Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. The Albanese government wants every Australian to have a safe and secure home to live in. Labor wants more Australians to be able to buy their own home. We have a comprehensive $32 billion housing plan, which is about building more houses with the states and territories, supporting renters, getting more people into homeownership and making sure people can access social housing and homelessness services when they need them. Minister, why is it so important that we respond to the housing crisis from every angle?

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

I thank Senator Pratt for that question. It's an important one, because a comprehensive approach to the challenges in the housing market is required, and that's what the Albanese government's plan addresses. Every day since we've come to government we've looked at how we can use every lever and opportunity available to us to ensure that we are pushing everything we can to build more housing in Australia.

Social and affordable housing is a priority, because we care about and support Australians who have insecure housing or don't have a roof over their head and need to access those services. That's why we've signed that important National Housing Agreement, with extra funds going in there for state and territory services. Renters are a priority, because we know it's hard to get a rental and rent is often too high. We want renters to see a pathway to homeownership, and Help to Buy should be providing that pathway.

Supply is the No. 1 housing challenge. We need more houses and we need them quickly. That's why we want to build 1.2 million houses by the end of the decade and it's why in our three budgets since coming to government we have invested in housing, after a decade of neglect from those opposite. They weren't interested in housing. They're interested now that they can come in and complain about it, but when they were in government they didn't do a single thing about driving supply in this country. We've got our Housing Australia Future Fund and the Help to Buy program that we'd like to get through the Senate. We've got our extra investments in First Nations housing—historic investments secured by former minister Burney and now being implemented by Minister McCarthy. We've increased rent assistance. We're working with the states and territories. We're putting more money into skills in the construction sector. And we'll continue to do this. It's a comprehensive plan that should be supported by this Senate. (Time expired)

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

Senator Pratt, first supplementary?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese government's comprehensive housing plan has set an ambitious goal of building 1.2 million houses by the end of the decade. To do this we have to build more houses and remove barriers that prevent houses from being built. What policies has the government designed to support the construction of more houses?

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

Thanks very much, Senator Pratt. Yes, the debate should be all about supply. We need to build more houses more quickly in this country, and every vote against a Labor housing bill is a vote against more housing for Australians. According to the Greens and their spokesperson on housing, housing supply isn't a problem in this country, as he said on Insiders. 'Australia has enough homes for people to live in,' said the member for Griffith on Insiders. But I would trust the experts over the blockers, including the Grattan Institute, who have said that the long-term solution to Australia's housing crisis is to build more houses. The Greens have blocked more housing for Australians at every step. They delayed the Housing Australia Future Fund. We're now trying to get Help to Buy through.

I wonder whether it's because out there in the community they are against housing. We've got them blocking housing for Australians in Brisbane, in Sydney and even in Port Melbourne, where they're locally lobbying against housing. (Time expired)

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

Senator Pratt, second supplementary?

Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Addressing housing supply has been a priority for the Albanese Labor government. Yesterday we saw the Prime Minister announce that Labor will deliver 13,700 new social and affordable homes under our first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Why is building more houses a priority? And are you aware of other ideas that pose a challenge for us to build more homes for Australians?

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

I thank Senator Pratt for the supplementary question. We want more people to be able to get into the market sooner with a smaller deposit and lower repayments. That's why we can't believe why the opposition and the Greens are standing in the way of that, because that is what they're doing when they're teaming up, when they are holding hands on all these housing votes in the parliament. Instead, those opposite—and I'm sorry that we don't have the spokesperson for ransacking your super here today—want Australians to mortgage their future by raiding superannuation for housing. Expert after expert has said the same thing: super for housing will simply increase prices. It is not even just the experts. The opposition leader once said: 'It is not good policy. You don't want to fuel the prices.' The deputy opposition leader said, 'Young people need their super for retirement, not to try to take pressure of an urban housing bubble.' Senator Hume even said, 'Super for housing will bump up housing prices.' (Time expired)