Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises the importance of affordable and well-located housing in regional, rural and remote Australia and the fundamental human right to shelter;

(2) notes the:

(a) housing crisis is getting worse, with rents and house prices reaching record highs across regional Australia in the first half of 2024; and

(b) National Housing Accord's target of building 1.2 million new homes over five years from 1 July 2024 contains no specific targets for regional, rural and remote Australia;

(3) acknowledges that:

(a) there is a housing affordability and availability crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia;

(b) this Government has no housing policies specifically targeted at addressing the housing needs of regional, rural and remote Australia; and

(c) the Housing Australia Future Fund and the Housing Support Program contain no dedicated funding or targets for regional, rural and remote Australia; and

(4) calls on the Government to:

(a) commit to providing 30 per cent of all housing funding to regional, rural, and remote Australia, which would reflect a fair share of funding for the regions; and

(b) establish a dedicated regional housing infrastructure fund to provide the critical infrastructure the regions need to unlock new housing.

The headlines of the housing crisis in Australia are becoming more and more troubling. The number of Australian homeowners in mortgage stress has hit 30 per cent, and it will rise further. More than three-quarters of renters are in extreme rental stress, and, according to the Rental Pain Index, two towns in my electorate, Wodonga and Alexandra, are among the 10 most stressed towns in Victoria for renters. At the same time, we know the government is set to miss its target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029 by at least 20 per cent. Unfortunately, this crisis is not going to be over for a long while yet.

Last week was National Homelessness Week, and I met with the Ovens Murray and Goulburn Homelessness Network, who represent organisations across north-east Victoria, including Beyond Housing. In the last year alone, Beyond Housing has worked with almost 3,000 people in the region experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. More than 1,200 of these people have never reached out before. That means more people than ever are sleeping rough in parks, in cars or along riverbanks or are couch surfing in overcrowded or, indeed, unsafe homes.

While we may not garner the same attention as the major cities, we are absolutely experiencing the housing crisis in regional, rural and remote Australia. Fundamentally, we need more homes—more well-located homes close to where people study and work. We need more medium-density housing in regional Australia to support the tens of thousands of new jobs that will be created in coming years in health care, in education and in the energy transition. We need governments to build more social and affordable community housing to support those who are doing it the toughest.

But, while the government has announced a series of measures aimed at addressing the housing crisis, I am unconvinced that these measures will go anywhere near what we need to address the crisis in regional and rural Australia. The Commonwealth must fund projects that unlock new housing supply specifically in regional Australia. Too often it's the lack of sewerage and utilities holding back new homes. It's not glamorous, but it's expensive. More Commonwealth support is desperately needed.

That's why I welcome the government's $1.5 billion Housing Support Program, which will fund upgrades to utilities, roads and community infrastructure and projects that assist with planning capacity. This program, though, was created after I made the case strongly to the Prime Minister for exactly this sort of initiative, and I'm pleased two areas in my electorate will benefit under the funding announced last month. The City of Wodonga received $410,000 for the Wodonga Growth Strategy, and Murrindindi shire received $968,000 to open up land for new housing in the town of Alexandra. But this program is too small, and the design of these programs puts regional councils at a disadvantage. I'm concerned that too little of this funding will make its way into the regions.

That's why I've proposed the regional housing infrastructure fund. Modelling shows that the regions alone require $2 billion to fund the infrastructure required to meet our National Housing Accord targets, yet we've only got a $1.5 billion program for the whole nation. With $1 billion of this funding being given to the state and territory governments to fund their own housing priorities, we have no guarantees this funding will be shared fairly between regional areas and the cities. Regional communities deserve and expect better, and they want a commitment to fair federal funding when it comes to fixing the housing crisis.

Thirty per cent of Australians live in the regions, and that's why I've consistently called for 30 per cent of housing funding to be quarantined for regional, rural and remote Australia. I introduced my National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Amendment (Unlocking Regional Housing) Bill to do exactly this—to guarantee a fair share of funding for towns like Benalla, Wodonga, Wangaratta and so many like them. The government didn't allow debate on this bill, but I will keep pushing.

We're more than two years into the 47th Parliament, and the housing crisis is getting worse. The cost of mortgages is crippling for so many families, homelessness is at levels we have not seen in my lifetime and young people don't think they will ever own a home. Solving this crisis won't be easy. I recognise the government's significant investment in tackling the problem, but, if we don't ensure that a fair share of this funding makes its way to regional Australia, we will see these communities held back a generation. We'll see the housing divide widen between the cities and the bush, and I can't accept this. (Time expired)

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

Is the motion seconded?

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

PERRETT () (): I thank the member for Indi for bringing this motion forward and acknowledge her long-serving commitment to the people of regional Australia. She talked about 30 per cent of Australians being in the bush. As Queenslanders, we actually have 50 per cent living outside that south-east corner. So we take it very seriously. That's why Labor still believes in the Australian dream of owning your own home. Labor understands the importance of having a safe and stable place to call home—either owned, being paid off or with an affordable rate. Labor understands that Australians need to feel their homes are secure during a turbulent economic time without sacrificing their long-term financial security.

