Media Release by The Hon Tanya Pibersek MP

Rudd Government delivers $21,500 saving to Western Sydney homebuyers

Joint Media Release with:

  • The Hon Roger Price MP, Federal Member for Chifley

A total of 240 families in Western Sydney will receive a cheque for $21,500 for new homes purchased at the Ropes Crossing estate through the Rudd Government’s Housing Affordability Fund.

The $512 million Housing Affordability Fund helps provide affordable new homes for Australians by paying for infrastructure and cutting planning delays, then passing on the savings to eligible new homebuyers.

In this project, the $3.67 million Ropes Crossing Community Resource Hub is being built with funds from the Rudd Government’s Housing Affordability Fund.

The hub, designed to be a one-stop shop offering information and advice on social, recreational, community health and education needs, will open in mid-2010.

Without this funding, the centre would have been funded by levies on home owners in the Ropes Crossing development.

Housing Minister, Tanya Plibersek and Member for Chifley, Roger Price joined representatives from State and Local Government and the developer, Delfin Lend Lease, to turn the first sod on the Community Resource Hub today.

“The Housing Affordability Fund is a highly successful initiative at Ropes Crossing. Over 100 eligible purchasers are now at the contract stage,” Ms Plibersek said.

“This means another 140 families in Western Sydney can still receive a cheque for $21,500. This rebate applies whether or not you are a first home buyer.

“Australia needs to build more houses to meet the needs of a growing population. Projects like this are bring more homes to market at a price that is more affordable for home buyers.”

Mr Price said the Housing Affordability Fund rebate is available to eligible buyers of 240 residential lots at Ropes Crossing.

“This is exactly what the Government set out to achieve when it designed the Housing Affordability Fund, and it’s great to see families in Western Sydney reaping the benefits,” Mr Price said.

Thirty-seven projects have so-far shared in around $120 million from the program, which will ultimately benefit tens of thousands of home buyers through savings on individual lots and faster planning and development approval times.

The Government is inviting applications for round two of the fund for projects which deliver at least 50 new homes.

Applications can be submitted by State and Territory Governments, local governments and Local Government Associations, and they can partner with private companies and developers to deliver more new homes in a shorter period of time.

Priority will be given to greenfield and infill projects with access to public transport, public housing estate redevelopments create mixed communities, and projects which deliver affordable homes suitable for low to moderate income earners.