Higher-earning Australians flocking to 5% first home deposit scheme with some borrowers earning over $200,000

Exclusive: Economists warn Labor’s removal of caps could be pushing up prices as support flows to people in better financial positions

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Most Australian first home buyers are using the government’s 5% deposit scheme, with one in three new participants earning more than the scheme’s previous cap for high income earners.

The influx of high income earners into the first home guarantee program, economists warn, has pushed up property prices by increasing buying capacity for people who would have bought anyway.