Marielle Smith (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we all know in this chamber, at the front of so many Australians' minds right now is housing, whether you are renting, paying a mortgage, seeking to enter the housing market or you have a loved one who is struggling. The housing challenges facing Australians are weighing large and they are weighing on Australians of my generation and younger the most.

Safe and affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians. At the worst end of the spectrum, homelessness is impacting some 122,000 Australians, and we know it is affecting older women the most. That's why it is such a good thing that our Housing Australia Future Fund Bill 2023 passed this chamber this week. These bills will make a significant difference to the bottleneck we know is causing so much pain in Australia right now—and that is housing supply. If we do not fix housing supply in this country, particularly at the social and affordable end, we will not fix the housing crisis which is affecting so many Australians and particularly hurting younger Australians who feel let down and locked out by the housing market in this country.

It's not just about this bill. It's about the other measures we have introduced. This will build 30,000 new social and affordable homes. There is another billion dollars for the National Housing Infrastructure Facility. We have the national target to build 1.2 million homes, the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator and our Better Deal for Renters agreement. This is all about supply. If young people are going to be able to get into the housing market, if we are going to relieve the pressure which is hurting so many Australians in our country, we have to address supply. These sorts of reforms will do that. They're the kinds of reforms which can only be delivered by governments, and they will only be delivered by Labor governments.