Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sometimes in this chamber I really struggle to accommodate the hubris and the fantasies painted by some colleagues who participate in these debates and the deliberate misinformation, the deliberate failure to tell the truth and the determination to give Australians—who are people of hope and endeavour—all the bad news about how things are ruined, how impossible it is. I'm the daughter of Irish immigrants who arrived with nothing. I know how hard it is to get a house. My parents took me home to a caravan. They worked really hard and they finally achieved their dream of getting a house. It's a big deal. It's built on the back of hope and hard work, and a bit of a hand when you need it, instead of all the huffing, puffing and negativity and game playing that is going on in this place.

Let's remember: a couple of years ago there was a change of government and the Albanese Labor government was elected to fix up a big problem we knew we had with housing. It's not a new one; it's been going on for a really long time. So, lest people become disheartened by the contributions of the Liberal-Green alliance going on here—the Liberal Party and the Nationals are joined up as usual, but this time they've added the Greens to their wall of negative noise to drive hope from the hearts of Australian people and tell them there is nothing to help them. But that is a complete misrepresentation: there is help. There has already been help in housing. We could topple that wall of negativity, that wall of oppression, that wall of despair, and get some legislation through this place. We're already hearing from speakers from the Greens and the Liberals, 'Oh no, we are not going to let this through.' Every day they delay, they make it harder for people who want to get a decent house, to begin their journey, to create somewhere safe to raise their family—and maybe they'll also come on holidays to Canberra and come here into the chamber.

Just to be clear: we already know that, as the Labor Party in government, we have brought a whole series of commitments to housing. So far, we've put $10 billion into the Housing Australia Future Fund to build 30,000 social and affordable homes. That's a lot of people. That's the goal—to get 30,000 that way. But that's not all we're doing. There's the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator to deliver 4,000 social homes. There's the $3 billion New Homes Bonus to incentivise the states to build homes faster. There's the build-to-rent scheme we've been trying to get support for. We've helped more than—and in all the despair and negativity and 'woe is the world', there are really good stories for—get this number: 110,000 people, who we've helped into their own home through the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme.

Today we're here talking about a particular scheme to make sure that we assist people who really are finding it difficult to get enough money together. Instead of leaving them lingering, thinking they can never get into a house, the government has decided with this legislation to help people on low incomes get some equity from the government to help them get in on the ground and begin their housing journey. It's not a trap. It's a path to freedom. It's an opportunity and a chance for hardworking young and older Australians who find themselves in a situation where they haven't got a wealthy aunt, uncle, mother or father. Who are they going to look towards to get a little bit of help to get them on their homeownership journey? They're looking to the Labor government. That is what we are doing in here today.

On the back of our win at the last election, we're continuing to deliver on housing and the commitments we've made across a whole range of areas. Today we are bringing in legislation. And what have we got on that side? What did Peter Dutton say? Let me see if I can find his exact quote—because I don't want to misquote him! Peter Dutton says about this legislation to help Australians get into their houses:

… Labor's home buying scheme would see Australians rely on other taxpayers' money to purchase their home. Perversely, the government would then have equity in their home. That's not liberating—it's modern collectivism.

He should say that to people who are really struggling to pay their rent. Peter Dutton doesn't think your government should help you when you're in trouble. Peter Dutton says, 'No, no; this is not for you.' He's not speaking to people with a wealthy mum or dad. He's speaking to people who haven't got that opportunity or support. He's saying that the type of government that he leads will never help you.

But Labor is determined to assist you. That is why we have brought forward, once again, this Help to Buy scheme to ensure that Australians who have got a little bit together and have worked and struggled to get enough together can begin. The government says: 'We will stand with you. We will stand beside you. We won't just talk at you, flapping our gums.' That's what we've got here. They're bleeding hearts with crocodile tears, feigned sympathy and feigned empathy. All the while there is a determination to build a wall between you and the house that you could get if Labor could only get this legislation through the Senate. That is why I say to senators: don't just get out of the way, which is a phrase that's been used in the most ridiculous way by the previous contributor to this debate. Pull the bricks down one at a time. Give them to the Australians who want to put the bricks one on top of the other to build their homes. Give them a chance. That's all most Australians want—a fair go and a chance. If they need a little help from their government to get into the property market, then Labor understand that we can make an arrangement with you of that kind. We can have a bit of equity as a government, using taxpayer money, to help you get on the property ladder.

