Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Green. The senator is providing some real representation for people in regional Australia. We know that homeownership has long been a dream for many Australians, but for many right now it is becoming harder, especially after a decade of neglect by the coalition. When we came to office, new home builds were at their lowest level in nearly a decade, and Australians are still paying the price for this absence of action under the coalition. It means that Australians are facing immense stress about where they're going to live and what they can afford to pay. And what it means particularly for regional communities is that people are being priced out of their home towns, and skilled workers, who could be filling skills shortages, are unable to move to the regions, because there is nowhere for them to live.

Of course, this problem began under the coalition government, and under the Albanese Labor government things are beginning to change. Today's Housing Australia Future Fund announcement will see 3,000 social and affordable homes built outside of Australia's capital cities. It's part of the largest investment in social and affordable housing in a decade, and we're helping regional Australians whether they're renting or buying. We've supported more than 18,000 regional Australians to buy their own homes, including 13,000 who have accessed the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. We've made the biggest increases to rent assistance in more than 30 years, which is providing relief to more than one million households, and we're strengthening renters' rights through what we're calling a better deal for renters. After a decade of inaction by the coalition, our government is getting building moving again, especially for people living in our regions.