Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday, we saw the unholy 'no-alition' of the Greens, Liberals and Nationals voting against Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, depriving the most disadvantaged in our community of desperately needed housing—and that is a disgrace.

We know that those opposite don't care about social housing because we only need to look at their track record in New South Wales, where the Liberals and Nationals sold off more than 4,200 social homes over their term in office. That's $3.5 billion worth of housing sold off forever—$3.5 billion! At the same time, the social housing waitlist keeps growing and now sits at more than 50,000 people. And now we have their new partner in crime, the Greens, a party that goes to each and every election claiming to support more social housing. That narrative was truly blown to pieces when they lined up with those opposite to tell those desperate families that they can wait until October even for consideration.

The coalition and the Greens are saying that people who are living on the street or in their cars can just wait a few months. But if we look at it a bit deeper, we find that the Greens have a long history of opposing social and affordable housing right across the country. In the Inner West Council in Sydney, a Greens councillor said it was vandalism to knock down a derelict building, and I quote, 'It's because you want to build some apartments'. Well, let me tell you, Greens, Liberals and National senators: we need to start building homes now. Every day we wait is a day when people who desperately need a roof over their heads don't have one, and that's an indictment on every single one of you.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 30 seconds I have I would like to wholeheartedly agree with my colleague Senator Sheldon because housing is so essential. One of the areas of interest I want to put on the list for the Senate to be aware of is homelands and outstations. We had a recent conference in the Northern Territory around that, and I certainly want to see our homelands across the Northern Territory supported in any future housing plan.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will move to questions without notice.