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

My question is to Minister Wong, representing the Prime Minister. We are in a rental and housing crisis, but, instead of negotiating with the Greens to freeze and cap rents and end billions of dollars in tax handouts to wealthy property developers, investors and speculators that are preventing people buying their first home, the government is pulling a political stunt by trying to force its housing bill on for a vote today. Minister, given your bill can only, at best, help 0.2 per cent of renters while pushing up house prices for everyone else, why won't you join with the Greens to end negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts that are stopping renters from buying a home?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Before I call the minister I'm going to remind all senators that Senator Faruqi had the right to ask a question in silence. I now am asking all senators to listen to—

Senator Faruqi, that does not give you the right to then call out. I'm asking all senators to listen in respectful silence.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think the real question, Senator Faruqi, is how a party that professes to be progressive works with Peter Dutton to block more houses being built. How does a party that professes to be progressive and to stand up for those who are in trouble, those who are doing it tough, work with Peter Dutton to stop a Labor government building more houses? That is the real question. What is it about your political opportunism that you would be prepared to work with Peter Dutton—

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

Minister Wong—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Dutton—to stop houses being built? And you sit in silence because you know that it's true. You sit in silence because you know that it's true and that this is all about your political campaign, thinking that you can peel votes off. It's not actually about helping Australians who need help with housing.

That is what is so appalling and hypocritical about the Greens political party. They come in here and tell us: 'You're the two major parties. We're the ones that care about people. We're the ones that actually care.' But they come in here with the most cynical of political acts in teaming up with Mr Dutton, who is not known for his support for social housing, who is not known for his support for affordable housing and who is not known for his support for anything positive for the Australian people. You empower him, and then you come in here and tell us, 'You're not doing what we want, so we're going to vote no.' Give us all a break—really! I think it is patently self-evident to everybody in this chamber—the cynical political tactics that the Greens are engaging in. What you should do is come in and vote for the bill, and then people will take you seriously when it comes to housing.

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

Thank you, Minister—

Just a moment, Senator Faruqi. I have not called you. I called for order, yet most of you in this chamber were incredibly disrespectful. Senator Faruqi, first supplementary?

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

Minister, Labor has finally announced that some of the Housing Australia Future Fund will be allocated to developers, but still not one single home has been built. Minister, can you guarantee that a single one of these houses will be built before the election?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me get this clear, Senator Faruqi. You and your party—

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

Senator Hanson-Young?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to remind the Leader of the Government in the Senate to speak through the chair, thanks.

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

Thank you, Senator Hanson-Young. Minister Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, who is part of a party that has opposed, blocked, voted against and campaigned against Labor's policies on housing, now comes in here complaining about delays. Just so everybody is really clear that this is what they are doing, they have consistently voted against the government's policies to increase homeownership. They've consistently voted against the government's policies to put roofs over the heads of Australians. They voted with Mr Dutton to delay the Housing Australia Future Fund's 30,000 new social and affordable housing. Can you believe that? The Greens political party voted against social and affordable housing. It only has to be said for people to see how extraordinary it is. And, of course, we know that, across the country, the Greens are blocking housing developments. I'm very happy to talk about some of those— (Time expired)

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

Senator Faruqi, second supplementary?

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

It's fine if the minister doesn't want to answer the questions. I know why. It's because they don't have a leg to stand on. Minister, the majority of the homes that have been allocated funding so far from the HAFF are so-called affordable homes. However, given that their rents are set at 75 per cent of severely unaffordable market rents, how many of these homes will be genuinely affordable to low-income renters?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Great question! Great question!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I notice that a member of the Nationals party, Senator McKenzie, is congratulating Senator Faruqi on a great question. That really does demonstrate the political marriage which is on display—a marriage of political convenience, which is all about blocking. What I would say is this: Senator Faruqi, we have announced today 13,700 social and affordable homes for the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund. This is the biggest one-off delivery of social housing in over a decade. It will provide, amongst other things, 1,200 homes for women and children escaping domestic violence and older women at risk of homelessness. We would have been able to announce this sooner and we would have been able to progress these projects sooner if you had not worked with Mr Dutton to delay the HAFF. So please remember that the next time you stand up and talk about social housing. (Time expired)

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

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Just as the Albanese Labor government have delivered cost-of-living relief as part of every federal budget, we've also made significant commitments to housing because we know how important it is in providing stability and economic security for all Australians. The Albanese Labor government is building more homes more quickly in every part of the country. Can the minister please outline the housing policies we have already delivered and other commitments that have been budgeted for? How will these policies make homeownership a reality for more Australians?

