Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When Labor came to government at the last election, we inherited a housing crisis the likes of which Australia had not seen before. Not only were Australians on a modest income finding it increasingly difficult to afford their own home, but, also, many Australians were struggling to pay rent. The crisis was brought about, in part, by almost a decade of neglect from a government which washed its hands of action on housing affordability. It takes time to make up for a decade of neglect, but on this side we're getting on with the job.

Our $32 billion Homes for Australia plan includes initiatives aimed at making it easier for Australians to build, rent or buy a house. Contrast our decisive actions with the neglect of the previous government. It's worth noting that the first disbursement from our $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund will facilitate the construction of more than 13,000 social and affordable homes, more than the opposition delivered after almost a decade in government. Sadly, building these houses has been delayed because the legislation to enable the Housing Australia Future Fund was held up for months in the Senate by the opposition and the Greens. Now they are up to the same old tricks, blocking and delaying our build-to-rent and Help to Buy schemes. These schemes are not on their own a silver bullet to help solve the housing affordability crisis, but they are part of an overall package and they will make life easier for many Australians trying to rent or buy their own home.

The coalition's alternative, having Australians raid their superannuation to buy a home, has been roundly rejected by experts and affordable housing advocates. A report by independent economist Saul Eslake found that Mr Dutton's 'super for homes' policy would make homes more expensive, hinder the home ownership aspirations of young Australians, reduce retirement incomes and lead to a significant long-term cost to the budget. Most voters I speak to are unsurprised by the coalition's stance. A decade of inaction in government showed that those opposite never cared about Australians trying to afford to rent or buy a home. But many former Greens voters have told me they are shocked and disgusted by the party they once supported and will never vote Green again. They can't believe that the Greens would stand in the way of helping more low- and middle-income Australians own their own home or that they would block and delay measures to build more social and affordable homes.

What these voters find especially outrageous is that the Greens' actions are not aimed at helping renters and prospective homeowners but at mobilising supporters and winning Labor seats. We know this because the Greens housing spokesperson, Mr Chandler-Mather, revealed it in an article in February last year. The Greens say they want to negotiate, but they have not put forward a single amendment or suggestion as to how we can improve the Help to Buy Bill. Instead, they are insisting that we adopt policies of theirs that are unrelated to the bill. One of their misguided policies they want us to consider is rent caps, a policy which, as I've already reminded them in previous speeches in this place, has been tried and has failed in other jurisdictions around the world and which even affordable housing advocates say will make the situation worse for struggling renters.

A recent Essential poll published in the Guardian shows that not only are the Greens out of touch with mainstream Australia but also they are out of touch with their own supporters. The poll found that 48 per cent of Australians believe that the Greens and the coalition should pass the government's Help to Buy Bill and build-to-rent bill. Only 22 per cent disagreed, with 30 per cent undecided. Of Greens voters, a majority, 55 per cent, believe the bills should be passed, with only 21 per cent in favour of blocking them.

While the Greens claim to care about housing affordability, their actions have resulted in fewer affordable homes being built and fewer Australians owning their own home. In the case of the Help to Buy Scheme, the Greens are standing in the way of 40,000 low- and middle-income Australians and their families who would not otherwise be able to afford a home owning one with a lower deposit and lower mortgage repayments.

It's time. It's time for the Greens and the coalition to get out of the way and let Labor get on with building more affordable housing and helping more Australians own their own homes. It's time to stop the political games and stop the campaigning. It's time for the Greens to stop using the tactic as a campaign tool. The evidence shows that it has backfired on them, that people are not going to support them. If they want to continue on that way, be it on their own heads.