Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Having worked in the community housing sector, I have a good understanding of the housing spectrum and, particularly on the needs front, of how we need to protect our most vulnerable Australians experiencing homelessness and then, as they get on their feet, to give them the opportunity to get into housing and support them through affordable housing. On that, one of the things I'm most passionate about is supporting women escaping domestic violence through intergenerational welfare to get on their feet through affordable housing and then enter the housing market and, coupled with this, an opportunity for them to get back into the workforce, to arm them with the tools they need for economic independence. Economic independence and housing independence go hand-in-hand to providing women with what they need to have full independence and to get on with their lies. I think there is a lot more that we can do on that front.

When it comes to moving on from affordable housing into the housing market, in Western Sydney we have wonderful opportunities now to support people into purchasing their own homes. With Western Sydney airport coming on and growth in Western Sydney, the opportunity to not have to leave the area to get a good job—to stay, to live and to work in that area—is really important. That's why I'm really pleased with the work that we're doing, particularly around HomeBuilder and our first home loan deposit schemes. These are the programs that support young people and aspirational people in my electorate and right across Western Sydney who are working so hard. They are the people who go out and build our infrastructure projects, those big nation-building projects like we have going on in Western Sydney. Supporting them into their first home should be one of our top priorities, and that is absolutely one of our top priorities. I'm really pleased that, with the scheme, in New South Wales alone we've had around 23,000 applicants. People want to get ahead. They want to have their first home. They want to get into the market and they want to build their families. I am so pleased that so many of them want to do that in Western Sydney.

Another part of the scheme that is really important when it comes to how we're supporting first home buyers is the support that we are giving to single parents, given the challenges that face in saving a deposit while on a single income and raising children. Over 84 per cent of these are women. This goes back to affordable housing for women who want to pursue their lives and get to independence. Providing this opportunity for women who are trying to get into the housing market with just a two per cent deposit is really important, and I'm really proud that we are taking those steps to support single parents, particularly in Western Sydney, where home ownership is an important thing for people in raising their families. So we've got a lot going on in the housing space.

I was really pleased to join the Minister for Housing when we opened affordable housing in Penrith—there were 300 units at this particular property—and then going from affordable housing supporting people through the housing market into their own homes. There's more to do. I met with the minister today, and we talked about these measures and how we can continue to provide these opportunities for people in Western Sydney. I look forward to progressing these projects with him, because, as I said, the housing market, getting into your first home, supporting your family, being able to get on with your job, having a job close to home and not having to do that long commute—these are all part of the Western Sydney dream and why so many of us want to stay, live, work, raise our families and not have to do that commute for so long out of Western Sydney.