That's why the Albanese Labor government has made substantial investments in fixing the housing mess that was left behind after a decade of neglect by the opposition. We still see the LNP housing policy; it's much the same. Summed up in three words: let it rip. That's it. Labor's goal is different. It's building 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade.

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry; was that an apology you wanted to make to the parliament for your shameful neglect of housing? No. You are still not able to apologise for that neglect.

It's an ambitious goal, but we are training the workforce to get the job done. We're funding more apprenticeships. We're providing fee-free TAFE places in the construction industry and training tradies. We're cutting red tape so construction projects can get moving and we're developing the infrastructure needed for new developments and social housing such as roads, sewerage, energy and water connections needed to facilitate new developments.

As per the Constitution, the Labor government is working in partnership with the states and territories. The Help to Buy scheme is an innovative policy that will give 40,000 Australians on low and middle incomes the opportunity to purchase that dream home. The scheme will support the purchase and construction of new and existing homes, including houses, house-and-land packages, townhouses and apartments. The scheme assists participants with overcoming what can seem to be insurmountable problems, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney. If you are renting and saving for a deposit and servicing a mortgage, that is a big challenge. Under Help to Buy, participants will have a smaller deposit, small home loan and lower mortgage repayments. Help to Buy will turn the dreams of homeownership into reality for 40,000 Australians. It will also provide long-term financial relief and security. Thankfully, all the state and territory leaders have committed to passing it.

Our housing reforms also include the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, which is part of the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme. It has already helped more than 110,000 people into homeownership in two years—double the number of people supported under the former LNP government. Let's talk a bit more about the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. It is a targeted initiative to support eligible homebuyers with getting into their own homes more quickly. There will be 10,000 places available in the scheme from 1 July this year through to the end of June 2025. Administered by Housing Australia, it stands as guarantor for part of the homebuyer's loan from a participating lender. What does this mean for the first home buyer? It means assistance with purchasing their first home with as little as a five per cent deposit and with no need for mortgage insurance. There is also a great deal of flexibility for prospective buyers. They can select from an existing house, a townhouse or apartment, a house-and-land package, land and a separate contract to build a house or even an off-the-plan apartment or townhouse. This scheme is directly supporting hardworking regional Australians into their own homes.

The LNP take the bush for granted, whilst the Albanese government highly values regional Australia. These communities are central to our plan for a prosperous and resilient future. We are committed to boosting jobs, infrastructure and skills that will enhance our thriving regional communities. The Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee is just another example of the multifaceted approach that Labor is taking to solving this horrific housing crisis.

The Housing Australia Future Fund is the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing in more than a decade. We've negotiated a $9.3 billion five-year national agreement on social housing and homelessness with the states and territories to reduce homelessness, to provide crisis support and to build and repair social housing. As part of this, we've doubled Commonwealth homelessness funding to $400 million every year. The Albanese government's ambitious housing reform agenda has made significant progress in solving the housing challenges that were left to us. This is despite the opposition and the Greens political party blocking housing initiatives that would make a positive impact in communities around the country. That's why this government will keep working hard to fix the housing crisis and to get more Australians into their own homes.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend the member for Indi for again bringing the need for affordable and well-located housing in the regions as well as rural and remote Australia to the parliament. This is not the first time the member for Indi or I have spoken on this issue. On several occasions in the last year, I relayed the concerns of my electorate regarding housing affordability and availability. Put simply, we are in the middle of the housing crisis and everybody knows that. That's not an issue that relates just to the suburbs in inner metropolitan areas; it's very much felt in regional Australia. But it is a crisis of our own making.

One of the most fundamental principles in economics is supply and demand. Even people who don't have an economic qualification understand that. I don't think the government is strongly addressing that we've had record migration levels; that, in 2023, net overseas migration contributed to a net 518,000 people; and that, between 2007 and 2020, average net migration was sitting around 226,000 people. We now have double the long-term average with respect to net migration, which is naturally putting huge pressure on housing.

To be very clear, I'm not opposed to migration, but it must be done within the capacity of our country to absorb the net increase. A housing shortage unequivocally demonstrates that we do not have sufficient capacity to house our current population, let alone an ever-increasing population. And, while the impact of this is being experienced in the cities, it is very much being experienced in the regions. We are being crippled by housing shortages in the region. I must say that I think much of the housing policy and the conversations in this place, particularly by the government, have been city centric, and they have not been thinking about the housing challenges in the region.

The Guardian recently estimated that 190,000 households are waiting for social housing. The result of this demand-supply imbalance is what we would expect—fewer houses available with higher housing prices and higher rents. I have generational families in Mayo being priced out of the market in the regions where they grew up, where their parents grew up and where their grandparents grew up. Until recently, these family members had a realistic expectation that they, too, would one day be able to own a home in the region, but not anymore.

