Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I first raised this with the New South Wales minister in October last year. In December I stood with local Labor candidates Katelin McInerney and Liza Butler to announce that a Minns government would support Safe Shelter Shoalhaven with $250,000 to keep their doors open. But after months of the government knowing the dire situation the shelter was in, the Liberals waited until the 11th hour, the day the Shoalhaven shelter was to close, before stepping in with a short reprieve until June, just far enough to get it out of an election cycle. Salt does more than just run this shelter. The Salt store delivers free food, clothing and furniture to more than 1,100 families weekly. Realising what a gap the New South Wales government had left in emergency and temporary housing, Salt began actively seeking out private rentals and managing them to provide housing for the homeless. The Salt assisted housing program has over 35 long-term homes which they sublet to people in need. They want to do more but they need more support because, on their own, they simply cannot provide enough support for our homeless, such is the demand for and lack of affordable housing.

The housing crisis affects everyone. The worker shortage on the south coast is dire. One of the main issues is even if people want to move here to take up work, they most often cannot find housing. I have heard story after story of people not taking up jobs because of this. I have heard the extraordinary lengths employers will go to to secure housing for prospective staff members to entice them to move to the coast for work.

We have many exciting road and community infrastructure projects happening on the coast: a new hospital at Moruya and an upgraded Shoalhaven hospital at Nowra. Where will the hundreds and hundreds of additional frontline workers for the hospitals live? As the federal member for Gilmore, I have been raising the dire housing situation on the south coast for years, first with the then shadow minister for housing and homelessness, Jason Clare, and with the now Minister for Housing, Julie Collins. There have been many visits to the south coast to meet with homelessness providers. You only have to visit to get an understanding of the immense problem. I tried the former ministers as well but, no surprises, nothing came from it. That was why, in the lead-up to the 2022 federal election, I was delighted and relieved to see Labor's commitments around affordable and social housing. Today, as a proud member of the Albanese Labor government, I am happy to be speaking on these bills because I know these bills in time will lead to intergenerational reform, change lives and create a better future for everyone.

But today also has a bitter taste because apparently it wasn't enough that the former Liberal-National government took no action to address our housing crisis; apparently it wasn't enough that at a state level the Liberals and Nationals have left community housing and homelessness services in shambles with funding cuts and neglect. No. Today, the Liberals and Nationals have decided they want to inflict even more damage and, worst of all, with the help of the Greens party. They are fighting against the millions of people this bill will help, people like the young mum in Worrigee and the dozens of others contacting my office every week, or the 50 people in Moruya living in a campground with nowhere else to go. They are fighting against people fleeing domestic violence, our veterans, First Nations people, so people around the country who need a home. It is absolutely appalling, and every member of the Liberals, The Nationals and the Greens should be ashamed. Clearly, Labor is the only party willing to do every single thing we can to address the housing crisis with the biggest investments we have ever seen.

The Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023 will establish the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, with annual dispersements used to fund social and affordable housing and other acute housing needs. It will provide a source of funding to support increased social and affordable housing as well as fund other acute housing needs for remote Indigenous communities, women, children and veterans.

The National Housing Supply and Affordability Council Bill 2023 establishes the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council as an independent statutory advisory body. The council will inform the Commonwealth's approach to housing policy by delivering independent advice to the government on housing supply and affordability. I am pleased that the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council will play a leadership role in bringing all levels of government together to work through the myriad issues and get that boost in affordable and social housing happening where it is needed most.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Housing Measures No. 1) Bill 2023 facilitates the transition of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation to Housing Australia, extends the Commonwealth guarantee of Housing Australia's liabilities, and expands its activities to manage delivery of social and affordable housing under the Housing Australia Future Fund. Extending the Commonwealth guarantee recognises the importance of the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator and Housing Australia's role in continuing to offer community housing providers low-cost and longer-term finance.

So many local organisations—our councils, community housing, our homeless provider network, our homelessness task force—have good solutions. But it needs leadership from the federal government. For the first time the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council will be the vehicle for that leadership to drive home policy and reforms to assist the biggest boost in affordable and social housing.

I would like to sincerely thank every person that has contacted me with their own housing story. The strength they showed just to ask for help has given me strength to battle on with this enormous change, so that it might help the thousands of local people that need help. To everyone working and volunteering in the affordable and social housing space and supporting our homeless: you are the brave ones too. You have never given up, despite atrocious circumstances. The Albanese government will never stop trying to do what is right for you. I will never stop trying to do what is right for you. While we can't undo the last nine years, we can make the next nine years better. It's going to be a long road, but these bills are a sensible and much-needed step in the right direction.

I say today to all members of the opposition and the Greens: don't get in the way of the people of the South Coast getting the affordable homes they deserve. Do the right thing and support these bills. Our community cannot afford to wait any longer because of your political games. I commend the bills to the House.

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