ACT Election 2020: HIA says stamp duty abolition could be accelerated

As well, the HIA ACT branch has called for the incoming government to outline where future suburbs of Canberra will be and to not restrict the supply of greenfield land for single dwelling blocks, in order to not push up land prices.

Home ownership needed to be the number one priority and everybody needed access to housing, HIA ACT executive director Greg Weller said.

Mr Weller said the government could speed up the complete abolition of stamp duty.

In 2012, the ACT government embarked on a 20-year program to abolish stamp duty and replace the revenue lost from the tax with higher rates. The program was expected to be revenue neutral when it was introduced but in recent years this hasn't been the case.

"If this policy that was going to be revenue neutral is actually turning out to be quite revenue positive for the government, we can ask did the rates need to go up so high or perhaps we can use those extra funds to get rid of stamp duty as was always the commitment from the government in the first place," Mr Weller said.

Mr Weller said it was too expensive to build or buy a new home in greenfield developments. HIA's election wishlist called for a audit on government taxes, fees and charges on new dwellings to identify potential areas for reform. The government also needed to identify a longer-term plan of where new suburbs needed to be.

"We don't want to send a message to the market is that we're full because that will only have one impact on prices in the ACT and that is push them up," Mr Weller said.

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HIA also accused the government of "politicising" the issue of building quality. Mr Weller said an incoming government needed to improve enforcement of current building standards.

"We hear, disappointingly, members of the assembly talk in media releases about dodgy builders, refer to developers as shifty and that's not good for confidence within the built form within the ACT because the reality is the vast number of builders are doing the right thing," he said.

It was also proposed that a $20,000 grant be available to owners of established properties for renovations that improve energy standards.