That's in contrast with Mr Dutton. You will have heard some of the debate saying: 'The states aren't on board. It's a big problem. It's impossible to deliver.' They're always with the problems and never with the solutions. They're always with the negativity and never with the hope. They're always with the no and never with the yes. That's what we are seeing. The Liberal and National Parties and the Greens together are always in the way of progress. Today is another example. David Crisafulli—you might have heard his name; he's the Queensland LNP leader—said this on 14 March: 'Programs that allow equity, like Help to Buy, are something that are firmly in our focus, and I want to work with Canberra to make sure the numbers we're talking about are far higher.' At least he's got a better idea than Mr Dutton.

As soon as Dominic Perrottet, former Liberal New South Wales Premier, heard about it, he said:

Key workers, single parents and older singles will be able to have the security of home ownership with a lower upfront deposit, a smaller loan, lower repayments, no lenders mortgage insurance and no interest on the Government's equity share in a property.

That doesn't sound like a really bad thing to me. Let's just break it down. The former Liberal Premier of New South Wales says that this helps older people, single parents and key workers get in and have the security of homeownership. It'll make sure that they have lower upfront deposits, because sometimes it's really hard to get that savings nest together. And, if the government shares the loan with them, they'll have a smaller loan. Dominic Perrottet got it. If they've got a smaller loan, guess what? They'll have lower repayments. Dominic Perrottet got it, but Mr Dutton and everybody who is sitting on that side of the chamber, and those here, around in the Greens' seats, still don't get it. Today they're standing up and making a song and dance because they think they might be able to get a few extra votes if they whinge enough and make Australians despair.

Dominic Perrottet noted that if this scheme gets up there will be no need for a lenders mortgage insurance. Importantly, he immediately saw that sharing the debt on a house at an affordable level that you can manage with a government is an important contribution and an important cooperative model of making sure people get into houses, because there is no interest on the government's equity in the property, and that's how it's supposed to work. You don't give up your dream. You work hard and save. You get enough money together—a little bit of money, enough to get yourself in there—and you go to the government and say: 'Look, I'm working hard. I'm saving hard. I need a place for me and my family. If you put up some of the money here, I can get into the housing market.' And that's what this is about. A lot of fancy words are going to get thrown around, and there will be a lot of huffing and puffing, but Dominic Perrottet made it really clear that all of the elements of this make sense to ordinary people who don't come in here and make the sort of noisy nonsense that we're hearing from the Greens and the Liberal and National parties.

Dominic Perrottet got it, and so did Matt Kean, the former New South Wales Liberal Treasurer. He said a shared equity scheme 'will help those facing significant barriers to homeownership buy their own place sooner'. That's a good thing; at least, it is in my book. I cannot understand why the Greens political party and the Liberal and National parties can't understand how important it is to give people this opportunity and hope.

They should be listening to a few people who have something to say to them. Chantel from Darling Heights, in the electorate of Groom, said: 'Without assistance like this, the chance of re-entering homeownership while being a renter is slim to zero.' Chantel gets it. Why can't you guys get it? Yvonne from Forestdale, in the electorate of Wright, said, 'My husband and I are currently renting, but we're expecting a newborn in May 2024.' I hope that that's all going well for you, Yvonne. She said, 'We want to have the security of our own place to grow our family.' And you should be able to do that. You should be able to do that, Yvonne—you and your husband and your new baby. But the people who are standing between you and that dream are the people in this chamber who continue to block this piece of solid legislation that Labor got elected to deliver. We got elected to do this. They need to let the legislation through. They need to vote yes and not no, just for a change.

Rebecca from Burton, in the electorate of Spence, said:

I'm a single income earner. I also have not received a decent pay rise for many years but finally due to receive one this year.

That's Labor. People have got a pay rise. People got a tax cut. She said:

It's been difficult to save a deposit of the normal required 20 per cent or more.

She is working hard; she is not quite at 80 per cent.

With this plan I may be able to save enough funds within the next two years. The plan will allow me to enter homeownership and get of the rent roller-coaster.

Now, wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't that be great? Except that, at this stage, people in this chamber will vote, unless their consciences are pricked, unless they can see the fairness that is embedded in this piece of legislation, against it.

I am going to remain hopeful because I have given a speech here about why Australians should have hope. It is because the Albanese government is delivering housing for Australians. We are delivering it through multiple, multiple means. But the one that we are debating here today deserves the support of the Senate. It should give people, Australians, the chance at having their own home.