Essential Worker Housing in Queensland

What Queensland offers a first home buyer

Queensland applies two separate benefits, and they are often confused. One reduces transfer (stamp) duty; the other is a cash grant for a new home. Neither lowers the price of the property, and neither is a Key Worker program.

Transfer duty. The Queensland Revenue Office publishes a first home concession for a home valued under $800,000, saving up to $24,525. At a value of $700,000 or less the concession is full, so no duty is payable; above that it steps down in bands until it disappears at $800,000. The concession depends on the contract date and on you never having held an interest in another residence in Australia or overseas. For transactions entered into on or after 1 August 2026, the buyer must also be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree. You must move in within one year of settlement, and that period cannot be extended.

First home owner grant. The Queensland grant pays up to $30,000 towards buying or building a new home, subject to a value cap of $750,000 and the scheme's other conditions. It applies to new homes only, not established ones.

Both are administered on the transaction, not on your occupation. A nurse, teacher or paramedic receives the same treatment as any other eligible first home buyer. Check your own position with the Queensland Revenue Office and its transfer duty estimator before you rely on a figure.

Federal support that applies in Queensland

• 5 percent Deposit Scheme. Supports eligible first home buyers with a 5% deposit, and eligible single parents or legal guardians with 2%, without LMI. Applications go through participating lenders, and property price caps apply by location.
• Help to Buy. A shared-equity scheme with published taxable-income limits of $103,000 for individuals and $165,000 for joint applicants or single parents, subject to its definitions and property caps.
• Lender occupation waivers. Several lenders publish their own LMI waivers for health and emergency professions. These are commercial offers, not government schemes, and the profession lists change. Understanding government home buyer assistance sets out the current published terms.

Where a discounted Queensland home comes from

Queensland's discounted and affordable housing is largely delivered through community housing providers and developers working under planning or funding arrangements, rather than through a single state-wide buyer program. That means availability is local and intermittent: a development in one suburb may carry allocations while the next one does not.

The Queensland Government also operates Government Employee Housing, which provides accommodation to front-line government workers in locations with reduced or no private rental options. That is a rental arrangement for specific roles in specific places, not a purchase pathway, so it is worth knowing the difference before you plan around it.

EWH is a private service and separate from all of the above. We work with providers and developers who are selling at a genuine discount to eligible Essential and Key Workers, and we help you understand whether a particular home and price work for your situation.

What to check before you commit

1. The basis of the discount. Is the price reduced permanently, or is another party retaining an interest in the property?
2. The conditions attached. Confirm occupancy, resale and any review provisions in writing.
3. Contract date and duty. A concession can turn on the date the contract is entered into, not the date you move in.
4. Whether the home is new or established. The grant applies only to new homes; the duty concession applies to both.
5. Your lender's current published list. Do not assume a waiver or discount applies because a colleague received one.

A sensible order of work

Establish your borrowing position first, then decide where you can buy, then look for a discounted home inside that area. Doing it the other way around usually means falling for a property you cannot finance. Building a realistic deposit and finance plan covers the numbers, and choosing where to buy around your work and budget covers the location decision.

When you are ready, we will look at your circumstances and tell you honestly whether a Queensland purchase looks realistic.