The First Home Owner Decade – Distribution and Impact of the First Home Owner Grant 2000 to 2013

Australia has a 50 year history of direct support to First Home Owners (FHO) and the longevity and non-targeted nature of the policy makes it distinctive within western economies. In the last decade governments in Australia, both state and federal, have continued to provide assistance to first home buyers in an effort to improve the availability and the affordability of housing as well as to stimulate interest in the housing market. Using Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, as a case study, this preliminary empirical analysis summarizes the take up and distribution of the grant as well as the potential impact of the policy in terms of improving housing affordability and increasing market activity for over a ten year period.