Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Many of us have risen in this place to speak about the housing crisis that we are currently experiencing across Australia. And it is acute. There is hardly a sector of our community that hasn't been impacted. Whether it is our first home buyers trying to buy their first home or not, housing prices are high. There are multiple reasons why, but we still have to acknowledge that they are high and it is a barrier to entering the market for many.

Even an electorate like my electorate of Bendigo, which used to promote itself as being affordable, is quickly becoming unaffordable. Houses on streets like Sternberg Street—a nice part of Bendigo but not the fanciest part of Bendigo—are now being advertised for over a million dollars, in Bendigo. Yes, it might be four minutes from the hospital, but lots of Bendigo is four minutes from the hospital. This is one of those challenges that regional electorates like mine are now experiencing.

There's also extreme pressure in the rental market. A number of rental properties, real estate agents have told me, have been sold. Are baby boomers cashing in on the high prices, or moving into aged care or downsizing their portfolios? For whatever reason, we are losing rental properties, which is causing a spike in rental prices.

We must do more, as a government and as a parliament, to help address this issue. It is a local, state and federal government responsibility, and I am keen to see what we can do in this term of parliament to fix the issue. (Time expired)