Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the shadow minister for the opportunity to speak about a few things I am really passionate about—jobs, housing and Western Sydney. There is nothing a family wants more than to have their own home. I've seen in our community the devastating impacts on families when affordability is out of reach. Prior to coming into parliament, I worked at a community housing provider where I saw first-hand the benefits of our government investing in affordable housing in my own community, in Lindsay, for women escaping domestic violence and for families who were struggling to make ends meet and, at the other end of the spectrum, people who had been experiencing homelessness, getting back on their feet again.

Our government invests in housing and our government, the Morrison government, invests in affordable housing. In fact, in my electorate of Lindsay, a community housing provider has made use of the Morrison government's National Housing Infrastructure Facility to help unlock new housing supply. I remember the day that I met a woman in one of those apartments in Penrith who talked about her new life after she escaped domestic violence and the aspiration she had for her future. I stood at this apartment with Minister Sukkar to announce this housing for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. At Harts Landing at Thornton, 114 affordable homes were made available for people in my community who need them and 14 social housing dwellings because the Morrison government invests in housing. These apartments are right next door to shops and public transport, and they have changed people's lives—people who had been living out of their cars.

Affordable housing is fundamental to all Australians, not just those who need a safe place to live but also those who are employed in our construction industry and the small and medium sized business owners that are contracted to help put these projects together. This is what the Morrison government is investing in—homes and jobs. It's what builds aspiration. When we invest in housing, we invest in people's future, and now the Morrison government is doing it again. We know that the residential construction sector has not been immune from coronavirus. We need to make sure there is a steady line of work for the housing industry, which is so important to people's aspirations, to people's future, to families.

There are 19,300 technicians, labourers and tradies in Lindsay, and nearly 1,600 apprentices. It is estimated that the HomeBuilder program will support a million tradies—carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, bricklayers—as well as timber mill workers and manufacturers of roofing tiles, bricks and windows. There is nothing I am more passionate about than manufacturing, particularly in Western Sydney, because that is about backing local jobs. If it is about supporting jobs in my community, it is worth backing. It's important we don't politicise the issue of housing and the construction industry; it is about job creation and sustaining the industry during and after the coronavirus pandemic and it's about removing barriers to accessing the housing industry. About 20,000 people are expected to take up the grant for new homes, and already around 4,000 are lined up across New South Wales. I know that interest in my community is high around first home owner grants in particular.

Through this MPI, those opposite have given me the opportunity to talk about construction, which is fantastic, because, in addition to new homes, the Morrison government is supporting the construction industry right across my community of Western Sydney. In Lindsay, the North South Rail Link starts at St Marys, and we have three rail stations. Last week I joined the Prime Minister to announce the $11 billion investment in my community. This project alone will unlock thousands of construction jobs. We have the construction of three commuter car parks across Lindsay, in Emu Plains, Kingswood and St Marys, with $60 million invested into Lindsay. The Western Sydney Airport is a $5.3 billion investment, where we already have over 50 per cent local jobs. We have $63½ million going into Dunheved Road. And now we have the investment in the HomeBuilder package, creating and sustaining jobs and supporting Australian families and supporting my community of Lindsay. (Time expired)

See this speech in context