Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's really interesting to hear from those opposite, who want Australians to raid their retirement funds for housing. They want to push up property prices so that people like me and many others out there who want to make a living and are struggling to put a roof over their heads don't have a plan. There are many Australians out there that I've spoken to—young people in particular. Can't they have a roof over their heads or be afforded a dignified retirement? It's very surprising to sit here and listen to them attack the ambitious housing reform that we have brought in in the two years that we've been in government, increasing the supply of homes and ensuring that we're working with the states and territories through the $3 billion investment of the New Homes Bonus, which will ensure that there's supply and that Australians, especially low- and middle-income earners, can afford the cost of a mortgage.

As my good friend Senator Stewart highlighted, the cost-of-living measures that our government has taken ensure that we're helping Australians who are doing it tough. But, in saying that, there are cost-of-living pressures that come not just through housing; rather, there are fee-free TAFE courses that we heard the minister mention earlier. We know that in order to be able to supply more homes you need a workforce. That's why we have improved that supply by adding an additional 300,000 fee-free TAFE places from 2024 to 2026 for priority areas, which include construction.

With the Labor Party, what I've noticed in the short time I've been here, is we identify a problem. When there is a problem and we want to address the problem, we do so by consulting with the experts in the field, and then we strive to deliver on what information we've received on the policies in order to ease and make life better for Australians out there. There is no scare campaign on our agenda that we thrive on, there is no spreading of disinformation and we're definitely not wasting time.

That brings me to what Senator Cadell was taking note on earlier about the new vehicle efficiency standard. Something as simple as wanting to give Australians more choice of cars that are cleaner, cheaper and—