Abandoning Labor's first homebuyer scheme Help to Buy, its social housing fund, its tax incentives for build-to-rent developers and its payments to states that meet housing supply targets would save a combined $4.7 billion.

Build-to-rent developers is corporates getting into the rental game isn't it? I know that people say mum and dad investors are disorganised and shabby, but asking an entity you have no bargaining power against, and the government is at risk of lobby pressure from is not the answer. So, i actually think getting rid of those subsidies might be good for more reasons than a budget saving.

Labor has likely made a foolish mistake in exposing under-represented and low leverage (in power terms), renters to the uncompromising domination of a rental-corp.

The first homebuyer scheme is harder, but if prices are able to be wound back, and lower wages able to increase I see good reason for first homebuyers grants to be removed at appropriate stages. When the market reflects the conditions before they were introduced.

Reducing this support will likely deflate house prices a little, so the timing of changes like this would need to be considered carefully, since we have so much of our national wealth tied to our bloody houses.

I don't trust that the Liberals have the finesse to pull that off. Instead they'll set a timeline, pretend its the right time, and pull the cord as early as they can. Probably smoke a cigar on the patio after screwing over young Australia yet again.

Liberals can sit on it and rotate its their messiah's (ol'big brows Howard's) fault social housing is now absolutely necessary.

Payments to States I have no idea whether its a good policy or not. Seems effective. States always want cash, and I've seen the effects in my own area.

I don't know whether its good or not though. Its very top-down, and right up in communities backyards. I'm worried Labor is ruffling too many feathers across too broad a swathe of communities with this one. But I have no more than anecdotal evidence to back that idea up. So I don't know, maybe Liberals might make hay with this cut.