Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I rise to support the National Rental Affordability Scheme Amendment Bill 2019. This year under the National Rental Affordability Scheme more than 28,000 homeowners will receive $11,000 each from the government in tax-free cash and in tax credits. This is supposed to be used to encourage the construction of new homes to be let at reduced rents to Australians who cannot afford to pay full price. It sounds good, right? Here's the problem. So far this scheme has cost the taxpayer $3.5 billion. Those new homes are subsidised no matter their location around Australia and no matter the size of the property. So owners naturally took advantage. Why should someone subsidise the rent on a $600-a-week home at a cost of $8,000 a year and pocket $3,000 when they can subsidise student accommodation at cost of $3,000 and pocket the rest—$8,000? This is yet another example of Liberal and Labor economic mismanagement.

What about the people in regional Queensland who have lost their jobs, who are really suffering? What would they think of this? What would the farmers think when they've had their property rights stolen from them and can't manage their farms anymore? What about the farmers who are surrounded by farmers who have given in to so-called carbon farming? They now have increased costs for handling feral animals and noxious weeds—additional costs thanks to Liberal and Labor policies. What about energy prices that are rising? What about water prices that are high, if they can get water? What about these people who are really suffering? What would they think of this? Nobody is building new houses in depressed regional areas. These Australians cannot benefit from this boondoggle.

We are destroying the productive capacity of this country, a country we all love, and leaving those who have been disadvantaged to fend for themselves. Meanwhile, successive Liberal and Labor governments waste billions on supporting foreign students and blow-ins with low rent—at taxpayer expense. We support the tightening of this bill. Yet we ask: who thought this would be a good idea in the first place? One Nation will support this bill to take taxpayers off the hook, and we ask the government to join us in supporting a rekindling of productive capacity for this beautiful country.