Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Urquhart. I'm pleased to say that Labor's Help to Buy shared-equity program will provide a pathway to homeownership for people who have been locked out.

Eligible participants will only need a two per cent deposit for Help to Buy, and the government will support them with an equity stake of up to 40 per cent for new homes and up to 30 per cent for existing homes. In Tasmania this could mean assistance of up to $240,000 on a new home in Hobart and similar amounts around the state.

I'm not surprised that Mr Dutton and the coalition have said no to this program, because that's what they always say, but I was surprised to see the Greens political party yet again say no to helping Australians buy their own home, especially when so many have had taxpayers help them buy their own homes, like Senator McKim and Senator Faruqi, who each own four homes, or Senator Allman-Payne, who owns two homes. Labor wants to help young Australians buy just one home. The Greens should stop voting with Peter Dutton to block more housing.