Lisa Darmanin (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today the Senate is considering our Help to Buy Scheme. It's an incredibly important reform to get more people to be able to achieve the great Australian dream of owning their own home, having a roof over their head and having a place to call home. Yet already this morning we've heard from both the coalition and the Greens about their plans to block thousands of Australians from doing just that—owning their own home. I think about the hardworking Australians who are struggling to build a deposit to buy themselves a home, and I wonder what kind of heartbreak they must be feeling today when they're listening to this debate and they hear the coalition and the Greens standing in the way of more Australians being able to achieve their dream of owning a home.

By contrast, this government wants more people to be able to build to get into the market sooner with a smaller deposit and lower repayments, because we recognise that, without this important reform, thousands of people will continue to miss out. This scheme will help 40,000 Australian households to be able to buy a home with an equity contribution from the government. We know that Australia has a housing shortage and we need to build more homes more quickly in more parts of the country, and the Albanese government has a plan for tackling all of this. Every Australian should have safe and secure housing, and more Australians should be able to buy their own home. That is why the Albanese government is investing to help build more homes, support renters and help people buy a home sooner. It won't happen overnight, but Labor does have a plan to make it happen. Frustratingly for those desperate to get into the market, it certainly won't happen if the coalition and the Greens team up to block more housing in this parliament. Let's stop playing games, back the Help to Buy legislation in the Senate and get on with helping Australians to buy their own home.