Stamp duty relief for fire-affected land owners

State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has been advocating for stamp duty relief for affected homeowners since the disaster in her electorate.

She said the announcement was overdue and should have formed part of the government’s recovery response months ago.

“Families who lost their homes have spent months carrying enormous financial pressure while trying to navigate a recovery process that has been plagued by delays, bureaucracy and government mismanagement,” Ms Cleeland said.

She said the concession was a win for fire-affected communities, but more was needed.

“This happened because residents refused to stop fighting, because communities kept speaking up, and because we kept the pressure on Labor every single day,” she said.

“But nobody should mistake this for mission accomplished.

“Most people affected by these fires never wanted to buy another home elsewhere. They wanted to rebuild where they live.”

She said if there had been a quicker clean-up, faster approvals and “meaningful recovery support from the outset”, many families might have been able to achieve that.

The concession will allow eligible homeowners whose principal place of residence was destroyed or substantially damaged by the January bushfires to receive the stamp duty relief when purchasing a replacement home or vacant land on which to rebuild.

Full stamp duty relief is available for eligible replacement properties valued up to $1 million, while relief will be capped at $55,000 for higher-value purchases.

Ms Cleeland encouraged anyone affected by the bushfires to investigate whether they may be eligible and to seek assistance if needed.

“My office is here to help people navigate the process and ensure they receive every support available to them,” she said.

“I don’t want government bureaucracy becoming another obstacle standing between families and rebuilding their lives.

“We will not stop until every family has the support they need to rebuild their lives and remain in the communities they call home.

“Recovery is not measured by government announcements; it is measured by whether families are back in their homes, whether local businesses are thriving again, and whether communities have the confidence to look to the future.”