5 Percent Housing Scheme Under Scrutiny as Prices Jump at Fastest Rate in Over 2 Years

A house under construction stands in front of newly built homes at a housing development located in the south-west Sydney suburb of Menangle Park in Australia on Feb. 20, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty ImagesAustralia’s expanded first-homebuyer deposit scheme has triggered the sharp price reaction, with housing values experiencing a steep jump just one month after launch.National prices climbed 1.1 percent in October, the fastest monthly rise in more than two years, outpacing Treasury’s own modelling, which forecast only a 0.5 percent lift spread over six years from the policy.