Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Morrison Government's HomeBuilder scheme includes grants of $25,000 for home renovations valued between $150,000 to $750,000,

  (ii) individuals can earn up to $125,000, and couples can earn up to $200,000, a year to be eligible for the grants, and

  (iii) there is a huge backlog of urgent repairs needed in Australia's social housing stock; and

(b) calls on the Government to scrap renovation grants from the HomeBuilder scheme and direct these funds towards addressing the backlog of social housing repairs and the shortfall in social housing stock.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The construction industry estimates that due to the COVID-19 outbreak their pipeline of work will dry up in approximately late August, putting 500,000 jobs in the residential construction industry at risk. HomeBuilder will keep this pipeline flowing in the second half of 2020 to keep tradies in jobs. The government invests over $6 billion every year in housing assistance and the government has provided community housing providers with unprecedented support through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation's Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator. This alone has supported the delivery of more than 1,500 new social and affordable dwellings and 5,000 existing dwellings.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are elements of this motion which we would, I think, were the time allowed to debate it, support. But section (b) is a particular problem; it's calling for a direction of funds and the scrapping of the HomeBuilder scheme. We think we're not in a position to argue for that, and we certainly agree that there should be more done around social housing, but this motion is drafted in a way that Labor can't support. We've had a very strong record in government of supporting and investing in social housing. In fact, when the stimulus package was put together in the last global financial crisis, a social housing package, supported by Labor, was worth about $7 billion, so I don't think there can be criticism of our support for social housing. But the way this motion has been drafted doesn't allow for proper debate and, as such, we will be opposing it.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion 643 be agreed to.