More concerningly, this trend is worsening. The Domain June 2024 rental report showed a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.8 per cent for houses and 4.3 per cent for units in Adelaide. The regions fared much worse. The report showed a year-on-year increase of 10.8 per cent and a staggering 52.7 per cent increase over the last five years in Mount Barker, in my electorate. Similarly, another regional centre in my electorate, Victor Harbor, has experienced a rental increase of over 50 per cent over the last five years. The LGA of Alexandrina, encompassing the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island, has experienced a 20 per cent annual increase in rent and a five-year increase to 76.5 per cent. These figures are absurd, and they're forcing people into poverty.

This motion draws attention to the obvious omission in the government's response to housing—that is, none of the policies or initiatives specifically address or accommodate the housing crisis that is felt in the regions. I very much support the member for Indi's call on the government to commit to providing 30 per cent of all housing funding to regional, rural and remote Australia, which is proportionate with those of us who live there, and the establishment of a dedicated regional housing infrastructure fund. We have a new minister. I hope the new minister listens to this and thinks about the regions when thinking about housing. We need to change the city-centric policy approach and have a sensible discussion about migration intake. Our regions matter, and they are hurting. Our regions deserve a representative share of government investment.

Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to speak about an issue that is central to the wellbeing of our communities: affordable housing in regional, remote and rural Australia. This is not just about bricks and mortar; it is about ensuring that every Australian, regardless of where they live, has access to the security and stability that a home provides. It is about creating opportunities, fostering wellbeing and strengthening the fabric of our society.

Housing affordability is a challenge that resonates across the nation but is particularly acute in our regional, remote and rural areas. These communities are the backbone of our nation, contributing significantly to our economy, our culture and our way of life. Yet, despite their importance, these areas often face unique challenges that can make accessing affordable housing a significant hurdle. Geographic isolation, limited infrastructure and fluctuating local economies are just a few of the obstacles that can make finding a secure and affordable home more difficult in these regions.

Today I am pleased to share with you some key initiatives that the Australian government has put in place to address these challenges and improve access to affordable housing in these regions. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy aimed at ensuring that all Australians, regardless of where they live, can find a place to call home. One of the cornerstone initiatives is the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, the RFHBG, designed to help eligible homebuyers purchase a home sooner. Administered by Housing Australia on behalf of the federal government, the RFHBG allows eligible first-time homeowners in regional areas to purchase a home with as little as a five per cent deposit without the burden of lenders mortgage insurance. This initiative is about giving young Australians and families in our regions a fair go, helping them overcome the financial hurdles that often stand in the way of homeownership.

Since the election of the Albanese Labor government, more than 100,000 people have been helped into homeownership with the Home Guarantee Scheme, including over 13,000 single women and more than 15,800 through the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. We are particularly proud that this scheme has been expanded to allow friends, siblings and other family members to apply jointly under these guarantees. This expansion reflects our understanding that homeownership can be a communal goal and recognises the diverse ways in which Australians support each other.

But homeownership is just one part of the equation. The government is also acutely aware of the need to increase the supply of affordable housing more broadly, particularly in regional, remote and rural areas. This is where our Housing Australia Future Fund, the HAFF, comes into play. It is a commitment to boosting a supply of affordable housing across the country. Over the next five years, the HAFF will deliver 30,000 new social and affordable homes, with a significant portion of these homes targeted for regional, remote and rural areas. These homes are not just numbers on a page; they represent a commitment to the wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens. A portion of these homes will be specifically allocated for women and children fleeing domestic violence, veterans at risk of homelessness, and the maintenance and improvement of housing in remote Indigenous communities. We recognise that these groups face unique challenges, and we are committed to providing them with the safe, secure housing that they need.

In addition to increasing housing supply, the government has also introduced the Help to Buy shared-equity scheme, a pivotal program aimed at low- and middle-income Australians. This scheme provides a government equity contribution of up to 40 per cent for new homes and up to 30 per cent for existing homes. In regional and remote areas, where incomes may be lower and housing costs may be higher relative to these incomes, this scheme is helping more people get a foot in the door, quite literally, of their own home.

This government is also taking steps to ensure that our existing social housing stock is well maintained and expanded when needed. For example, in 2024-25, Western Australia will receive $190.2 million from the Commonwealth under the NASHH, which will support the delivery and maintenance of approximately 1,400 public housing dwellings in my electorate of Pearce alone. This comprehensive approach is essential to ensuring that no-one is left behind.

As we move forward, it is important to remember that these initiatives are part of a broader long-term strategy. We know that the housing challenges we face didn't happen overnight. The Albanese Labor government is committed to working closely with the states and territories, local governments, community organisations and the private sector to deliver better housing outcomes.

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

The time allocated for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.