First home buyers throughout the Benalla Electorate have received a huge boost with Coalition plans to cut stamp duty, Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes said this week.
“If elected to government on Saturday we will cut stamp duty for eligible first home buyers by 50%,” Dr Sykes said.
“This will be a huge boost for people looking to buy their first home.
“Under Labor the cost of housing has reached a frightening level with the current high stamp duty tax regime making it extremely difficult for first home buyers in particular to enter the market.”
Dr Sykes said that under the Coalition plan, the 50 per cent cut in stamp duty would be phased in over the first term of government, starting with a 20 per cent cut from July next year.
“It will represent a major saving for first home buyers, and for many, it will be the difference in being able to make that successful purchase,” he said.
“We will also be maintaining the existing first home buyers grant and bonuses for new homes.
“This is particularly about enabling young people in regional areas to realise the Australian dream of owning their own home,” Dr Sykes said.
“This stamp duty commitment, the higher education opportunities we are providing and our investments aimed at improving services and facilities in regional Victoria are about providing the incentives for young people to stay in our communities and to also attract city dwellers to country Victoria.
“Young families are our future and the Liberal Nationals Coalition are determined to work with our rural communities to ensure these young people stay and live in our region,” Dr Sykes concluded.
 

Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes raised the issue of social housing in Benalla and the wider electorate in Parliament this week, speaking on the Health and Human Services Legislation Amendment Bill.
Dr Sykes said the bill sought to create two new departments, the Department of Health and a new Department of Human Services.
He raised concern that this move should not compromise the coordination between housing and other service delivery.
“It is important that the delivery of services is not made any worse, because right now we have a need for much better coordination between the provision of social housing in the electorate of Benalla and that of the associated support services.
Dr Sykes said that in the near future he would get an update from the Department of Human Services as currently it is withdrawing social housing from some smaller towns such as Bright, Murchison and Myrtleford.
“This is because it is recognised that many of the high-priority tenants have complex needs and the small towns cannot provide sufficient services to meet those complex needs.”
Dr Sykes continued, “But interestingly, there is a proposal to increase social housing in Benalla on the premise that Benalla can provide the services.
“This has been presumed without an audit having been undertaken of the services.
“If we are to have split organisations,” Dr Sykes told Parliament, “let us hope there is improved coordination to ensure there are links between things such as the provision of social housing and health services.
“If that is not done there will be on going widening of the significant social disadvantage gap that pervades much of country Victoria, and in particular Benalla.”