Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

In my home state of Queensland, social housing currently makes up less than four per cent of the housing market. Last year the state government was found to be evicting vulnerable tenants to sell public housing stock off to the private market during a time when housing waitlists are soaring. Housing is treated as a commodity instead of a human right. Perhaps this is no surprise, as, according to the Electoral Commission, property developers have donated over $30 million and the banks have donated over $70 million to the major parties in the last 10 years. This means that the major political parties in Australia have an active stake in keeping the housing market the way that it currently is, a housing market that makes it easier for a property investor to purchase their sixth property than for a young person or a family to buy their first home.

The stories of people in my electorate provide insight into the pain and extent of the housing crisis. I would like to share one story in particular. Emma Howard is a disabled woman with mobility issues who has been struggling to find appropriate, accessible housing for a long time. When she first contacted our office, Emma had been forced to live in her car with her service dog, Badger, because the apartment she was provided by the department of housing was unsafe and did not cater to her disabilities. Emma lived in constant fear of her safety as she would not be able to use the stairs or the lifts in the case of a fire, but she and Badger had no other options. We were able to advocate for Emma, and fortunately, she is no longer living out of her car. However, she still has not been provided with a home that is fit for purpose for someone with a disability and who has suffered injuries that could have been avoided. There simply isn't an adequate supply of accessible social homes. In fact, they're almost non-existent. Any future social housing must be built to meet minimum standards of accessibility.

Countless renters also have reached out to express their concerns at the huge rent hikes they have experienced. I have heard of rent increases ranging from $80 a week all the way up to $400 a week. These stories range from students who are studying and working full-time to single parents balancing work and ever-increasing child care costs and families who are just doing their best to get by. There is a new layer of renters being impacted, as well. I heard from a couple who are both public servants on decent dual incomes who were priced out of their home and the community they had been part of for the last 15 years.

In my electorate of Brisbane we are at great risk of the affordability of housing worsening because of the upcoming 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games. The Olympics have been shown to increase housing costs in host cities across the world. In an electorate-wide survey that our office conducted, close to 80 per cent of respondents stated they believed that any infrastructure built with public money should stay in public hands. This includes the athletes village, which could be built as disability-accessible residential accommodation, not short-term accommodation, with the intention of it becoming social housing after the games conclude. This is an idea that was brought to us and championed by dozens of community members within the survey.

Incredibly, and even in the face of countless stories like Emma's, the government's Housing Australia Future Fund will actually worsen the shortage of social housing and cut its yearly housing funding. Let's break down why. Labor's plan will see $10 billion invested in a fund where they pay investment managers to put that money into the stock market in the hopes that it will generate a return. It's not a $10 billion direct investment in housing. It's a $10 billion gamble on the stock market, with spending on new homes capped at $500 million per year and not indexed to inflation. At best, this plan will only see three per cent of the current need in Australia addressed.

The Brisbane community are lucky to have organisations like Community Canteen, Valley Hearts and Coffee Brigade which work tirelessly to provide for unhoused and struggling individuals and families, but these organisations are being stretched further and further, being expected to make up the gaps in services left by the government. I want all those who contribute to the many support organisations in my electorate to know that I see you and I am so grateful for the immensely important work that you do in assisting the vulnerable. The time for bandaid solutions is over, and the Greens are calling for a minimum of $5 billion to be invested in social and affordable housing every year, indexed to inflation, and the removal of the $500 million spending cap.

To help those struggling right now, we want to see a national plan for renters and a commitment from the government and Prime Minister to put a national freeze on rent increases on the National Cabinet agenda. We also know that First Nations people and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis. In response to this, the Greens are seeking a $1 billion investment in remote Aboriginal housing over the next five years and to have all housing funded through this scheme meet minimum inclusive-design standards.

This crisis is not something far off in the future that we can deal with slowly, bit by bit. There are thousands of Australians who are homeless right now. There are far too many people and families in my electorate living in their cars, and one is too many. There are young people couch surfing because they cannot find an affordable rental right now. Our communities are not asking for the world; they're just asking for shelter. They are simply asking for the government to have their back.

Debate interrupted.

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