Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

In the face of the housing crisis in this country, the massive crisis that is smashing the lives of millions of Australians, the real masterclass in doing nothing is coming from the Australian Labor Party. Not only do their policies do nothing; the so-called Help to Buy legislation that is before this parliament may—and I do say 'may'—provide marginal help to an extremely small number of people who want to get out of the rental market and buy a home. There are 0.2 per cent of Australian renters who might be lucky enough to win the lottery that the legislation is proposing, but the other 99.8 per cent of renters, whom that legislation will not help, will actually be worse off if the legislation passes because it will increase house prices in Australia.

That's the problem with Labor's so-called Help to Buy legislation. That's why we are desperate for Labor to come to the table and negotiate with the Greens to fix it, and the questions for Senator Walsh, Senator McAllister and others are: Why won't you not negotiate with the Greens? Why is it your way or the highway? Why do you want to make it harder for 99.8 per cent of Australian renters to actually get into the homeownership market?

This housing crisis is no accident. It's the result of a system designed by the neoliberal parties, the Labor and Liberal Parties, to create a neofeudalist society where property ownership is the only ticket to social progress. They give away obscene tax breaks—$176 billion dollars in tax breaks projected over 10 years in Labor's last budget—to things like negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. They will line the pockets of investors, property developers and property speculators while millions of Australians remain trapped in rental stress or homelessness. If you don't own a home at the moment in Australia, good luck in getting by. This is no accident. Again, the establishment parties in this place have abjectly failed to build in enough homes over many decades. That has been the case because they don't believe in homes as a place for people to live; they believe that homes—houses—are an asset class in this country.

That's where they differ from the Greens. The Greens understand that homes are a human right and that every Australian in our society has the right to live in a safe, affordable, dignified home. That's what we're trying to achieve. Labor should come to the table and work with us.