Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Analysis shows that due to Labor's migration policies, with nearly a million migrants in the last two years, one new home needs to be built every two minutes to accommodate the current immigration intake. Prime Minister, under your government, why has home ownership never been further out of reach?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

I couldn't hear that question because of continual interjection. Before the Prime Minister answers, I want to hear the question.

Order! The Treasurer will cease interjecting! I couldn't hear the question. I've got to hear the question if people then want me to take action down the track. We will reset the clock and the member for Deakin will be given an opportunity to ask his question again.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Prime Minister. Analysis shows that, due to Labor's migration policies of nearly one million migrants in the last two years, one new home needs to be built every two minutes to accommodate your current immigration intake. Prime Minister, under your government, why has homeownership never been further out of reach for Australians?

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

Order! The member for Deakin has asked his question, and the Treasurer will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin for his question, and I quite enjoyed being in his electorate on Saturday. I look forward to returning and knocking on the doors of homes in Deakin—homes that we want more of. That's why we have a plan to build 1.2 million homes. That's why we have a $32 billion Homes for Australia plan—

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One every two minutes!

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

The member for Deakin will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but it doesn't matter what sort of homes, because those opposite are just against it. They combined with the Greens political party in the Senate to defer support for the Housing Australia Future Fund to build more social homes and affordable homes. I'm not surprised by the Liberal Party acting in that way, but they did consistently, and eventually we were able to get that legislation through the Senate. And, if you look at the applications that have come through—

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

The member for Griffith will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

there has been enormous demand through that system. Then, of course, it comes to renters. When it came to the build-to-rent scheme, they combined again, last week, with—guess who? The Greens over there, in what is—

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

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Deakin, on a point of order.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is on relevance. There's no way that the Prime Minister can be relevant to the question by critiquing the opposition. A home needs to be built every two minutes, and homeownership is further out of reach—

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

Resume your seat. When you put a question before the House like, 'Why is homeownership out of the reach of Australians?' which was the question at the end—yes, there were other factors in there—that's a fairly broad statement. Obviously, the Prime Minister doesn't agree with that statement, so he's going to outline—the remainder of his answer won't be about the opposition, because, if it is, he won't complete his answer. But, when there is a broad statement, really, at the end, he's going to have a broad answer.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm speaking about what our plans have been to build more homes. The build-to-rent tax incentives that were passed in the House of Representatives and blocked in the Senate last week—so you're against more social homes. You're against more private rentals, and the argument for voting against build to rent was that developers would build the homes. That was the argument that the Greens political party put out. Surprise, surprise, developers build homes! That's the way that it works, and that's what the build-to-rent scheme was about.

They of course also opposed our rental scheme, but, just so you don't think it's just about less social homes and less private rentals; it's also against more homeownership, because we have our Help to Buy scheme over there in the Senate again. It's shared equity scheme that has been implemented in the past—previous coalition governments introduced them in various places and supported them, particularly in Western Australia—but they're opposed to that as well. They support homes, except for public housing, except for private housing and homeownership, and except for private rentals. Apart from that, they're all for it!

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

Order! I'm just reminding the House that we've got the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the member for Fisher, the member for Fadden, the member for Barker and Leader of the Nationals all on warnings.