Linda White (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise finally to speak on the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023 and related bills. It's true that there are a range of very serious issues which undermine the provision of housing in Australia. There is a large demand for increased social and affordable housing in our cities and our regions. The most recent census data counted 123,000 homeless people in 2021 in Australia, a 5.2 per cent increase since 2016. Women over the age of 55 are most at risk of homelessness, and they are the group that makes up the largest proportion of homeless Australians. Often these women have had careers, families and what could be described as stable lives. We see that it takes only a few things going wrong—a relationship breakdown, a financial downturn, illness or something else that life throws at them—and the women in this group have nowhere to go. We have to ask, why is it women in this group who end up in these situations? I believe it is women who end up here because of the precarious nature of women's savings, superannuation and financial position and systems that mean they rely on others for security and safety, which means they end up way more at risk than other groups. Those social and economic factors, and how they contribute to poor gendered outcomes, are things that we need to engage with and think about seriously.

Similarly, First Nations Australians continue to struggle with long-term and stable housing. We know this, because we heard in the Closing the gap statement that First Nations people in this country continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged when it comes to accessing secure, appropriate and affordable housing that's aligned with their priorities and their needs. In addition, too many Australians are being hit with growing rents and many others struggle to buy a home, even on fairly decent incomes. This is a reality we cannot accept; Australia is not a country where this sort of housing shortfall should be permitted to happen.

The Albanese government recognises this; we know that ensuring Australians have safe and affordable housing is central to securing the dignity in life which Australians not only deserve but are entitled to by virtue of living in Australia. That's why the housing reform before us today is ambitious and comprehensive. It has quite a few moving parts but, at its heart, is the establishment of the Housing Australia Future Fund. This is a legacy fund which will provide long-term stable investment in social and affordable housing across Australia. The future fund is a long-term plan; no more sugar hits and no more short-termism. It represents a $10 billion investment that will generate $500 million a year in returns which can be invested in perpetuity and used to build well-located social and affordable housing. This is a record investment from the Commonwealth which will transform the long-term future of Australia's housing supply and the affordability of housing market stock. Along with the Future Fund, we are widening the remit of the National Housing Infrastructure Facility and the legislation also establishes the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council to provide independent advice to government on options to increase housing supply and affordability. What's more, the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee has already been accessed by nearly 3,000 Australians choosing to live in our regions, and the Help To Buy program makes home ownership cheaper and more accessible for those trying to access the housing market for the first time.

In addition to what is now an extra $3 billion, the government's entire plan is about getting more homes on the ground now. The social and affordable housing sector agrees that this funding will make a real difference, and will change lives. National Shelter, Homelessness Australia, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, the Community Housing Industry Association and the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute have all called for this legislation to pass the parliament as a matter of urgency.

The government also recognises that preventing people from falling into homelessness in the first place is a central aspect of good housing policy. Once people are on the street it becomes much harder to get them back into secure and stable housing. I'm so proud that the Labor government has committed $124 million to fund the equal remuneration order in the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. This will keep vital housing crisis support services open, functioning and properly staffed so that more people at risk of homelessness can access support services and get the help they need when they're on the precipice of becoming homeless. This will keep more people in homes and off the street, and takes an important preventative approach in solving the challenges in our housing system. I also acknowledge the campaigners who reminded the government of the importance of this money and the disproportionately positive impact that investing in prevention services has on our housing and homelessness outcomes.

I was glad to see every state and territory government signing up to support the Housing Australia Future Fund and the federal government's housing package earlier this year. This is on top of the establishment of the National Housing Accord, which reflects the shared ambition of federal, state and territory governments to build one million homes over five years from 2024. It's clear that state and territory governments are just as serious about improving the state of Australia's housing supply as the federal Labor government is. It's clear that all levels of government are willing to work together to achieve better outcomes. In matters of shared responsibility, like housing, this is a sensible approach, driven by the quality of results and the need to respond with urgency. It's clear that our states are serious, and so I find it astounding that the coalition has chosen negativity and scare campaigns in the debate around housing. They are suffering, I believe, from political relevance deprivation, so they figure that it's smart just to make some noise, throw up a few thought bubbles and hope that someone pays them some attention. But in the process of that political game, they actually deal themselves out of being part of big reform. They stop Australians getting safe and affordable housing and they actually make themselves even less relevant. By saying no to this reform, they are saying no to our nation's most vulnerable. They are saying that having 123,000 homeless people is okay. That is not tolerable. It is a shame. I would say that, when the time comes, it is unlikely that Australians will forget that when it comes to securing a better future for themselves and their kids. The Liberals and Nationals stood in the way of this government providing one of the most important aspects of that future—better housing for more Australians who are currently doing it tough.

The Liberals will come out with some ridiculous thought bubbles when it comes to housing policy. 'Home first, super second' is the latest iteration of this damaging thought bubble. We heard a bit of that in an earlier speech today. Imagine actively encouraging individuals to undermine their own stability in retirement rather than taking responsibility for what is a national policy problem. The coalition's housing problem is a lazy, regressive idea that shows they haven't learned anything. The impulse to kick the can down the road is ingrained in how they think about politics and policy. They can't bring themselves to do the right thing by Australians in the long-term and put the effort into coming up with some meaningful reforms. In short, they just refuse to take responsibility.

I'm glad the Greens political party have finally decided to join us on the road to solving Australia's housing shortfall; although I do think it's worth pointing out the Greens are now supporting a policy, the very essence of which their housing spokesman claimed only a few months ago would make the housing situation worse. Australians can make up their own minds about this contradiction in Greens' messaging, but from my point of view the whole saga has demonstrated the Greens are truly a political party who will say anything to wedge the government for as long as they can even if they agree in the end that the Labor Party got it right.

Nevertheless, it's a relief to have this legislation on its way to being passed in the parliament. Unfortunately, we cannot solve all the problems Australia's housing market faces overnight, nor can the Labor government undo in one year what has been 10 years of delay and neglect by the coalition government more focused on themselves than on Australia. But what we can do is take the massive $10 billion investment in the form of the Housing Australia Future Fund that will deliver 20,000 new social rentals the first five years plus 10,000 affordable homes and run with it. That will make a difference; that will have an impact. It is for that reason I'm pleased that senators in this place will work with the government on this reform and not stand in the way of delivering a better life for Australians who are homeless or on the brink of homelessness.

I read the newspapers and listen to the radio. I've watched the debate around social housing in Australia grow over the last 10 years of inaction. I've represented frontline housing workers who day in, day out work with Australia's most vulnerable to end their homelessness. I've heard from many peak bodies who all tell me there is a housing crisis. How we got to this point is a shame and should never have happened. But now the Albanese government is listening to Australians who need access to social and affordable housing. The housing market has a lot of problems. Not all of them can be fixed with one piece of legislation or, indeed, in one year.

The minister, Julie Collins, has done a fantastic job of getting us this far. She has advocated tirelessly for a better deal for Australians who are locked out of getting an affordable and safe place to live. Now the Senate must finish the job and bring this much-needed reform to Australians who need it the most—single older women, young people, First Nations Australians, the disadvantaged in our regions and our cities. I'm glad my Greens colleagues have weighed up the lives of those people against their political objectives and now support this legislation.

It is a shame the coalition didn't see the political value in these groups, because it will be up to those who voted not to increase investment in Australia's housing stock who will have to explain themselves to Australians, who right now need their help the most. I'm looking forward to delivering this election commitment to the Australian people and in doing so cementing another piece of legislation in the Albanese government's growing legacy of delivering a better future.