Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. How is the Albanese Labor government working in partnership with the states, territories and housing providers to help Australians find a safe and affordable place to call home? And what is blocking further progress?

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

The member for Deakin!

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

I want to thank the member for Gilmore for her question. I know she understands the full scale of the challenges in housing that we inherited from the former government. The former government, over there, allowed the housing challenges to grow under their watch. They didn't do enough. And the Albanese Labor government is trying to turn it around. We were elected with an ambitious housing agenda, and we've added to it at every opportunity. While those opposite blamed the states and territories for the housing concerns, we have been working with them. While they ignored the growing number of renters, we've acted. We've boosted Commonwealth rent assistance, we've incentivised Build to Rent and we're working with the states and territories on renters rights. But whilst they turn their back on social housing in the states and territories, we're funding it, and we've recently done that with our $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator. The New South Wales minister said at the time that it:

… will help to immediately accelerate the delivery of more homes for the people of NSW. In the next 2 weeks we will receive this vital funding to help us rebuild our social housing system and support some of our most vulnerable.

Those opposite just can't seem to shake off the habits that they had when they did robodebt. Their indifference is allowing Australians in need to stay on public housing waiting lists. But we are acting, and they should be listening. They should be listening to the thousands of Australians who are waiting for homes right across the country today. If they did, they would not be standing in the way of the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill. If they had a heart, they would be listening to those who are struggling with housing. They would be listening carefully. They would not be voting against the thousands of new social and affordable rental homes. They're blocking homes for people who need them most when we want to build them. If they listened to the housing experts, to the sector, to those working on the frontline, who all say we need the homes that this fund would build, they would not be blocking it.

They need to listen to people like the ACT Shelter CEO, who today called for the fund to pass, saying, 'There are projects right now in the ACT and in the other states that money could be financing or assisting to finance that are now on hold.' And the Housing Industry Association said, 'The Housing Australia Future Fund Bill does place important mechanisms to invest more in social housing.' Right across the board, whether it be the states and territories, whether it be the building sector—the construction sector—whether it be the community housing sector or whether it be organisations supporting homeless people on the ground, they all want this bill to pass the House. They all want the funds to flow to get these homes on the ground. So, I say to those opposite and to the Greens: get onboard; let's build more homes.