states and territories to make renting fairer with stronger protections for tenants and the power to make your rental your own. As a result, most states have now banned ‘no grounds’ evictions and put minimum standards in place.
Increased rent assistance.
We’ve delivered a 45% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance – the biggest back-to-back increase in more than 30 years. This increase has helped a million low-income Australian households pay the rent.
Started the biggest housing build in Australia’s history.
Labor is investing $43 billion in housing – 8 times more than the Coalition invested over a whole decade. We’ve set an ambitious target of building 1.2 million homes, over the next five years. More homes means more affordable homes for everyone.
Delivering more social and affordable homes.
We’re delivering 55,000 social and affordable rental homes for the Australians that need them most – 28,000 of these homes are in planning and construction. Through the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and other programs, we’re delivering housing for vulnerable women, children, key workers and veterans while helping to reduce the social housing waiting list.
Making an historic investment into crisis & transitional accommodation
We’re investing a record $1.2 billion into building new crisis and transitional accommodation to ensure that at-risk groups including older women, younger Australians and those fleeing family and domestic violence, have access to safe and stable housing.
Unlock housing supply.
To unlock these new homes, we’re training more tradies through Labor’s free TAFE and $10,000 incentive payments for apprentices in construction, building more infrastructure, investing in prefab and modular housing, and cutting red tape with our planning reforms.  
Banning foreign investment
From 1 April 2025, we’ve introduced a 2-year ban on foreign residents buying existing properties and we’re cracking down on foreign land banking.

📢Announced

A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will:

Deliver 100,000 homes just for first home buyers.
A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will invest $10 billion to build up to 100,000 homes reserved only for first home buyers, with no competition from property investors. Funding will support enabling infrastructure, land purchases or construction to get these homes built – near work and family, only for first home buyers.
Expand access to 5% deposits to all first homebuyers.
From 2026, a re-elected Albanese Labor Government will expand the Home Guarantee Scheme further so that it will be open to every Australian looking to buy their first home. There will be no caps on how many people can apply and no limit on how much you or your partner can earn. For first home buyers, you’ll be able to buy an eligible property anywhere in Australia, with a deposit as low as 5%.
Deliver smaller mortgages for first homebuyers
Labor’s Help to Buy shared equity scheme opens later this year and has the Commonwealth Government pitch in up to 40% of the upfront cost of your home – making it easier for a first home buyer to purchase a home with a smaller mortgage. 
Lead a national effort to speed up construction.
Labor will deliver a $54 million targeted investment in advanced manufacturing of prefabricated and modular home construction. We will also provide $120 million from the National Productivity Fund to incentivise states to remove red tape and help more homes be built faster. Prefab and modular homes can be built up to 50% faster than traditional homes.
Invest $78 million to fast track the qualification of 6,000 tradies to help build more homes across Australia. This election commitment will establish the Advanced Entry Trades Training program to help experienced but unqualified workers get the qualifications and recognition they deserve for their work.