Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. You would be aware of my correspondence alerting you to Tasmania's housing crisis, especially in Hobart. I urged you to help remedy the situation. For instance, the Commonwealth public housing debt is costing Tasmania $15 million a year in interest payments and consuming a great chunk of the state's Commonwealth public housing assistance. Indeed, it's the biggest impediment to the Tasmanian government being able to significantly increase investment in public housing and give thousands of people a home. Will you axe Tasmania's housing debt to the Commonwealth, as was done for South Australia in 2013, and in doing so help do something about the housing crisis?

See this speech in context