Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

It has been remarked a lot in the chamber and, indeed, in the community that this budget was a shocker—an absolute shocker! The government spoke about the budget for one morning and we've scarcely heard about it since, quite understandably. Having been involved in a few budgets as a Treasury minister in my time, I can say that it was remarkable for a few reasons. One is how little was contained in it. In fact, most MYEFOs I've been involved with have included more than this so-called budget.

Emblematic of that in one area—but no more than any other—was housing. We saw the farcical announcement on budget night about one million homes. It was a farcical announcement. It sounded pretty farcical in the speech, and then, when we drilled down, it just got worse and worse. A million homes is what was described in the speech. Then we learn it was an aspiration for a million homes. Then we learn it's not a million homes that the government is going to fund or build or be involved with. No, it's a million homes that are the 'business as usual' homes that are built every five years in this country. Indeed, for the last five full calendar years, more than a million homes have been built in Australia—1,029,000. So the government is saying that, from the middle of 2024, they'll build fewer homes than were built in the five years preceding them coming into government.

Then we find out about the accord, which is code for 'more meetings'. The way to solve the housing problems in Australia is to have more meetings. I note that the housing minister has been sidelined. The Treasurer's leading this. The Treasurer's leading the accord because he doesn't feel he can entrust the housing minister. I want to know that what we found out out of the so-called accord is that 10,000 new homes are actually what the so-called accord will deliver—not the million homes, but the 10,000 homes under the accord. But then there was the further detail that the outcome of the so-called accord will only commence from 1 July 2024.

My question to the minister is: can the minister explain to vulnerable families and those doing it tough why they're expected to struggle for another two winters before the minister and government's so-called accord actually start delivering? That's not being built on 1 July 2024, but they'll start, presumably, on 1 July 2024. Can the minister confirm the point at which the delivery of those homes will commence under the accord? And when will people doing it tough now be able to apply to live in one of those homes? Will that be in 2025 or 2026? Will it be three, four or five winters they will have to do it tough?

The minister and the government also announced 30,000 social and affordable homes over five years. As a former housing minister, I say that time is of the essence with these things. We proudly set up and established the National Housing Finance Investment Corporation, and, a credit to the government, they've adopted that body and taken on the home guarantee program I put in place. We're very, very pleased that they will continue with those. We asked them not to tinker with them, not to change them and not to destroy them, because they are very successful programs.

After six months in office, I want the minister to outline how many homes out of the 30,000 promised have been started. We're six months into a three-year term. We're a fair way through the term now. How many of the 30,000 have been delivered? I suspect none have been delivered. It would be unfair for me to ask the minister to have delivered homes in six months, but how many have been started? How many of the 30,000 that were promised have commenced? For those people who might be watching and wondering if they can live in one of those homes, what's the process for them to actually obtain the ability to apply to live in one of those homes if one of those homes exists and has been started? After six months, most reasonable people would expect that, if you've promised 30,000, you should have at least started a few. It will be interesting to hear if the minister can elaborate on what has actually been done rather than the promises with no delivery that we've seen thus far.

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