Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. Construction levels have declined to rates not seen since 1989. Housing affordability has fallen to the lowest point since records began in 1996. Minister, is this not clear evidence that Labor's Housing Australia Future Fund has failed?

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

I welcome the opportunity to talk about Labor's comprehensive housing agenda and the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund being complete, and those applications are being processed now. This is a very significant and important reform to have the Housing Australia Future Fund as an ongoing vehicle to invest in social and affordable housing, something that those opposite were allergic to when they were in government and that has left the state of social and affordable housing in this country in terrible need of additional investment because there was none. There was no interest in it.

We have established the Housing Australia Future Fund that was delayed in this place for well over a year as those opposite sought to frustrate and obstruct the government's housing agenda. But we were able to get that reform through and those programs were oversubscribed by interest in the first round from investors, from state and territory governments, from social and community service organisations that work in the front-line that see the need to invest, that see the need to create opportunity and accommodation for people in need of social and affordable housing. Plenty of people see the need for it, plenty of investors want to be part of it and now we will get those projects through.

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

We know you hate industry super. You don't need to interject about it. We have banked that you hate industry super. We think there are opportunities for innovative investment to drive social and affordable housing in this country and this government is proud to support it.

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

Senator O'Sullivan, first supplementary?

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister recently commented, 'They're the blockers; we're the builders,' when in fact it was revealed at estimates that Labor's housing agenda has not built a single home. How can Australians take this Prime Minister seriously when his government's supply agenda has failed?

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

The Prime Minister couldn't have put it better; you are blockers, and we are builders. Everything we have done since coming to government is about increasing—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

Minister, please resume your seat. Order!

Senator Birmingham, I've called order!

Senator Hughes, which part of order does not apply to you? Minister Gallagher, please continue.

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

The Senate will be interested to know that the government has directly supported more than 10,000 homes that have been built since we came to government through the Social Housing Accelerator program and new builds under the Home Guarantee Scheme and through the Housing Australia bond aggregator. And there are more homes to come. More than 20,000 homes are in the pipeline through direct Commonwealth investment, including 13,700 properties under round 1 of the Housing Australia Future Fund. That's something again that you opposed and delayed and blocked in this chamber, and now it is ready to build 13,700 social and affordable homes.

Opposition senators interjecting—

You may not need them, but plenty of people will benefit from these investments in housing.

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

Senator O'Sullivan, second supplementary?

Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On demand, all this government has to offer Australians is coalition policies that it has inherited and the opportunity to co-own a home with the government through Help to Buy, a policy so unpopular that it's unlikely to see the light of day. Minister, why has this government given up on the great Australian dream?

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

If I can in one minute, I'll give the Senate an update on all of the investments that we've made in housing: $1 billion to get homes built sooner with states and territories, $90 million to boost the construction workforce, the new agreement with states and territories on social housing and homelessness, crisis and transitional accommodation, the first back-to-back increases to rent assistance in more than 30 years, working with universities to increase student accommodation, the Housing Australia Future Fund, the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, the $3 billion New Homes Bonus and build-to-rent accommodation. We've helped more than 110,000 people into their own homes, and the Help to Buy shared-equity scheme will help even more. Those opposite seek to frustrate, obstruct and block, and the Australian community sees it. They see the position you take on housing, they know it's wrong and they know that the federal government should be doing everything it can to increase the supply of housing, which is exactly what we are doing.