Explainer: Labor's housing plan ahead of the election
The Short Version
Labor is going big on housing ahead of the 2025 election - pledging 100,000 homes for first-home buyers, billions in new investment, rent support, crisis accommodation, and a crackdown on foreign investment. The goal? More homes, quicker builds, and better affordability for Australians.
100,000 homes just for first-home buyers
Labor will invest $10 billion to build up to 100,000 new homes specifically for first-home buyers, locked away from property investors. These homes will be built near work and family, with support for land, construction, and enabling infrastructure.
Universal 5% deposit access
From 2026, the Home Guarantee Scheme opens up to all Australians buying their first home:
No income caps
No participant limits
5% deposit requirement nationwide. This means broader access to ownership, especially in high-demand urban areas.
Smaller mortgages through Help to Buy
Labor's Help to Buy shared equity scheme (starting late 2025) has the government cover up to 40% of a new home's cost (30% for existing homes).
First-home buyers need a lower deposit
Smaller mortgages mean lower repayments
You can gradually buy out the government's stake over time
Rent relief
Labor has delivered a 45% increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance - the biggest back-to-back increase in over 30 years, helping over 1 million households better manage rising rents.
Supercharging housing supply
Labor is driving the biggest housing build in Australian history with a $43 billion investment and a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years.
Social and affordable housing push
Through the Housing Australia Future Fund and other programs, Labor is delivering:
55,000 social and affordable homes (28,000 already in development)
Prioritising housing for vulnerable women, children, veterans, and key workers
Aiming to cut social housing waitlists
Support for crisis accommodation
Labor is investing a record $1.2 billion into new crisis and transitional housing-for older women, young Australians, and those escaping family violence-to provide safe, emergency shelter for the most vulnerable.
More tradies, faster builds
To meet ambitious targets, Labor is investing in:
$78 million to qualify 6,000 tradies via a fast-tracked skills program
Free TAFE and $10,000 incentives for new apprentices
$54 million for prefab/modular home manufacturing
$120 million to help states cut planning red tape
Tightening foreign ownership rules
Starting 1 April 2025, Labor is imposing a 2-year ban on foreign residents buying existing homes and cracking down on foreign land banking, to ensure more stock stays available for Australians.
What do critics say?
Some experts remain cautious. While the 100,000 homes promise is welcomed, questions remain on how quickly they can be delivered given land availability and planning hurdles.
Others warn that expanded buyer support could drive up prices if supply doesn't scale fast enough. The shared equity model also raises long-term ownership questions for participants.
The Final Pitch
Labor is presenting a bold, multi-layered housing plan: mass construction, help for first-home buyers, rent relief, and supply chain reforms. Supporters see a serious national response to a decades-in-the-making crisis. Critics question the pace of delivery but agree housing is now at the heart of the 2025 election.
SEE ALL: Labor's offical housing policy
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A former federal Liberal maverick has put her hand up to run in a looming state election, as the opposition likens the premier to a spoiled brat. Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has refused to stand down after parliament passed a vote of no-confidence, led by state Labor leader Dean Winter, over the state budget. The starter's gun is yet to be fired on voters heading back to the polls, but the premier could pull the trigger as early as Tuesday. Mr Rockliff wheeled out former federal MP Bridget Archer on Sunday, revealing she would seek preselection for the state seat of Bass. In May, Ms Archer lost her federal seat of Bass to teacher and first-time federal candidate Jess Teesdale after a 9.4 per cent swing against her. Ms Archer admitted the federal election had been "bruising" and she hadn't had time to completely process it. "Do I want to go out and fight another election? No, I don't," she told reporters. "I suspect the people of Tasmania don't want to be going to another election but the reckless and selfish actions of Dean Winter ... have sent us to this situation." The former George Town mayor has been one of the most prominent Liberal moderates in Canberra since 2019 and repeatedly crossed the floor to vote against her own party. Reflecting on her election defeat, Ms Archer said she "wore the consequences" of the Liberals' failure to deal with some of the issues she spoke out against. The 50-year-old denied she was in danger of jumping from one sinking ship to another and vowed not to shy away from her views if elected to state parliament. "I'm not going to be anybody's stooge or anybody's puppet," she said. "I am going to say exactly what I think." Mr Rockliff described Ms Archer as a "fighter" and was categoric he would lead the party to the election. "Dean Winter's guaranteed the election," he said, adding an election date would be determined in the coming week. The election would be Tasmania's fourth in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The Labor leader is continuing to call for Mr Rockliff to stand aside instead of calling another election. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home." Amid the political turmoil, Mr Rockliff has ordered prominent economist Saul Eslake not to prepare a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. Mr Winter said he didn't believe Mr Rockliff's commitment not to pursue privatisation, declaring the premier would "say anything" to cling to power. 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The election would be Tasmania's fourth in seven years, unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers. Mr Winter has ruled out forming government in a deal with the Greens, without whom Labor doesn't have the numbers. The Labor leader is continuing to call for Mr Rockliff to stand aside instead of calling another election. "He's carrying on at the moment like a spoiled child that's been given out in a game of cricket," Mr Winter said. "And then instead of just accepting the umpire's decision he's picking up his bat and ball and going home." Amid the political turmoil, Mr Rockliff has ordered prominent economist Saul Eslake not to prepare a report on viable opportunities to sell government-owned businesses to support Tasmania's troubled finances. Mr Winter said he didn't believe Mr Rockliff's commitment not to pursue privatisation, declaring the premier would "say anything" to cling to power. A planned $945 million stadium for Hobart has also been caught in the crossfire of the political chaos. The roofed Macquarie Point proposal is a condition of the deal to issue a 19th AFL team licence for the Tasmania Devils. Both major party leaders support the proposed stadium but special legislation to grant it planning approval has been thrown off course by the motion. Mr Winter took aim at "interstate footy people" for driving a narrative his intervention was "all about the stadium". "If these interstate commentators want to try make this all about a stadium they are severely mistaken," he said. "Tasmanians have got higher priorities." Tasmanian AFL legends Nick and Jack Riewoldt, Matthew Richardson and Brendon Gale have publicly lamented the uncertainty surrounding the stadium and team. Firebrand Senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians who oppose the project.
