Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. How is the Albanese Labor government seeking to deliver more homes, and what is blocking further progress?

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

I thank the member for Reid for her question. I know that she's very interested in getting more homes on the ground in her electorate. She understands that we have a broad, ambitious housing agenda, because we need to be ambitious. When we came to office, what we inherited was very little action on housing and, indeed, significant housing challenges, especially when it comes to housing for those that need it most.

Those opposite have said more than once that housing was just for the states and territories. We've been working with the states and territories and, importantly, with organisations on the frontline of housing challenges, because they understand the scale of what we inherited. That's why they all want to see our Housing Australia Future Fund passed by the parliament, whether it be National Shelter, who described our legislation as 'the most critical housing legislation to be brought forward for the past ten years', or the Community Housing Industry Association, who declared it absolutely urgent.

Importantly, it's about people on the ground who need it most, like Lisa and Sean, who I met last week. I met Lisa; Sean was in hospital. Lisa told me that Sean has mobility issues and needs to have an operation. He could not have that operation, because he had nowhere to go home to. That's what these homes we're trying to build mean to people on the ground—what they mean to people like Lisa and Sean. This is important, because the people who are waiting for public and social housing need these homes, and they need them today.

The blocking of these bills in the Senate last time has delayed action, so I say to those opposite—to the Liberals, Greens and Nationals—don't block any more houses for people that need them most. We want to build more homes. They want to block more homes. It's important that they understand and that they listen to people like Lisa and Sean, who need these homes desperately.