Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the importance of affordable and well-located housing in regional, rural and remote Australia and the fundamental human right to shelter;

(2) notes the:

(a) housing crisis is getting worse, with rents and house prices reaching record highs across regional Australia in the first half of 2024; and

(b) National Housing Accord's target of building 1.2 million new homes over five years from 1 July 2024 contains no specific targets for regional, rural and remote Australia;

(3) acknowledges that:

(a) there is a housing affordability and availability crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia;

(b) this Government has no housing policies specifically targeted at addressing the housing needs of regional, rural and remote Australia; and

(c) the Housing Australia Future Fund and the Housing Support Program contain no dedicated funding or targets for regional, rural and remote Australia; and

(4) calls on the Government to:

(a) commit to providing 30 per cent of all housing funding to regional, rural, and remote Australia, which would reflect a fair share of funding for the regions; and

(b) establish a dedicated regional housing infrastructure fund to provide the critical infrastructure the regions need to unlock new housing.

The headlines of the housing crisis in Australia are becoming more and more troubling. The number of Australian homeowners in mortgage stress has hit 30 per cent, and it will rise further. More than three-quarters of renters are in extreme rental stress, and, according to the Rental Pain Index, two towns in my electorate, Wodonga and Alexandra, are among the 10 most stressed towns in Victoria for renters. At the same time, we know the government is set to miss its target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029 by at least 20 per cent. Unfortunately, this crisis is not going to be over for a long while yet.

Last week was National Homelessness Week, and I met with the Ovens Murray and Goulburn Homelessness Network, who represent organisations across north-east Victoria, including Beyond Housing. In the last year alone, Beyond Housing has worked with almost 3,000 people in the region experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. More than 1,200 of these people have never reached out before. That means more people than ever are sleeping rough in parks, in cars or along riverbanks or are couch surfing in overcrowded or, indeed, unsafe homes.

While we may not garner the same attention as the major cities, we are absolutely experiencing the housing crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia. Fundamentally, we need more homes—more well-located homes close to where people study and work. We need more medium-density housing in regional Australia to support the tens of thousands of new jobs that will be created in coming years in health care, in education and in the energy transition. We need governments to build more social and affordable community housing to support those who are doing it the toughest.

But, while the government has announced a series of measures aimed at addressing the housing crisis, I am unconvinced that these measures will go anywhere near what we need to address the crisis in regional and rural Australia. The Commonwealth must fund projects that unlock new housing supply specifically in regional Australia. Too often it's the lack of sewerage and utilities holding back new homes. It's not glamorous, but it's expensive. More Commonwealth support is desperately needed.

That's why I welcome the government's $1.5 billion Housing Support Program, which will fund upgrades to utilities, roads and community infrastructure and projects that assist with planning capacity. This program, though, was created after I made the case strongly to the Prime Minister for exactly this sort of initiative, and I'm pleased two areas in my electorate will benefit under the funding announced last month. The City of Wodonga received $410,000 for the Wodonga Growth Strategy, and Murrindindi shire received $968,000 to open up land for new housing in the town of Alexandra. But this program is too small, and the design of these programs puts regional councils at a disadvantage. I'm concerned that too little of this funding will make its way into the regions.

That's why I've proposed the regional housing infrastructure fund. Modelling shows that the regions alone require $2 billion to fund the infrastructure required to meet our National Housing Accord targets, yet we've only got a $1.5 billion program for the whole nation. With $1 billion of this funding being given to the state and territory governments to fund their own housing priorities, we have no guarantees this funding will be shared fairly between regional areas and the cities. Regional communities deserve and expect better, and they want a commitment to fair federal funding when it comes to fixing the housing crisis.

Thirty per cent of Australians live in the regions, and that's why I've consistently called for 30 per cent of housing funding to be quarantined for regional, rural and remote Australia. I introduced my National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) Bill to do exactly this—to guarantee a fair share of funding for towns like Benalla, Wodonga, Wangaratta and so many like them. The government didn't allow debate on this bill, but I will keep pushing.

We're more than two years into the 47th Parliament, and the housing crisis is getting worse. The cost of mortgages is crippling for so many families, homelessness is at levels we have not seen in my lifetime and young people don't think they will ever own a home. Solving this crisis won't be easy. I recognise the government's significant investment in tackling the problem, but, if we don't ensure that a fair share of this funding makes its way to regional Australia, we will see these communities held back a generation. We'll see the housing divide widen between the cities and the bush, and I can't accept this. (Time expired)

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