Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of this very important subject raised by the member for Deakin: 'This government's failure to deliver the new housing that Australia needs'. Housing is a basic human right, and, in a country like Australia, the only way anyone should be homeless is by choice. I note that there are people who, for various reasons, choose to be homeless, and in this democratic nation that is their right. But this cohort is very much in the minority. The majority of homeless people would much rather not be in this situation.

Homelessness takes many forms. We have those who live in tents. Some live in cars. Some go from refuge to refuge. Others couch-surf with friends and family. The bottom line is that anyone who doesn't have a permanent address is homeless. The electorate of Longman, which I serve, is part of the City of Moreton Bay. The latest data shows that around 2½ thousand people in this one LGA alone are homeless. Many of these people have full- or part-time jobs. Some have families, including small children.

There are many reasons why people are homeless, but it all stems back to one core issue, and that is the law of supply and demand. There is simply not enough supply to meet the demand. A quick look at the facts paints a bleak picture. The year 2023-24 recorded the lowest number of new home-building commencements in over a decade, despite record demand for housing. All three levels of government have a part to play in solving the issue of supply and demand. The local government's role is around more streamlined, faster and more affordable approvals processes on land releases and infrastructure processes. State governments also play a part in the approval processes and the overall planning schemes, but they have the responsibility of ensuring that government or social and community housing is part of the solution to supply. Sadly, in my home state of Queensland, this has been neglected with very few dwellings being built or acquired by the previous state Labor government, despite record funding provided by the former coalition federal government to the states.

What about the federal government's role in this? Federally the impact is more around the demand issue. Our housing stock increases each year by enough to house around 280,000 people. Our population grows within our country by about 100,000 each year, which is why the immigration level has been traditionally around 165,000. In the last financial year alone, our population has grown by 656,000. Since Labor came to government, the population has increased by a bewildering 1,426,000 in just 2½ years. Everyone can see that this reckless policy has disadvantaged Australians, particularly those low-income workers who simply can't compete with those who have more income. The federal government can and should restrict, or ban altogether, foreign ownership while we are in this crisis. Our first responsibility is to the Australian people, and every home that is purchased by a foreigner is one that an Australian misses out on either to rent to another Australian or to purchase for themselves. This would decrease demand and, therefore, see an easing of the overheated housing market that we are currently experiencing.

Another problem we have is this Labor government's obsession with everyone getting a university degree. If a student's best pathway is university, I'll always fully support that. However, when I speak to students, many tell me they are being encouraged to get, and almost embarrassed into getting, a university degree when they have simply no interest in this pathway. These are the people who want to work with their hands or who simply don't learn best in a structured classroom setting. They're not wired this way. But, so that this Labor government can brag that they have increased university enrolment rates, they practically force these young people into a pathway that will ultimately depress them when, in most cases, they will fail.

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