FAQs

The City of Victor Harbor has a strong focus on attracting and retaining young people and young families in our community. Helping first home buyers get into their first home is one of the most practical and meaningful ways to achieve this.

Housing affordability is a growing challenge across South Australia, particularly in regional areas. This petition is about lowering one of the biggest upfront barriers to home ownership - stamp duty - so young people can stay, settle and build their lives in regional communities.

Stamp duty can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of buying a home. For many first home buyers, this cost must be added to their mortgage, meaning they start home ownership already paying interest on a tax.

At the same time, rental prices continue to rise, making it increasingly difficult for young people to save a deposit while renting. In Victor Harbor, weekly rents of $550-$600 are becoming common, placing significant pressure on young families and individuals.

This petition aims to ease that pressure and give first home buyers a fairer pathway into the market.

The City of Victor Harbor is calling on the South Australian Government to waive stamp duty for first home buyers purchasing existing homes in regional South Australia, on the first $750,000 of the purchase price.

For example, if a first home buyer purchases an existing home for $800,000, they would only pay stamp duty on the remaining $50,000.

This proposal is designed as a balanced compromise that supports first home buyers without significantly increasing housing demand pressures.

Currently, stamp duty exemptions in South Australia only apply to newly built homes or vacant land.

This creates a problem for regional and rural communities, where:

• There is far less new, affordable housing supply than in metropolitan Adelaide
• Settlement on completion new builds are increasingly rare
• Build times can stretch to two years or more

Many young people simply cannot afford to rent at market rates while also paying interest on land and construction loans during long build periods. As a result, many first home buyers have no realistic option other than purchasing an existing home - and paying full stamp duty.

Yes. This petition is the next step in a longer advocacy journey.

• January 2025: The City of Victor Harbor successfully moved a motion for the Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA), representing all councils, to advocate for a stamp duty waiver on existing homes for first home buyers.
• May 2025: South Australian councils endorsed the position and the LGA began advocating to the State Government.
• June 2025: The Liberal Party of South Australia publicly committed to removing stamp duty on existing homes for first home buyers up to $1 million.
• To date, the State Labor Government has not supported the change, citing concerns about increased housing demand.

Having exhausted traditional advocacy pathways, Council is now leading an innovative, state-wide, community-driven petition.

Yes - South Australia is currently the only state in Australia that does not offer a stamp duty exemption or concession for first home buyers purchasing existing homes.

Other states recognise that first home buyers need support regardless of whether they buy a new or established home. This petition aims to bring South Australia into line with the rest of the country.

A stamp duty exemption on an existing home valued at $750,000 could save a first home buyer more than $35,000.

That saving could be used for:

• A higher deposit
• Lower mortgage repayments
• Legal and settlement costs
• Furnishing and setting up a home

For many young people, this saving is the difference between buying a home and missing out altogether.

The City of Victor Harbor has listened to the State Government’s concerns about increased demand in metropolitan Adelaide.

By limiting the exemption to regional South Australia, the proposal:

• Supports population growth in regional areas
• Helps young people stay in or return to their home communities
• Reduces pressure on metropolitan housing markets.

Victor Harbor has one of the oldest populations in South Australia - and we see that as a reason to lead, not step back.

If regional communities want to remain vibrant, sustainable and economically strong, they must support younger generations to live, work and raise families locally. This petition is about intergenerational fairness and long-term community wellbeing.