For better or worse, it's not a stimulus aimed at you, or aimed at helping those who apply.

It's an incentive for people to spend their own money as soon as possible, on the contruction industry. The construction industry is the one being given the help.

The Gov spends $688 million as a lure to get $4.128+ Billion of peoples own money ($4.8 Billion+ total) injected into the building industry in the next 9 months.

The rather specific criteria for eligibility seems to be broadly designed to exclude major cities and wealthier areas, where the building industry is under less stress. Anecdotal stories I have heard is that the building industry is struggling a lot more in regional areas, and those tradies etc are the target.

So it is not that specific wealthy but not too wealthy people are being targeted. It's a broad approach designed to try and target specific areas, and exclude other areas. Of course some cases will slip through the cracks, but that is hard to avoid when targeting the entire country in a hurry.

Of course, I am not suggesting it is the right approach, or that there are not loads of people who need support but aren't getting it.

But this is the Gov trying to get a 6x or better return on the money they spend, supporting the building industry in the areas where it is needed most.

Think of it as Maccas Corporate going crap, our regional stores are struggling. So if you come to these specific affected stores and buy a Big Mac Meal and some nuggets, we'll give you a free dessert.

A small outlay paying for the free desserts gets some extra people in the door, spending money, and the store stays open, and the people who work there stay employed.

The people buying dinner are not struggling, and could easily go without the free dessert, or buy it themselves, but they are targeted because they have the money to spend right away on a big meal. Maccas wouldn't offer the deal at their big city stores, because they already have enough customers to stay open.

Maccas corporate doesn't want to hand out vouchers for a free dessert, because then there is no guarantee extra money will be spent at the stores that need it and it costs them a lot of money. It's about Maccas spending as little of their money as possible, to get customers to spend their own money to support the struggling stores.

I am not economist, so I have no comment on how well this will work, or if it is even fair. But there does seem to be a specific intent that behind it that many people don't realise.