Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Like the member for Wills, my family was also given the opportunity to rebuild our lives through the availability of public housing. I'm grateful for that, and I'm here today as a result of that kickstart. We all know that, back in the 1970s, about 64 per cent of young people aged between 30 and 34 years owned a home, whereas now that figure is down to about 50 per cent, and I believe it's shrinking. Housing is a crippling challenge for many Australians who are working hard for themselves and their families. These days, no matter how hard you work, the great Australian dream of owning a home is just that—a dream. While we have been debating the merits and detriments of the Albanese government's Housing Australia Future Fund, or HAAF, millions of Australians have been struggling to pay their rent or meet their mortgage repayments, even being evicted. On top of all that, a new class of working homeless is emerging. We can't keep talking about the problem; we need action. We need to pull together. We need to work together and implement an accelerator type program to create real solutions for all Australians.

The member for Wentworth and I come from different electorates, but we share a common goal: we want to see our future generations able to own their own home. We want to bring back that great Australian dream for everyone in Australia, regardless of background or postcode. With the current cost-of-living crisis, many young Australians and middle-income earners have simply given up on the idea of ever owning their own home. Our most vulnerable communities bear the brunt of the housing crisis. Low-income earners, living pay cheque to pay cheque, find themselves forced to vacate their residences and left to face a life in emergency accommodation or, even worse, on the streets.

Forty-two per cent of my electorate of Fowler currently rent, and we have the fourth-worst rental affordability in Australia. Over 45 per cent of families spend more than 30 per cent of their household income on rent. Our area is crying out for more social and affordable housing. We simply cannot afford to sit and wait on the social housing list for more than 10 years. It's heartbreaking to see families in Fowler who have shared my dream of making a better life and now do not dare to dream of owning a home. What they dream about is a warm bed and a safe place to raise their children. Only 26 per cent of the population in my electorate owns a property, and many are struggling to meet their home loan repayments, with the fourth-worst mortgage affordability in Australia. Nearly 25 per cent of our households spend more than 30 per cent of their household income on repayments.

While I acknowledge that the government is trying to improve the situation with the HAFF and the Housing Accord, financing is just one issue. Other issues include a lack of available land, workforce shortages, increased cost of construction, and council and state government processes and regulations. This cannot be fixed just by throwing money at the problem. What is clear is that there needs to be collaboration between all levels of government in order to address the current housing crisis.

Together with the member for Wentworth, I call on the government to work with local and state governments to accelerate actions to increase housing and land availability, which will lead to an increased availability of social and affordable housing. We need to act together. State governments can eliminate the red tape by releasing land and working with councils to promote better housing outcomes, as well as improving regulation processes and procedures.

How can we facilitate the process for young people? We've seen New South Wales scrap land tax and Victoria scrap stamp duty. Why can't we give people more choices to suit their unique situations? Community housing providers and their partnering developers should be allowed to access tax breaks, expedited DA approval processes and other incentives on a state and local level to make up the shortfall of construction costs and land prices. It is up to every one of us to take steps that will increase social and affordable housing in this country. We have to stop talking about the problems and start talking about solutions, otherwise we will continue to see the decline in housing availability and family and children living in crisis and emergency accommodation.

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