Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank very much the member for Barker for asking that question. He has been an extraordinary advocate for first home buyers in his regional electorate in South Australia. I can again report to the House that the Morrison government's First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and Family Home Guarantee for single parents has been an extraordinary success.

Counterintuitively, in the middle of a pandemic we have seen first home buyers at their highest levels for nearly 15 years. It's not just the home guarantee schemes that help first home buyers purchase a property with a deposit as little as five per cent, because we know the barrier to homeownership for so many first home buyers is getting that deposit together, or single parents purchase a home with a deposit as little as two per cent supported by the government. We have also put in place the HomeBuilder program.

The HomeBuilder program was opposed by the Labor Party. I've some bad news for the Labor Party. The program they opposed has been taken up by 135,000 Australian families. More than 200,000 Australians today are in a home because of the support of the Morrison government's HomeBuilder program. Each and every one of them knows that, if the Labor Party had its way, they would not be in their home. That is an absolute indictment of the Labor Party. We know they don't support helping first home buyers get into the market, but what a decision in the middle of a pandemic. Of all the policies to oppose, they opposed the HomeBuilder program—a $25,000 grant for people to purchase a new home.

The Prime Minister in my time in politics has been more dedicated to first home buyers than almost any other, and there are many on this side. The Prime Minister is a prime minister for first home buyers. In this term alone between our Home Guarantee Scheme, the HomeBuilder program and the First Home Super Saver Scheme—another program that helps first home buyers save for a deposit—300,000 Australians today are in a home with the support of the Morrison government. Some 300,000 Australians are in their own home today because of a Morrison government policy—HomeBuilder, the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, the Family Home Guarantee or the First Home Super Saver Scheme. Each and every one of those 300,000 Australians know that the Labor Party opposed the policy that helped them get into their home. Shame on the Labor Party. (Time expired)

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