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

Let's put some facts on the table and some common sense into this debate, unlike the member for Moreton's contribution. Let's talk about what we did in our decade of government: 220,000 trade apprentices—a record high, member for Moreton—and 1,213 major transport projects supporting 100,000 jobs. I say that because, when you build homes, look through state government planning laws and help out with councils, you need to have the supportive infrastructure, and that's what we did.

What did Labor do when they came to government? They put a 90-day review—code for 'delay'—into all the infrastructure projects. It ended up being more than 200 days. That stymied so much of the development and activity in that space. There were 135,000 new home projects backed by HomeBuilder, and I compliment the member for Deakin in his role as the minister. Now, of course, he's the shadow minister in this portfolio space. The member for Moreton talked about dog whistling and the member for Hughes. I think that was crass, but let's look at the facts, shall we?

Immigration hit an all-time high of 765,900 people last year. Total immigration numbers have hit another all-time high, with 100,000 new arrivals this February alone. If you feel that those are big numbers, consider this: in the Howard era Australia averaged 110,000 arrivals a year. So that's 110,000 a year compared to 100,000 just in February alone. What is that doing to the housing market? I'll tell you what it's doing. It's placing that much unnecessary pressure, mainly, on the housing market in metropolitan Australia and the housing market in the east coast of Australia, where most Australians live.

Labor is not doing anything to address that, but what they are doing is being very worried by the prospect of the Greens looking at taking them down a path they don't want to go—that is, taking over the states' responsibility to provide social housing. I genuinely fear what might happen after the next election, whenever that might be—whether it's later this year and Labor start to panic and hit the double dissolution trigger or whether it's in May next year, when it is due—and fear, potentially, the numbers falling the way they shouldn't and Labor forming a very, very dangerous alliance with the Greens. An Albanese-Bandt government would not be good for this nation.

We've seen construction companies collapse in this nation. They continue 'to fall like dominoes'. Those are not my words; that's the Property Investor from 17 January 2024. The trend only worsened in the second half of 2023, and 'around 100 more Victorian homeowners are in limbo as another builder folds', the report relayed. According to the Housing Industry Association, the construction market is facing one of the worst storms since the energy crisis in the mid-seventies. What we're seeing is construction companies going to the wall day after day after day, and, if they're not going to the wall, they are doing what Dennis Family Homes started to do in late 2022, and that is curtailing regional activities.

A range of factors have created the perfect storm for the demise of builders in the country. Lawyer Jennifer Dizon works with the commercial litigation insolvency firm Hicks Oakley Chessell Williams. She said to ABC News:

A large number of builders have faced economic distress due to significant increases in interest rates and cost of materials, labour shortages and supply-chain issues.

Of course, she is so right. I know that, whether it's in the housing construction business or infrastructure construction business, it is just so hard. We've seen recently that Stevens Construction, based on the New South Wales Central Coast, has unfortunately been forced to stop work effective immediately. That was just last month. Australia continues to battle through its worst phase for the construction industry in 50 years, and it's on Labor's watch.

What is Labor doing about it? Well, they're talking about everything but. They only realised there was a cost-of-living crisis last year after the Voice referendum was defeated. They come to this place and talk about everything that regional and Middle Australia don't want them to talk about. Get your heads in the game; the game is housing and making sure that we address the cost-of-living crisis.

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