Tradies inundate scheme

Thousands apply for home improvement vouchers

TRADIES have flooded the Territory Government with almost 3000 applications for the home improvement scheme in its final two days.

The government announced Wednesday the scheme was ending on Friday afternoon, giving tradies less than 48 hours to get their vouchers endorsed, as the stimulus funds were running out.

Acting Chief Minister Natasha Fyles had been prompted to confirm the closure after the Housing Industry Association issued a press release earlier in the morning expressing its remorse at the ending of the scheme and lauding how successful it had been.

Figures provided to the Sunday Territorian by the government show 2800 applications were received in just two days between the announcement and 5pm Friday.

The government has accepted the flood of new applications will cause the budget for the scheme to blow out but it is understood they are comfortable with the increased costs as it was “creating work for tradies and supporting business and will end up generating significant economic activity”.

Despite the benefits, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the government would not commit to recommencing the popular scheme.

“The HIS was a short-term stimulus measure and it has done it’s job,” he said.

‘The vouchers have closed but work will continue to roll out for small tradies and local business for months to come.

He said the scheme had been a “real financial partnership between government and Territorians” that had helped create work for tradies and small business.

“I want to thank everyone who supported the HIS and made it a successful short-term economic stimulus.”

Mr Gunner said a transition would now occur as the Territory Labor government’s infra- structure spend and “record” and repairs and maintenance spend, flagged in the 2017 Budget, kicked in.

Deputy Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro has said scrapping the scheme makes no sense and will hit Territory tradies and homeowners when many of them are already on their knees.

“It makes no sense that the Gunner Labor government has scrapped a scheme even it admits is growing the economy.”