People who come to Australia on 491 and 494 move with an aim of settling down there.  One of the primary goals is to secure a home rather than paying rent for the many years we are living here. This is part of trying to make Australia home and in turn contributing to the country and the economy.

With the foreign stamp duty currently applied which can be as high as 10 % - it is keeping the potential settlers from purchasing properties. 
This is also one of the main reasons people are reluctant to apply for this visa and is causing much more concern than actually living in a regional area. 

I feel 491 and 494 visas are a great route to permanent settlement and it does encourage people to live and work in regional areas But change the foreign tax requirement for buying properties could attract even more applicants. So I request that 491 and 494 visa holders are considered to pay the residents’ tax for property purchases rather than foreign buyers tax.