Master Builders Victoria chief executive Rebecca Casson said the program had kept thousands of construction firms in business and their employees in jobs,but action was now needed to keep supply chains moving in the face of overwhelming HomeBuilder-fuelled demand for skilled labour and materials.
The federal government says the scheme is doing what it was designed to:stimulating the building industry,protecting jobs and keeping supply chains moving. Housing Minister Michael Sukkar toldThe Age on Wednesday that he was in constant contact with the sector to monitor the program’s progress.
Ms Casson said almost 80 per cent of the 300 Victorian building businesses that responded to a national survey conducted by Master Builders were experiencing significant delays in being able to secure concreters,joiners and bricklayers.
“HomeBuilder has been a lifeline for Victorian home builders and is continuing to drive a pipeline of work forward,but some of them are now struggling to keep up with demand for skilled tradespeople and some critical building materials,” she said.
“In collaboration with our state and national colleagues,we’re currently working with the federal government on potential solutions to relieve the pressure on the supply chain and ensure that the benefits of HomeBuilder are maximised.”
“We want to avoid a situation where delays in the availability of key tradespeople and key materials – along with escalating costs for both – threaten to undermine HomeBuilder’s widely acknowledged success.”