Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Deputy Speaker McKenzie, I also congratulate you on your elevation to the Speaker's panel. Well done.

Before the member for Menzies departs, I note that he raised the issue of the median price of $1 million for a house in his electorate and the high deposit involved in that. I say to the member for Menzies: get behind Help to Buy. It's currently stuck in the Senate with your Liberal colleagues and the Greens, who are holding it up. Under that scheme, an $850,000 house in Melbourne could be bought with a two per cent deposit under a shared-equity scheme that all the state governments, including former Liberal state governments, have got behind. So, Member for Menzies, we are looking at solutions. I urge you to urge your colleagues to get behind them.

I thank the member for Groom for moving this motion, but his frustrations, frankly, are misplaced and come two years too late. I join with the member in recognising just how important homeownership is to Australian families. He is right when he says Australian households are doing it tough. We know this. But the member could not be more wrong in claiming that this government has failed to take the cost-of-living crisis seriously. We inherited from the member's former government an economy of increasing interest rates and growing repayments which have impacted household budgets. When we came to office, inflation had a 6 in front of it. Now it's a 3.

We know it's still so tough for a lot of Australians, and that is why attacking the cost of living is Labor's No. 1 priority. In a few short weeks, every Australian taxpayer will get a tax cut and keep more of what they earn when the Albanese Labor government's cost-of-living tax cuts come into effect from 1 July. I can't say it enough: nine in 10 taxpayers in my electorate of Lyons will get a bigger tax cut because of the changes this government made to stage 3. It is a terrific change—the right change made for the right reasons.

It's just one of the ways that we are working to make life more affordable for people and families in my electorate and for all Australians. We are delivering tax cuts for every taxpayer and energy rebates for every household, working to boost real wages, fight inflation and drive fairer prices for consumers. The hallmark of our government is more jobs, higher wages, bigger tax cuts and a future made in Australia. That is what this government is delivering. Labor is wiping around $3 billion in student debt and making medicines cheaper. We're providing a better deal for every working parent by paying super on government paid parental leave. It is clear the Albanese government is committed to delivering real cost-of-living relief, helping to reduce inflation pressures.

When it comes specifically to housing, it's very simple: Labor wants more homes while the Liberals voted for less. We have already committed $32 billion over the next decade, including more than $6 billion in this year's budget. We have done more in two years than the former government did in 10. In his budget reply, the Leader of the Opposition did not announce one dollar in funding to address Australia's housing challenges. There was plenty of dog-whistling but no money, no detail and no policy. Labor's housing policies focus on more supply and more affordability for buyers and renters. The Albanese government's housing agenda is squarely aimed at boosting the supply of all housing—more social and affordable rental homes, more homes to rent and more homes to buy.

After a decade of Liberal neglect, it's clear that Australia does not have enough homes. The Liberals left it to the private market, and there has clearly been massive market failure. Too many Australians face serious housing challenges as a result, and that's why we're stepping in. We know we need to build more homes more quickly in more parts of the country, particularly in the regions. It's why the Albanese government has an ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade through our Homes for Australia Plan. We are doing more in two years than those opposite did in 10.

I'll finish where I started: Help to Buy. It's currently stuck in the Senate because the Liberals and the Greens simply will not get behind this shared-equity scheme. We have similar schemes already operating at the state level. They work really well. We are trying to get it operating at the federal level. Get behind it. It will get more young people into homes more quickly. They can get on the first rung of the ownership ladder. Get behind Help to Buy. Get behind homeownership for young Australians.

See this speech in context