Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing and the Minister for Homelessness. How is the Albanese Labor government getting on with the job of making sure more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home, and what is blocking long-term certainty to build more social and affordable homes?

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

I want to thank the member for Makin for that question. I know that he, like many others in this place, wants to see more Australians have a safe, affordable place to call home. I know that he also has been very supportive of government's broad housing agenda, which we have been busy implementing. Indeed, last weekend, on Saturday, we did announce the $2 billion social housing accelerator, which will help build thousands of homes across Australia and help get those Australians who've been waiting on public housing lists into a home. We also unlocked the $575 million coming out of the Jobs and Skills Summit, and we have homes under construction today in Australia because of that. Then, in our first budget, we had the Housing Accord. We have made changes to the Family Home Guarantee, with more changes to come on 1 July. In our last budget, we made changes to build-to-rent. We increased the Commonwealth rent assistance, and of course there's our $2 billion in additional financing for more social and affordable homes. This financial year we're investing $9.5 billion in housing and homelessness services—$9.5 billion in one year—so that more Australians can have a safe, affordable place to call home, because it's all about people. It's about those Australians who are doing it tough, those Australians that need a roof over their head and need it today.

What we saw yesterday in the Senate, with the Housing Australia Future Fund, is disgraceful; I can't put it any other way. When we have Australians who are doing it tough, people languishing on public housing waiting lists, women and children fleeing family violence, older women at risk of homelessness and veterans at risk of homelessness, we have the Liberals and the Nationals teaming up with the Greens to block this important legislation in the Senate that will deliver 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in the first five years of the fund.

As we've heard, frontline service providers, community housing providers and construction industry members all support the Housing Australia Future Fund and it getting through the parliament. The truth is that this fund would provide half a billion dollars each and every year, on top of other government programs, for social and affordable housing. It would provide a pipeline so community housing providers and the construction sector can plan and know that this funding is coming. The truth is that future funds work. Those opposite actually implemented some. Of course, the Leader of the Greens was advocating for one previously. Now, apparently, they're opposed to them. The truth is this fund does deliver for renters, because they're rental homes we're talking about. The truth is the federal government cannot force the states to do rent caps. The truth is that our fund will work and some of the things that those opposite are talking about will not work. We're getting on with the job of delivering more homes. (Time expired)

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

The member for Fisher and the member for O'Connor! I want to hear from the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.