Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. AMP Chief Economist Dr Shane Oliver has noted 'the resurgence in underlying demand on the back of very high immigration' and that 400,000 arrivals this year equates to demand for an extra 200,000 dwellings. If the AMP could see the link between very high immigration and housing shortage, why didn't the government?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, members on my right! I'm issuing a general warning to members on my right. There is far too much noise. Questions must be heard in silence. If this continues, people will be removed immediately. I want to make it clear: when someone is asking a question you don't interject.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member opposite for that important question. Really, you come in here and you talk about migration when it was going to be higher under those opposite!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm going to ask the minister to direct her comments through the chair.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They did very little about housing while they were in government, particularly when it comes to social and affordable housing, and they're now blocking the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill in the Senate—the bill that would provide 30,000 additional social and affordable rental homes on top of all the other things we're doing in our broad housing agenda.

I would say to the member opposite: you come in here and say we're not doing enough when it comes to migration. The former Leader of the Opposition said we're doing too little, too late. The numbers were going to be higher under you, and now you're actually trying to block the housing we're trying to provide. Seriously! That is what you are doing; you are absolutely trying to stop what we are doing when it comes to more housing.

Honourable members int erjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will pause. The member for Spence will cease interjecting. I'll hear from the member for Wannon.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This goes to relevance. It was about the link between immigration being high and your lack of housing supply. I'd like to minister to go back to that.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I want to be able to hear the minister, to make sure she is being relevant to the question regarding immigration and the pressures on housing. I ask her to return to the question.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. With the Housing Australia Future Fund, we're talking about additional housing here in Australia.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin will cease interjecting or be warned.

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We're talking about 30,000 social and affordable rental homes that we want to get on the ground as soon as possible and that you're saying no to. You voted no in this House and you're saying no to it in the Senate. Seriously, we've got 4,000 of those homes for women and children fleeing family violence and for older women at risk of homelessness. Some of that housing is for veterans who are at risk of homelessness, and you are saying 'no' when we want to put more houses on the ground.

After a decade of little action, we are trying to turn this around. We've invested $575 million immediately, we had the National Housing Accord in our first budget and we have a bill in the Senate, and you're blocking it. We've had more measures in the budget, just two days ago, for build-to-rent—an additional $2 billion for Housing Australia to do more social and affordable housing. We continue to invest in housing. We've got homes on the ground today, which you don't support, and we want to do more with the Housing Australia Future Fund. Instead, we've got you, with the Greens, forming this 'no-alition' of no homes. You don't want any homes on the ground when it comes to social and affordable housing. Seriously! You need to actually get your senators in the Senate to support this bill, allow us to bring on the debate and have a vote. If you were serious about what's going on when it comes to housing and if you were serious about those Australians doing it tough, you would support the bill in the Senate.