Justine Elliot (Richmond, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This budget is nothing more than marketing, mismanagement and missed opportunities. It's just a shameless political fix. Despite racking up a record trillion dollars in debt, there's no plan to fix the housing crisis. On the New South Wales north coast we have a housing affordability crisis and we need urgent action now. With rental vacancies at just 0.3 per cent in our area, our community is hurting and needs national leadership to address the issue. Every day locals raise with me the issue of the housing crisis. We simply have no affordable housing in our region. We need support and solutions to fix this situation.

But the problem is that the Morrison government is not listening. They're not listening to locals who just can't get into the housing market, because of soaring prices. They're not listening to the families who can't find affordable rentals or are forced to leave their homes, because their rents skyrocket overnight. This government isn't listening to the people who can't find crisis accommodation, like women who are fleeing domestic violence and have nowhere to go.

I say to the people of the north coast: Labor is listening. The entire Labor team is fighting for action to fix this crisis. While state and local governments have an important role, the fact is we need national leadership and we need it now. We need a national housing and homelessness plan, and that's exactly what an Albanese Labor government will deliver. In times like these, you can depend on me to fight for you. Every day I'm on your side, always fighting for you.