Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank, dare I say, the 'good' Senator Smith—'our' Senator Smith—for the question and thank her as a very active representative of the people of South Australia for her work on this and on the Voice, which is also an issue that we know is so important to so many people. There are so many people in South Australia who are interested in and focused on how we get more homes on the ground in our state. People know that we do have an ambitious housing agenda, that we are serious about fixing the mess that those opposite made and that we have already invested billions. The reality is that the Liberal and National Parties sowed the seeds of a housing crisis and neglected those most in need. We had a wasted decade under the Liberals and Nationals, but, on this side we're not wasting a day. We've already created a $2 billion social housing accelerator to deliver thousands of new social homes across Australia. We've already expanded the National Housing Infrastructure Facility. We have already expanded the Home Guarantee Scheme. We've boosted the National Housing Accord, and we have increased Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 15 per cent—the largest increase in more than 30 years. Those are some but not all of the measures we have put in place.

Of course, there is much more Labor wants to do, including the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. Senator Smith asked what is blocking progress. The answer is here in this chamber. It is the Greens, in coalition with the Liberals and Nationals, prioritising political tactics and denying shelter to those who need it most. They were voting against it, let's be clear, because the bill is about delivering more housing, including for women escaping family and domestic violence— (Time expired)