Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

I say to the member for Gilmore: you still had 25 seconds; you could have bagged the Greens a little bit more. But I digress. The social and housing situation, in terms of affordability and availability, is a major issue, but the Greens are using what is essentially and primarily a state issue to garner votes in inner-city electorates to win federal seats. I know the Prime Minister has called this out and, to that extent, I agree with him. These days, all too often, the difference between state and federal spheres of government is diluted by people who should know better and who do know better but who use situations and policy areas, such as housing, to get votes. They know it is a state issue, yet they push on with federal seats in mind, and more's the pity.

We do need more houses available for people who are doing it tough. They're doing it tough for a number of reasons. It's not only because we've got a Labor government in power and cost-of-living issues are going through the roof, and people are finding it so difficult to pay their power bills, their grocery bills and their rents, which are going up and up. But it's not the federal government's prerogative, responsibility or remit to put freezes in place on rents or to put situations in place whereby people who are quite rightly, honestly and accountably putting in place such things as negative gearing, which has been in place since the Hawke government. These are things which enable people to get into the housing market. These are things which enable people, quite rightly, to make the most of their own finances. What the Greens would do, if they had control, would be to have this parliament run everything, and that's not how it works. The states can't be let off the hook.

I note that the Premier of New South Wales is in Wagga Wagga today on his first visit since he took charge of the state. I note that he has indicated, via Twitter, that he's having a bit of a crack at the fact: 'I might be in Wagga Wagga right now, but that won't stop me cheering on the mighty Matildas—let's bring this home!' I don't know why he feels he needs to have a whack at Wagga Wagga, which is the largest inland city New South Wales. It's a very progressive and very forward-thinking city, and he's making out that he's in some remote backwater. I note that yesterday he visited Gavin King's Prefabulous in Wagga and talked about that as part of a solution to the housing crisis. To that extent, I agree with him; they're doing a very, very good job.

It's not just about making funds available; it's also about having the resources and the workforce in place to build these social houses and housing in general. I note that Metricon last year was doing it very tough. Queensland firm Solido Builders, a small company specialising in luxury houses, appointed administrators last year. Perth based Home Innovation builders went into liquidation on the same day as another Western Australian company, New Sensation Homes, was placed in the hands of administrators. Condev Construction in Queensland specialised in multiunit residential constructions. It went into liquidation. ProBuild, a major construction company, was placed in administration. Other homebuilding companies going belly up included two Tasmanian based firms, Hotondo in February last year and Inside Out Construction in November 2021. They're doing it tough. Dennis Family Homes, Melbourne based, is scaling back its regional operations.

What's this government doing about this? Very little, making it so tough, not addressing the major issues. You all go around, Labor members, and talk at your constituents instead of listening to them, talking about the things that quite frankly they're not discussing around the barbecues, around the sporting fields and around the weekend events. Start to get a little bit in touch with the electorate. Yes, we do need more social houses. What are you doing about it, apart from reading from your Labor dirt and talking points?

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