Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Senate has a huge opportunity today. We could pass Labor's Help to Buy Bill and make housing more accessible and affordable for tens of thousands of Australian families. This is a policy with widespread support. It's supported by the Grattan Institute, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, the Master Builders Association, the Housing Industry Association and National Shelter. It has been supported by former Liberal prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison; Tasmanian Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff; the Queensland LNP leader; former premier Dominic Perrottet and Treasurer Matt Kean; and former Western Australian coalition leader Mia Davies. I know the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, loves saying no to everyone and everything, but he may be setting a record here for the most people in his own party he's saying no to in one go.

Help to Buy is also supported by the policy platform the Greens took to the last election. The Greens political platform said: 'The Greens will establish a shared equity ownership scheme to help people currently locked out of the market to own their first home.' What a great idea! Now you've got an opportunity to stick to your word and vote for it.

Australians are doing it really tough with the housing crisis. They expect people in this chamber to do something about it. They are sick and tired of the politicking on housing. They just want solutions. They want them now. Sadly, like toxic blue-green algae, the Liberals and Greens are poisoning our housing market.