Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is really quite laughable that, after we've just been in a division where the opposition have teamed up with the Greens and One Nation, they then come in here and accuse us of doing dirty deals with the Greens, when they have just blocked a vote coming to this chamber so their absolute hypocrisy is not on display. They have stopped a vote coming to this chamber so they don't have to reveal their dirty deal that they've done with the Greens to block our Help to Buy scheme. They are absolutely getting into bed with the Greens on this issue—absolutely. For them to come in here accusing us of that, they must not own a mirror amongst them. They must not own a mirror amongst them. It is an absolute joke—an absolute joke.

The Greens have shown absolute hypocrisy during question time. We've been offered on this side of the chamber—we've been invited to the table with the Greens—to negotiate on our Help to Buy scheme. I'm just curious whether this is the same table where the member for Griffith is supporting the Queensland Greens to campaign against almost 3,000 social or affordable inner-city homes as part of the Woolloongabba priority development area. Is this the same table where the Greens member for Ryan is campaigning against a plan to subdivide a chicken farm—a chicken farm!—to build 91 new homes, on the basis that 'it would diminish the natural character of the site'? The Greens have supported more chickens into homes than they have Australians, on that basis. I don't know that I want to be at that table. I don't know that I want to be at that table, actually. I'm pretty confident that I want to support 40,000 low- and middle-income earners into social and affordable housing, because that's what the Help to Buy Bill does. You can support more chickens into homes; we'll support more Australians into homes. I don't know that I want to be at that table with the Greens, thank you very much.

I'm really keen to get on the record what it is that the broader community is saying about Labor's Help to Buy scheme. It feels like we've got lots of experts in this chamber who have views about it. But what are people outside this chamber saying? The Grattan institute are saying:

The government's Help to Buy Bill will establish a national shared-equity scheme that would help level the playing field when it comes to accessing home ownership.

'Level the playing field'—imagine that. The privilege of owning your own home, like many people in this place do, is being blocked by the very same people. You are the types of people in this place that have reached that goal of owning your own home and are now pulling up the ladder behind you. Absolute shame on you. Absolute shame on you, because that's what you are doing. You're ripping that dream out of Australians' hands—particularly for young people. That is what you are doing by blocking this bill.

The Master Builders Association says:

Help to Buy is a sensible policy approach that looks at lifting housing affordability pressures while not negatively impacting the investment market.

The Housing Industry Association said:

HIA has indicated our support from the outset, on the announcement of the scheme. Our support centres around this scheme being one of a range of measures that could assist first-home buyers and other people who may be struggling to secure a deposit on a home to get into homeownership.

It is incredible that the opposition have teamed up with the Greens and One Nation to block this. That's exactly what they've done. For you and for your children after you, they're blocking that for your families. It is an absolute disgrace that we see that on display here.

The Greens are more interested in building their own social media profile than they are on building homes. That's the hypocrisy that we have seen on display in this place. And, with the opposition and the Greens teaming up, they are giving the middle finger to every single person who wants to achieve the dream of homeownership in this country. Shame on you!