Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the things that I'll point out as an engineer in the House is that when you've got pillars you don't have a pillar in isolation; you'd probably call that a pole. When we talk about pillars, you have several pillars when you create the structure of a building. You have multiple pillars, and so we have multiple policies.

One of the things that happened when we stepped into this place was that we saw a decade of sleeping at the wheel and mismanagement. What our housing policies do in the suite of policies we have is look at short-term, medium-term and long-term policies. That's what we've been doing, and this is one of the policies that we can enact in a short period of time that makes a real difference to individuals. This is what we do. We are a government that are not just thinking about tomorrow; we are also thinking about the housing stock in 2030. I am proud to be part of a government that is looking at multiple solutions. The thing that I would say I do agree with the member for Sturt on is that housing is a concern in our communities, and it's something that we need to be acting upon.

I love having the opportunity to stand here and talk about the Albanese government's measures to address the housing concerns across the country. This is a commitment that we made at the election, and it's a promise that we're keeping because we understand how important housing is to the wellbeing of individuals. We understand the importance of safe and affordable housing. It's central to the wellbeing of all Australians, it's central to the security of all Australians and it's central to the dignity of all Australians.

I remember a quote from a 7.30 report from a man that was facing homelessness. He said, 'It is difficult to find the will to live when I have no place to live.' The thing that we need to make sure we do is have a look at the system as a whole and look at the way that we unlock housing opportunities for different people. That's exactly what the Help to Buy Bill does.

Having a safe home is something that we're all entitled to, and, sadly, after years of neglectful policy under the former Liberal government, this is not the case for all Australians. Many Australians, and this includes people in my electorate of Swan, cannot find an affordable place to buy. For those with a mortgage, it has been really difficult, and, for those renting in a very tight rental market, it has been a very tough time.

We're fully conscious of the difficulties being faced by many people around the country. I'm fully conscious of the difficulties being faced by people in my electorate. I'm doing what I can as their representative and their community leader to help those that are doing it tough.

Just last week we had a forum in the electorate in Riverdale and we brought along a raft of service providers and community support workers to provide information and advice to those who have been struggling with household budgets. I did this with the wonderful member for Belmont, Cassie Rowe. We also had the local government mayor, Robert Rossi, present. It was an example of what we can do when we—federal, state and local governments—work together and the private and not-for-profit sectors work together, pitting their resources and efforts together, to provide a package of support measures to help Australians. This is what I'm about as a community leader. I actively want to work with my community at a local level to make a real difference to their lives.

Unfortunately, this is something that was quite lacking under my predecessor. Often Liberal MPs prefer to sit in their ivory towers, with maybe lots of pillars in their towers, and dictate. They fail to consider the impact their actions or their policies will have on already vulnerable people in our population. They fail to consider the long-term implications of their policies and fail to consider anyone but themselves and their mates. But we are now experiencing the impact of their policies on hardworking people and their families—people like nurses, teachers, firefighters, truck drivers and care workers. These are workers that kept our state and our nation going during the COVID pandemic. These were essential workers. And, really, these are workers that should be able to afford a roof over their heads.

That's why our package of reforms across housing and economic policies is the right thing to do. It's because we want to make sure that we protect our essential workers and protect the services that our country relies on. The Help to Buy scheme is one of the initiatives that I can wholeheartedly say will make a difference. Housing, along with cost-of-living pressures, is one of the issues that gets raised often with me in my regular catch-ups with community members. Whether by phone calls, meetings in coffee shops or town hall meetings, they are a really great way of keeping in touch with the community and understanding what their concerns are. My job is to relay those concerns to my colleagues in the government and make sure that we have meaningful action that has a coordinated response that helps people at the coalface.

Effort is being made to address these issues, and the Help to Buy scheme is a tangible initiative which is open to people who need it. This bill is an example of those efforts being transformed into real outcomes. This bill is also part of a wider range of reforms. The housing reform agenda of the Albanese government is an ambitious one, and I will say we are unapologetic about that. We've embraced this and we are taking responsibility. Our goal is to boost the supply of all housing stock. This will mean more public housing, more social housing, more affordable housing, more homes to rent and more homes to buy. The bill will contribute to the implementation of our ambitious agenda. We are taking action and making a difference with measures that can deliver a real, tangible outcome—not just words but action, not apathy but action. We're taking action to make sure that all Australians can live with security and dignity by working in partnership with state and territory governments, not against them.

It's amazing that we managed to get National Cabinet agreed to build 1.2 million homes by 2030. This is incredible. It makes sure that we have our eye on what we are trying to do in more than five years time to make sure that we actually have a decent amount of housing supply. Supply has been the key issue that has resulted in challenging housing affordability. It is through this collaboration that we are able to develop schemes that will help thousands of Australians. Owning your own home should not be just a dream. It should be a reality regardless of income. That's what this bill does. It will help 40,000 middle-income Australian households achieve their dream. Those who have been locked out of the housing market will be able to consider a future in their own home—secure safe and sustainable.

The reality for nearly 5,000 new homeowners since the government came into office is they've been able to get into home ownership when, for too long, it eluded them. That's thanks to Labor. This was elusive under the Liberals. Applications are currently open for the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund and the accord. The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund has started. It will support 30,000 new affordable rental homes over the first five years. It's another example of delivering on a commitment. It's the biggest investment for more than a decade, a decade when the housing needs of Australians were neglected. The future of housing is now back on track thanks to the work being established by the HAFF, and it will direct funding to support social and affordable rental housing. When it comes to the National Housing Accord, planning and zoning reforms will be supported, with an investment of $350 million in addition federal funding to deliver 10,000 affordable rental homes over five years from 2024, which will also be matched by states and territories. Partnerships putting people above politics means that all Australians benefit.

Under the Help to Buy initiative the Commonwealth will provide an equity contribution to eligible participants of 40 per cent for new homes and 30 per cent for existing homes. It's an integral part of our broader housing agenda. It's responsible, and it's recognised by experts as the correct path forward. Unlike the ideas put forward by the Greens, ideas that have been criticised by housing experts, our supply plan has received support. The Grattan Institute said that Labor's plan will put significant downward pressure on rents. This will save renters $32 billion over the next decade, but we in the Senate have heard that short-term thinking leads to long-term problems, and that's what the ideas of the Greens are—short term and knee jerk. We need long-term solutions that are sustainable.

I commend the plans that are before us today. The Help to Buy scheme is long term and effective. It is a sustainable solution. It provides a vehicle towards homeownership. Under Labor there's a pathway to own your own home. Under the Liberals there are just roadblocks. And I'll say it again: our challenges are serious, but we have serious solutions.

I think about one of the women that I with studying my Masters of Community Development with at Murdoch University. She's a single mum, she lives in social housing and she put herself through university, got her postgraduate qualifications and has a great job, but it will take a very long time for her to afford a home of her own. But the Help to Buy scheme will unlock the door, literally, to a home. She and her daughter can have a roof over their heads. That's what the Albanese Labor government does. We change the lives of individuals one step at a time, one door at a time. This is something that I'm very proud of.

After a decade of little action, we have had enormous action, and it's clear that the Albanese government is working hard to turn around the housing challenges in Australia today. I commend this bill to the House.

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