Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Housing is priority No. 1 for millions of Australians as the Australian dream of homeownership feels more and more out of reach. Under this government, building approvals have fallen to their lowest level in over a decade, dropping 8.8 per cent to just 158,690 new starts in the year 2023-24. Simultaneously, the government have brought in more than one million migrants in their first two years in office, whilst only 350,000 homes have been constructed during that time. What a joke!

In response, we have announced our plan to keep the dream alive by boosting supply and reducing demand. Our $5 billion housing infrastructure program will help to deliver 500,000 new homes by providing funding to complete essential enabling infrastructure, like water, power, sewerage and access roads. There are hundreds of greenfield sites across the country ready for development, but progress has been stalled due to a lack of funding for this enabling infrastructure. A Peter Dutton led government will also bring down demand by reducing immigration, implementing a two-year ban on foreign investors purchasing existing homes and capping the number of overseas students. These changes will free up over 100,000 homes over five years. The next election will be a clear choice between a coalition government and a Labor government that has crushed the dream of homeownership.