Australian PM asked to 'get off the grass' by local resident during stimulus announcement

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was told to “get off the grass” by a homeowner while announcing a major stimulus package for boosting the country’s housing sector. The face-off between Australian PM with the owner who had just reseeded a lawn took place on June 4 when Morrison had travelled to a housing construction site in Googong, south of Canberra. 

While he was talking to the media about ‘Australian Dream’, a local resident interrupted by saying, “Can everyone get off the grass please, Come on, I’ve just reseeded that.” After this, the Australian PM quickly obliged to the demand and asked the press to move forward and gave a thumbs up to the resident. 

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Australian govt's new scheme

The new scheme which Morrison announced would provide the eligible citizens with a grant of $25,000 to not only build a new home but also to renovate an existing. The new ‘Home Builder’ programme by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison government would provide a boost to nearly one million workers in the country and will reportedly cost at least $688 million. Moreover, the new move is not limited to only first home buyers.

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Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has noted that the housing sector is “critical” to the Australian economy and the Home Builder program would provide new jobs in construction that would, in turn, grow the nation’s economy. The new policy would be functional from June 4 to December 31 this year and the applicants would be subject eligibility criteria that include separate income caps for both singles and couples. There is also a national dwelling cap of $750,000 that is applicable for new home builds and a cost of  $150,000 up to $750,000 will apply to renovate a house with the current value of over $1.5 million.

he statement said, “The program is expected to provide around 27,000 grants at a total cost of around $680 million. This increase in residential construction will help to fill the gap in construction activity expected in the second half of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

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