Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Hansard source

I will withdraw that if you like, absolutely. I withdraw. For everything our government has tried to do on housing this term, the Greens have worked in partnership with the opposition to block and delay. The net effect on housing of the Greens' presence in this parliament is thousands of Australians who have been denied a home and fewer homeowners. It is not a record that I would be particularly proud of.

They have a chance this week to redeem themselves by allowing our housing bills passage through the Senate, remembering that the Greens brought a scheme just like help to buy to their platform in the last election. We know that they support this scheme and the only reason that they have blocked and delayed homeownership for childcare workers and nurses is that, every time, the Greens choose politics over progress for Australians. It is time for this juvenile charade to come to an end.

The bill before the Senate will help tens of thousands of low-income people, like nurses and childcare workers, into homeownership, and the Greens must stop working with those opposite to deny these people those opportunities. Australians will remember the actions of the Greens this week on the housing bills. Do the Greens want to go into the election having blocked and delayed everything and having stood in the path of childcare workers owning their own homes? Are they anything more than an ineffective party of protest? We will soon find out. The ball is in their court.

See this speech in context