Increased Grant Amount for First Home Owners
First Home Owner Grant Amendment Bill 2026
House of Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Eric Abetz MP (LIB)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Josh Willie ALP
“Honourable Speaker, I rise to speak on this bill on behalf of my colleague, the member for Franklin. I’ll just make a few remarks there. Through the previous debate there were a number of personal attacks on my colleague, and I think it is unbecoming. It does this place no service. There are members on that side without explanation of their absence this week.”
Vica Bayley GRN
“Speaker, I rise to speak to this First Home Owner Grant Amendment Bill and indicate upfront that we, the Greens, are willing to support it.”
Kristie Johnston IND
“Speaker, when an earlier version of this bill came before parliament I proposed amendments that weren’t successful, and I won’t move them again today because it’s clear they won’t succeed, and I don’t want to spend any more of the parliament’s time than is necessary.”
Peter George IND
“Thank you, Speaker. I will be mercifully short. While I support this bill in the hope that it will assist some Tasmanians to achieve home ownership for the first time, I do wish to raise some concerns. Almost a year ago I expressed concern that grants of this nature, while well-intentioned, may simply increase the cost to someone buying a first house by a commensurate amount.”
George Razay IND
“Honourable Speaker, housing supply and affordability dominate conversation across our state and, indeed, the nation. As communities grapple with the rising costs and limited availability, young people are being priced out of the market and renters are facing unprecedented challenges in securing affordable and stable housing.”
Helen Burnet IND
“Honourable Speaker, I, too, will be mercifully brief. I rise to speak to the First Home Owners Grant Amendment Bill of 2026 and acknowledge that this will retain a grant of $20,000, coming down from $30,000. In some ways it’s a symbolic gesture. There’s still going to be a grant available.”
Eric Abetz LIB
“I thank honourable members for their contributions. It would be fair to say that there are differing views by economists of the impact of these First Home Owners Schemes and I’m very much alive to those considerations.”