Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. KPMG urban economist Terry Rawnsley says there are 16,400 dwellings in Sydney approved, but not yet commenced—the highest number in four years. Yet the government's own budget papers say an extra 1.5 million people will come to Australia over five years. When will the minister finally admit that Labor has no plan to house its big Australia?

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

I'm pleased to outline our plans for housing again for the House, because of course we do have a comprehensive plan for housing. Actually, one of the critical parts that I left out of my last answer was the fact we have on the national cabinet agenda renters' rights and how we're meeting regularly with the states and territories.

Under the former government, the housing ministers did not meet in almost five years. We've already had four meetings, where we are talking about how to get homes on the ground more quickly. A critical part of our National Housing Accord is actually about supply, it's about one million homes from 1 July 2024—our aspirational target that the states and local governments have signed up to. They are talking about what type of planning reforms the states and territories and local governments need to make to meet the one million homes.

Part of our comprehensive plan of the funding that we have already unlocked is the $575 million with homes on the ground already. There are also the National Housing Accord, which I've just talked about, where we are talking about planning reforms with the states and territories, and, of course, our Housing Australia Future Fund, which those opposite are voting against in the Senate. That's 30,000 additional social and afford affordable rental homes that those opposite are voting against. Then there's the 20,000 additional rental homes, affordable homes, that it would appear they don't support, being planned by us, the territories and the states under the National Housing Accord. We are getting on with the job of delivering more housing for Australians, but those opposite need to tell their senators in the Senate to get out of our way and to support the Housing Australia Future Fund. We're talking about returns of $500 million each and every year to be delivered in more housing right across the country. Those opposite need to understand that that fund is critical to institutional investment in getting more leverage and more investment in housing right across the country.