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"It's certainly in the Liberal Party's DNA to argue for and advocate for lower taxes whenever they can be afforded and whenever they are achievable." It comes as the coalition has come out against Labor's policy to double the tax rate on superannuation balances above $3 million. The tax rate would increase to 30 per cent in a bid to limit the number of people using their super balances for tax deductions, rather than their retirements. Senator Paterson said the policy was a grab for revenue. "We're never going to make that easier for the government, and we're fighting this because we're opposed to it in principle and we're proud to do so," he said. The median super balance for 60 to 64-year-olds is roughly $200,000 for men and $150,000 for women, with the vast majority of retirees unlikely to feel the impact of Labor's proposal. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said the changes would make the superannuation system fairer. Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tim Wilson said the government had broken trust with voters on the proposal. "Many people walked into the polling booth at the last election didn't think that the government was going to impose a new tax on unsold assets that was going progressively creep into the superannuation balances of millions of Australians," he told Sky News. The coalition's new finance spokesman has conceded campaigning against tax cuts was a significant error, promising to push for lower rates in the next term of parliament. James Paterson said the coalition's position against Labor's two-part tax cuts, which would be a reduction of more than $500 a year from July 2027, had cost votes at the May election. While a review of policies was being carried out after the election loss, Senator Paterson said lower taxes would be a significant part of the platform. "We made a strategic mistake at the last election by opposing a tax cut and taking to the election repealing of that tax cut, and that's not a mistake we'll repeat," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. "It's certainly in the Liberal Party's DNA to argue for and advocate for lower taxes whenever they can be afforded and whenever they are achievable." It comes as the coalition has come out against Labor's policy to double the tax rate on superannuation balances above $3 million. The tax rate would increase to 30 per cent in a bid to limit the number of people using their super balances for tax deductions, rather than their retirements. Senator Paterson said the policy was a grab for revenue. "We're never going to make that easier for the government, and we're fighting this because we're opposed to it in principle and we're proud to do so," he said. The median super balance for 60 to 64-year-olds is roughly $200,000 for men and $150,000 for women, with the vast majority of retirees unlikely to feel the impact of Labor's proposal. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said the changes would make the superannuation system fairer. Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tim Wilson said the government had broken trust with voters on the proposal. "Many people walked into the polling booth at the last election didn't think that the government was going to impose a new tax on unsold assets that was going progressively creep into the superannuation balances of millions of Australians," he told Sky News. The coalition's new finance spokesman has conceded campaigning against tax cuts was a significant error, promising to push for lower rates in the next term of parliament. James Paterson said the coalition's position against Labor's two-part tax cuts, which would be a reduction of more than $500 a year from July 2027, had cost votes at the May election. While a review of policies was being carried out after the election loss, Senator Paterson said lower taxes would be a significant part of the platform. "We made a strategic mistake at the last election by opposing a tax cut and taking to the election repealing of that tax cut, and that's not a mistake we'll repeat," he told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday. "It's certainly in the Liberal Party's DNA to argue for and advocate for lower taxes whenever they can be afforded and whenever they are achievable." It comes as the coalition has come out against Labor's policy to double the tax rate on superannuation balances above $3 million. The tax rate would increase to 30 per cent in a bid to limit the number of people using their super balances for tax deductions, rather than their retirements. Senator Paterson said the policy was a grab for revenue. "We're never going to make that easier for the government, and we're fighting this because we're opposed to it in principle and we're proud to do so," he said. The median super balance for 60 to 64-year-olds is roughly $200,000 for men and $150,000 for women, with the vast majority of retirees unlikely to feel the impact of Labor's proposal. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said the changes would make the superannuation system fairer. Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tim Wilson said the government had broken trust with voters on the proposal. "Many people walked into the polling booth at the last election didn't think that the government was going to impose a new tax on unsold assets that was going progressively creep into the superannuation balances of millions of Australians," he told Sky News.
