Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. How is the Albanese Labor government making housing more affordable by supporting infrastructure to get homes built more quickly? What alternative approaches are there?

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Blair for his question. He represents an area of significant growth, and he knows that one of the keys to addressing the cost of living is bringing down the cost of owning or renting a home. That means increasing housing supply. We are tackling the problem from every angle, with a $32 billion plan, which is already building more homes today, helping people buy homes, massively increasing rent assistance and getting more social and affordable housing into the system.

As part of the plan, we've put $1.5 billion over two years onto the table to tackle two of the biggest issues that are blocking housing supply: speeding up the planning processes and funding new infrastructure. We've already announced funding for projects to speed up planning, and we've put more development-ready sites into the pipeline. That includes unlocking more land for housing in the rapidly growing Ipswich West region in the member's electorate, turning surplus land at the CSU campus in Rockhampton into housing in the member for Capricornia's electorate, fast-tracking housing development in the Riverland region in the member for Barker's electorate, getting faster approvals done for 45 new social homes in Yarrabah in the member for Leichardt's electorate and paying for the planning work for a new housing estate in Temora in the member for Riverina's electorate.

The Housing Support Program is also investing, alongside state governments and state development agencies, in a multitude of projects. They include $40 million to fund sewer utilities and local roads, delivering 500 new homes in Meadowbrook in the rapidly growing southern suburbs of Brisbane. We've also announced $4.5 million for local road improvements to support 400 new homes in Knoxfield in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

I've seen those opposite have made some announcements of their own in this space. But buried in the fine detail—and you've always got to read the fine detail—of that announcement is the fact that those opposite are planning to fund enabling infrastructure with concessional loans to local councils, an approach that will force councils to raise rates or to levy developers to repay the loans. These costs will be passed on to future homeowners.

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

You issue concessional loans. You already do.

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

The member for Deakin is warned.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition simply is not serious about fixing the housing crisis. We know they have committed to cutting $19 billion from housing, and now they are saying, 'We'll pay for your infrastructure, but only if we increase your rates and if we put your housing prices up, because we're going to charge developers for it.' You've always got to look at the detail with that man opposite. You've got to look at the detail. While we are building, they are blocking. Putting them in charge of housing affordability is simply too risky.