When the Morrison Government’s home renovation cash grants were announced on Monday, one couldn’t help but think about the wealthy folks in their cliffside homes and harborside mansions who may soon have a new bathroom or kitchen renovation subsidised by the tax dollars of the Australian people. 

In ‘The Real Australia’, 1.6 million people are currently receiving Centrelink unemployment benefits and a further 3.5 million are being supported by the JobKeeper program.  

That’s hardly a confidence-building set of circumstances for many everyday Australians that is going to encourage them to fork out tens of thousands of dollars for home renovations when their futures continue to remain so uncertain. 

With so much community infrastructure in dire need of maintenance, renovation and repair, one can’t help but think this policy is poorly targeted. Across the land, there are schools, hospitals and public housing in dire need of required works to bring them up to a reasonable standard, particularly in regional areas. 

With so many of our nation’s children stuck in ‘temporary’ demountable classrooms and our elderly in public nursing homes in need of repairs and renovations, this policy appears to be deeply at odds with the needs of our communities. 

There is no doubt that Australia’s economy needs a boost as our nation navigates these uncertain and troubled times, but there are better ways to assist the construction sector than giving homeowners cash grants to renovate their homes. 

But, hey. I’m sure Malcolm Turnbull’s neighbours will really appreciate their new government subsidised bathrooms and kitchens. 

Illustration: Facebook.

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