Stamp duty relief calls grow for first home buyers in SA, Tasmania and the NT

Property industry groups are pushing state and territory governments to close a gap that leaves first home buyers in South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory paying full stamp duty the moment they buy an established home instead of a new one. The Property Council in South Australia has renewed the call this month, arguing young buyers are carrying an unfair share of the cost of the housing crisis.

Where the gap sits

Most states give first home buyers a stamp duty exemption or concession no matter what kind of home they buy. South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory work differently:

• South Australia: stamp duty is fully waived for first home buyers purchasing a new home, an off-the-plan apartment, a house-and-land package or vacant land to build on - but there is currently no concession at all for an established (existing) home.
• Tasmania: a full exemption for established homes up to $750,000 ended on 30 June 2026, so buyers settling from 1 July onward pay standard duty regardless of whether the home is new or established.
• Northern Territory: there is no first home buyer stamp duty concession on any property type, new or established. The Territory's support instead comes through a grant rather than a duty discount.

What it costs in practice

On a $700,000 established home in South Australia, a first home buyer pays approximately $32,330 in stamp duty, the same amount any other buyer would pay. Compare that to a first home buyer purchasing a new home of the same value in SA, who pays no stamp duty at all. That gap is the exact issue the Property Council is asking government to review, arguing it pushes buyers who would prefer an established home, often the more affordable option in an established suburb, toward paying tens of thousands more or feeling steered into new-build stock instead.

It is worth noting state governments set these rules deliberately to encourage new housing supply, and building more homes is a genuine part of easing the affordability crisis. The debate here is about balance: whether established-home buyers in these three jurisdictions are missing out on support that buyers in most of the rest of the country already receive.

What first home buyers can still access

A stamp duty concession is only one part of the support on offer, and buyers in SA, Tasmania and the NT still have other schemes available depending on their situation:

• The First Home Owner Grant is still available in all three jurisdictions for new homes, though the amount and eligibility rules vary by state.
• The federal First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy shared equity scheme both apply nationally, including in SA, Tasmania and the NT, and are not affected by state stamp duty settings.
• Buyers considering an established home in these states may want to factor the full stamp duty bill into their deposit and borrowing plans early, rather than discovering it late in the buying process.

Run the numbers

If you are weighing up a new build against an established home, or want to see exactly what duty applies in your state, these tools can help:

• Stamp Duty Calculator - work out the exact duty payable on a specific property in your state, and compare new versus established.
• Scheme Comparison Tool - compare the First Home Guarantee, Help to Buy and FHOG side by side to see what you may be eligible for.
• Grant Stacker - see which grants and schemes could combine to reduce your total upfront costs.