Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer confirm that housing rents have risen 17 per cent during Labor's cost-of-living crisis since the election of the Albanese Labor government?

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left don't need to add commentary during question time, and members on my right don't need to give me a running commentary on what you think of the question either. I'm just going to ask all members that, when a question is asked, everyone is heard in silence, and once someone begins saying something—obviously that might spark a reaction; I understand that—just allow everything to follow its natural course.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can confirm that rents would be higher were it not for our Commonwealth rent assistance. And I would remind the House once again that, when this side of the House was there for Australian renters, those opposite described two permanent increases in Commonwealth rent assistance as a 'sugar hit' and 'wasteful spending'. It's another welcome opportunity to remind the House and the people at home that, when those opposite talk about $350 billion in wasteful spending, included in that is investment in housing and two consecutive increases in Commonwealth rent assistance. So rent in the December quarter went up 0.6 per cent through the year to 6.4 per cent, but it would have been higher were it not for the Commonwealth rent assistance we have been providing and they have been opposing.

In every question we've had so far, there's a hint. The hint is this. When they talk about the $350 billion, when they talk about our cost-of-living help, they will come after it if they win the election later this year. They will come after all of it. The worst thing about that—that's bad enough as it is—is that they won't tell Australians all about it until after the election. They have already made it clear that they don't support our Commonwealth rent assistance—two rounds of Commonwealth rent assistance, taking some of the edge out of these rental pressures that do exist in our economy and that we do acknowledge are making life harder for people who are in the rental market. That's why we're putting so much effort into building more homes. That's why, when you oppose building more homes, you are standing in the way of renters getting more affordable rents.

So we're proud of what we've done to provide cost-of-living help. We remind people, once again, that, if those opposite had their way, inflation would be higher when it comes to rents and Australians would be thousands of dollars worse off, and they'd be even worse off still if they win the election.