Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 990 standing in my name for today, concerning the implementation of committee report recommendations in relation to housing affordability.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is this the amendment regarding the date?

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is correct.

Leave granted.

This one was held over from last year, which is the reason for the amendment. I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a)   notes:

  (i) the findings of the Economics References Committee in its report Out of reach? The Australian housing affordability challenge (received 8 May 2015) containing 40 recommendations, and

  (ii) that the Government supported nine of these recommendations, including:

(A) to commit to ensuring adequate funding so that women and children escaping domestic violence are housed in secure and appropriate housing,

(B) investigating housing supply bonds and tax increment financing to fund infrastructure for new housing developments, and

(C) to look closely at its aged care policy in relation to the difficulties confronting older Australians in the rental market; and

  (b) calls on the Government to update the Senate on Wednesday, 3 February 2016, on any progress, if at all, on implementing those nine recommendations.

I seek leave to make a brief statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By way of explanation, this motion relates to those findings of a very long and detailed Senate inquiry report into housing affordability that was tabled in May of last year. It had good, strong participation by all sides of this chamber—government, opposition and crossbench. I will get to the consensus recommendations in a moment, but what we found, in my view, was that the Abbott government at the time had pursued effectively a scorched earth policy on housing affordability. They had taken and burned to the ground everything that the previous government—with the support of the crossbench and the Australian Greens—had put into play around homelessness and housing affordability.

There were nine recommendations that coalition senators did find it in their hearts to support. This motion seeks any clarification from the government if anything at all has been done by this government on those nine consensus recommendations that coalition senators reported. It is unforgivable that we have heard nothing from the government on the findings of this report. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Scott Ryan (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this motion. The affordable housing report is a substantial piece of work. It took the committee 15 months to complete. The committee received 230 public submissions and conducted eight public hearings. The report is almost 500 pages in length and contains 40 very wide-ranging recommendations.

The government needs to ensure its response to the report integrates effectively with other current and recently completed reviews that have impacted or will impact upon housing and homelessness policy settings. The Senate granted the committee a number of extensions of time for reporting, with the final report tabled 11 months after the original reporting date. The government does not consider it unreasonable that the same courtesy be extended in return.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Ludlam, as amended, be agreed to.

Question agreed to.