The Queensland Parliament has passed legislative reforms designed to remove administrative hurdles and assist more residents in achieving home ownership.
The Home Ownership and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 simplifies existing property revenue laws to prevent buyers acting in good faith from being disqualified from concessions due to technicalities.
Under the new legislation, buyers will remain eligible for the first homeowner vacant land duty concession even if an existing shed is located on the otherwise unimproved land. The amendments also streamline rules governing newly constructed homes, ensuring buyers are not excluded from first-home benefits due to legal transfers between developers and builders.
In addition, the legislation removes obsolete revenue processes, fixes drafting anomalies, and ensures consistent vehicle registration duty relief for eligible current and former Australian Defence Force personnel.
The reforms come alongside strong residential construction activity across the state. According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, a record 52,500 homes are currently under construction in Queensland. This marks the state’s fourth consecutive record quarter, representing a 35 per cent increase in residential building activity over two years.
The state government attributed the momentum to broader supply initiatives, including the AU$2 billion Residential Activation Fund, which is projected to unlock 166,000 new homes statewide.
Earlier stamp duty exemptions for eligible first home buyers purchasing new builds have already saved buyers over AU$66 million. Furthermore, KPMG data indicates Queensland’s home ownership rate rose from 63.9 per cent in 2021 to 64.9 per cent in 2025.
“These reforms apply some common sense so that well-intentioned Queenslanders acting in good faith are not deprived of a fair outcome because of a technicality,” said Treasurer and Minister for Home Ownership David Janetzki.
“We are pulling every lever we can as a government to deliver more Queenslanders a place to call home.”
