Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

that need it most, with a commitment to build 20,000 new social homes and 10,000 affordable homes in the first five years of the fund. And, as the Prime Minister has pointed out, 4,000 of those homes will be for women and children fleeing family violence, and for older women at risk of homelessness. It will also provide $200 million for improvements to housing in remote Indigenous communities, and $100 million for crisis and transitional accommodation for older women, and for women and children leaving family and domestic violence. It will also include $30 million to build housing and fund specialist services for veterans who are experiencing homelessness.

This will make a real difference to people's lives. It will provide real relief to those that need it most. But what have we heard? Most Australians would expect people in this place to support more social and affordable housing, but, from what we're hearing, that is not the case. Indeed, we're hearing that some will be coming in here to vote no to building more homes for women and children fleeing family violence. People will be coming in here and voting no to building more homes for veterans that are homeless. They will be coming into this place and voting no to people in need today right across the country—people in our cities and in our regional towns. Australians are already paying the price for almost a decade of little action from those opposite on housing. These Australians cannot afford for us to waste another day.

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