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

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

Order! Order across the chamber!

Senator Bragg, which part of 'order' does not apply to you?

Senator McKenzie, I do not intend to call your name again. I will use 203. You've been warned.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for that question and for her very good contribution just before question time, which really did sum up the state of this chamber and its approach to the housing challenges in this country.

As Senator Smith has outlined, we have made contributions to addressing the housing challenge in every single budget since we came to government. Let's not forget the responsibility of those opposite for some of the challenges in the housing market at the moment. After a decade of neglect—where I don't think they even had a housing minister for quite a long period of time, let alone anyone in cabinet representing it. Their single housing policy was one of Senator Bragg's favourites; I think it was 'raid your super'. His answer to every challenge across Australia at the moment is 'raid your super'. Let it rip! Let's just raid the super!

But the government have addressed it in every single budget. In our first budget, we committed to the Housing Australia Future Fund, which unfortunately was delayed in this chamber for a long period of time. We invested in Help to Buy, we put in a very significant package for Indigenous housing in the Northern Territory and, of course, we had a measure which supported pensioners looking to downsize—to deal with some of the financial impact of that.

In the second budget, we increased Commonwealth rent assistance, something that those opposite would chop. We committed another $100 million for remote housing in the Northern Territory. We've encouraged investment through measures for build-to-rent, and we boosted homelessness funding by $67.5 million.

In the third budget, our third opportunity to build on that program—that ambitious program of housing—we put more money into the Housing Support Program. We got a national agreement on social housing and homelessness. We funded new places in TAFE for construction. We got concessional finance for community housing providers and further investments in rent assistance and remote housing. (Time expired)

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

Senator Marielle Smith, first supplementary?

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

Thank you, Minister. Labor's housing policies will transform the lives of so many Australians. This includes the lives of women and children escaping domestic violence, and older women at risk of homelessness. Why is it crucial that the Senate support government housing policies to ensure all Australians have a roof over their head?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith—and for the focus of your question on women, and women and children escaping domestic violence, because this is an important part of our government's housing policies. We have been trying to make sure that we have a measure that covers a whole range of areas on the housing scale, and one of them is the pressure that women, often with accompanying children, have when leaving violent relationships. And so, of the housing that the Prime Minister announced today, over 1,200 homes will be for women and children escaping domestic violence and for older women at risk of homelessness. We know that's another area where women—often when marriages break down and children have left home, and there are not a lot of financial assets—find themselves in that precarious position. This government's policies are aiming to support all of those women who find themselves in that position, and this Senate should do its job and support positive housing policies that will make a difference not only for this generation but for future generations.

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

Senator Marielle Smith, second supplementary?

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

Thank you, Minister. Whether you live in social housing, whether you're a renter or whether you're hoping to buy your first home, we know housing is a challenge for so many Australians. You've outlined action the government is taking to alleviate housing stress. With a continuing housing crisis driven by a decade of inaction from the former coalition government, what are the biggest threats to improvements in housing affordability in Australia?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith, for that question. The biggest challenge to housing in this country is the blockers. They are. They're the blockers in this chamber. When we moved to have a shared-equity scheme—the Greens also had a shared-equity scheme in the last election. They wanted a shared-equity scheme. We're trying to deliver that, and they are opposed to it. The Liberals—the coalition—have said they'll oppose the HAFF. They've said they'll look to cut back on things like Commonwealth Rent Assistance and all of these important measures that go to building our housing agenda, making sure we've got enough housing and making sure we're supporting people who can't afford it into more affordable housing. We're making sure the homelessness and social housing sector also have opportunities to build their stock so that they can support people into those forms of housing as well. But the blockers in this chamber are the biggest challenges we've got. (Time expired)