Master Builders welcomes Prime Minister Turnbull

Master Builders Australia congratulates the Honourable Malcolm Turnbull MP on his election as Leader of the Liberal Party and as Prime Minister of Australia.

“Master Builders looks to Prime Minister Turnbull and his government for renewed and reinvigorated energy in driving the implementation of a vision to meet the challenges and opportunities facing the building and construction industry and the nation,” Wilhelm Harnisch CEO of Master Builders Australia said.

“We welcome Prime Minister Turnbull’s strong commitment to a stronger and more targeted focus on the economy and productivity. Master Builders looks forward to working with the Prime Minister and his ministerial team to advance the Government’s policies to achieve this including restoring the powers of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC),” he said.

“Strengthening business and consumer confidence through a realistic plan for growing the economy, improving productivity and reducing the structural Budget deficit at the same time are essential for the commercial and residential building sectors,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.

“Without strong confidence business will not invest in new buildings and home buyers will be hesitant in buying new homes,” he said.

“Advancing policies to support the industry to train more young people through an industry driven apprenticeship process is another priority.  We need young people to become our leaders for tomorrow and to do that nationally we need at least 30,000 new entrants a year to meet that skills challenge,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.

“Tax reform must also be a priority to ensure we are globally competitive and overseas investors continue to see Australia in a positive light,” he said.

“Corporate and personal income tax need to be reduced for investment to continue and for the economy to grow,” Wilhelm Harnisch.

“What the community does not need is an overall lift in the tax burden. Increasing the costs of the family home, particularly for first home buyers, is detrimental and will add to housing affordability pressures as would the removal of negative gearing on investment properties,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.