Qld builds on housing push with $1000 tool cashback for apprentices
The Queensland government has announced a cashback incentive for first-year trade apprentices as part of continued efforts to meet the state’s housing and infrastructure demands.
Future tradies working on properties for the Homes for Queenslanders plan are now eligible to get up to $1000 to cover the cost of their tools, under a $4 million Free Tools for First Years program.
Dax Du Toit, an 18-year-old TAFE Queensland first-year electrical apprentice, is one of 4000 tradies eligible for $1000.Credit: Queensland Government
This includes first-year apprentices working in construction, plumbing, bricklaying, tiling, plastering, painting, cabinet making, stonemasonry, joinery, and electrical trades.
State Employment Minister Lance McCallum said the cashback program targeting 4000 new apprentices is a reflection of the Miles government’s “dedication to real cost-of-living relief”.
“Because we are making multinational mining companies pay their fair share, the Miles Labor government can pick up the tab for free tools,” McCallum said.
“Our apprentices are critical to the success of Queensland’s construction industry. By providing up to $1000 for their tools, we’re ensuring they have what they need to excel from day one.”
The announcement came ahead of a forecasted budget blowout for the Queensland government and increased calls to halt migration, despite skills shortages in the workforce.
On Tuesday, Treasurer Cameron Dick announced the June budget would likely carry a deficit of about $3 billion for the 2024-25 financial year as a result of cost-of-living relief delivered by the state government.
“While our government would like to see a surplus in the next two financial years, that will not come at the cost of Queensland families running deficits on their household budgets,” Dick said.
“If we have to borrow to deliver our cost-of-living measures, that is what we will do, but we will do so in a way that keeps inflation as low as possible.”
The week prior, Premier Steven Miles used the federal budget to call on his Canberra counterparts to ease migration to help with housing pressures amid the state’s run-away population growth.
“The reality is, our population is growing much faster than industry can build homes,” Miles said in a statement.
“The federal government needs to assist us to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with population growth.”
But in the same breath, Miles also reiterated the need for more skilled migration and welcomed federal government agreement to prioritise visas for construction workers.
Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia are among the states calling on the Albanese government to fast-track foreign workers into the nation to meet the 90,000-tradie shortfall.
During the launch of the state’s housing policy in February, Miles said: “We’ve seen a massive surge in migration nationally, and all of those people need homes, as well as all the other infrastructure we’re building. It makes sense to prioritise those who can help us build those homes.”
It’s a delicate dance for the state, particularly the south-east, as it juggles housing, infrastructure and Olympic building demands in coming years.
The South East Queensland Regional Plan anticipates the need for 900,000 new homes for an extra 2.2 million residents by 2046.