Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

For a decade, the Liberals adopted a do-nothing approach on housing, staring a crisis in the eye without doing much to address it. For years, Australia has grappled with a housing affordability crisis which has been exacerbated by the lack of decisive action from the previous government. Under their watch the housing crisis got worse. The lack of action from the former government made a bad situation worse. Now it's harder to buy a home for first-home buyers, for young families and for older people as well. While the former government indulged in political rhetoric and empty promises, ordinary Australians grappled with the harsh realities of unaffordable housing, dwindling supply and lack of government support, and now families are forced to make the difficult choice between paying higher rents and being pushed to the fringes of major cities in search of more affordable housing options.

The failure of the previous government to address these pressing issues left countless Australians trapped in a cycle of housing insecurity and financial hardship with no relief in sight. Their negligence has left us with significant challenges that simply cannot be resolved overnight. The housing crisis that they allowed to fester for years cannot be swept under the rug or fixed quickly. The damage inflicted by their negligence runs deep, impacting the lives of millions of Australians who continue to struggle with the high cost of housing and the shortage of affordable housing options. It's abundantly clear that urgent and decisive measures are needed to address the root causes of the housing crisis and provide relief to those who have been left behind.

Australians elected this government to clean up the Liberals' mess, and that's what we've started to do. Since May 2022, this Labor government has continually demonstrated a genuine commitment to addressing Australia's housing challenges head-on. Despite the political games and stalling that the Liberals and their new friends in the Australian Greens want to play with the housing crisis, we are a government that is committed to doing something about this.

Safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians. Under the National Housing Accord, all states and territories have agreed to an ambitious target of building 1.2 million new homes over five years. And, yes, it is an ambitious target, but it's one that we are determined to achieve. It's ambitious because it needs to be. It would be great if we could wind back that wasted decade and start fixing this problem 10 years ago, but we can't. We're not sitting idle.

On top of that target, the Albanese government has allocated $3 billion for the New Homes Bonus, to get the states to meet and exceed their housing targets. Furthermore, the government has invested in the Housing Support Program, a $500 million funding initiative to kick start housing supply in well-located areas. This program will not only stimulate construction activity but will also ensure that new homes are built in places where they are needed most.

To build these homes, we need workers, so the Albanese government has taken steps to address the shortage of skilled construction workers, which is a key bottleneck in the housing supply chain. By providing fee-free TAFE and through targeted skilled migration, the government is investing in the future of Australia's construction workforce. These investments are paying off, with trade commencements up almost 20 per cent in the government's first year—a clear sign of progress and momentum in the construction sector.

We on this side are also investing in building 40,000 new social and affordable rentals through the Housing Australia Future Fund, and a further 4,000 through the Social Housing Accelerator. The Housing Accord represents the most significant housing reform agenda in a generation—a coordinated effort with states and territories and local government to boost housing supply, improve housing affordability and ensure that all Australians have a safe place to call home.

Those opposite like to come into this place and put forward questions and motions trying to undermine what the government are doing. They seek to blame everyone but themselves for this housing crisis. We saw it today in question time: two disgraceful questions from the opposition seeking to blame migrants and migration for 10 years of housing inaction. Instead of working with the government, we know that the Liberals and the Greens will play politics with this—block or vote against housing solutions—but we'll continue to get on with the job. There's much more to do, but we'll do it.

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