Vince Connelly (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased for this opportunity today to say some words around the government's HomeBuilder program. This is another important plank in the platform that this government has built to support our economy. After all Australians have done so very well at flattening the curve of coronavirus, we must now shift our focus—as we are—to our No. 1 priority of securing and building more jobs.

The HomeBuilder program will support one million jobs. We're talking about jobs for tradies like carpenters, tilers, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers and, of course, those involved in the manufacturing of home building materials—things like the wood that goes into construction, the windows that go into those houses, the tiles that go onto the roof. This program is designed to drive demand today for those families whose ability to enter the market was impacted by the coronavirus but who are now ready to build or substantially renovate their property. We have seen over 2,000 people in WA sign up to get to the next level and receive more information about how they can apply, and they join over 20,000 people nationally.

I'm also pleased to note that the state government in my home state of Western Australia has a complimentary building bonus package of $20,000 for the construction of a new home. This, combined with the first home owners grant of $10,000 and first home buyers stamp duty concession of $14,000, really shows how the WA state government and the federal government are working together to jointly back in the residential construction sector.

There has been a consistent theme during this crisis. We've seen state and territory leaders, both coalition and Labor, join with our federal leader with a single focus, a shared mission of saving lives and livelihoods. Regardless of how well those in my electorate and around the country have perceived the government's response, those opposite seem intent on dragging it down and talking down the economy. That's not the feedback I'm getting in my electorate. Recently, the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash, and I had a tele town hall. We invited people to join a live conference with us. We said: 'Tell us what's going well. Let's hear your suggestions for improvement.' We were there to listen. We had some great conversations, and along the way we posed a question. We said: 'Do you (1) generally approve of the Morrison government's response to COVID-19 or (2) generally disapprove of the Morrison government's response to COVID-19?' Those opposite, who frankly are trying to drag down the government's response, may be interested to know that of the respondents on that phone call 93 per cent agreed with the government's response to coronavirus. I welcome others to conduct their own surveying, but certainly, both anecdotally and now statistically, I can share that Australians approve of the government's response.

Are we perfect? No, of course not. Is our response perfect? No, it's not. We are listening and you will have observed that we have made amendments along the way. But fundamentally this is focused not on what is happening inside these four walls but on supporting all Australians through this very difficult time. One of the best ways we can do that is to support jobs, which this package is absolutely focused upon.

We've also been accused of being insensitive to public housing. That is rubbish and is something that my colleagues and I will absolutely not cop. This government provides more than $6 billion every year to support Australians who need housing assistance: $4.6 billion in Commonwealth rent assistance and $1.6 billion to states and territories to support homelessness services. In my first speech I spoke about a very personal encounter of myself and my wife supporting a young mother with a baby and two children, who rapidly became homeless. When we reached out on her behalf for support for housing it was absolutely there.

This debate highlights a significant difference between both sides of the House. Those opposite are focused on talking down our economy and the government's response, and we are focused absolutely, as we will remain so, on saving lives and livelihoods.

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