Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once upon a time in Australia, buying a house was not just something aspired to but something you could actually expect to achieve. Now the dream of homeownership is out of reach for many. Renters and first home buyers don't stand a chance.

Recently a report from the group Everybody's Home showed that even people on a salary of $100,000 struggle to pay rent due to rapidly rising rent prices and unbearable cost-of-living increases. My home state of WA had some of the most stark results, showing that, on average, those earning $100,000 were spending 55 per cent of their income on rent if they lived in the northern suburbs of our state, while in Perth they were paying an average of 43 per cent. Rents across WA have skyrocketed in recent years. In the electorate of Perth, rents have risen 45 per cent; to give you an idea of what that actually means, that's $225 a week in the past two years. In Fremantle, it is 43 per cent. In Swan, it is 54 per cent.

Rents aren't the only thing that have skyrocketed in price. Year after year, the cost of groceries has increased by double digits, leaving senior food analysts to determine that steeper food costs are becoming ingrained in our economy and will be 'an ongoing reality' for people. That means that high prices are here to stay. This will have a crushing effect on our community, who are already struggling to pay for necessities.

Alongside our WA Greens volunteers, we have knocked on tens of thousands of doors in the last few months and the message is resoundingly clear: this government is not doing enough to help with the cost of living. The housing situation in this country is a political choice. When you understand that the average politician in the Australian parliament owns 2.5 houses, and when you know that the major parties have accepted millions in donations from big corporations, property developers and corporate landlords, you can see why the major parties and major party politicians are choosing to keep this cycle going. I've heard from young families having to decide between the cost of medical care and the cost of groceries. I've heard from renters who are being priced out of their homes and out of their suburbs. I've heard from first home buyers who don't know how they are going to pay for their mortgage with these high interest rates. What is most upsetting is that these are not unique stories; they are stories I've heard from hundreds of people across Western Australia, from Perth to Esperance, from Fremantle to Broome.

The Greens are the only ones offering a plan that will give renters and first home buyers an actual chance. We've listened carefully to the community on doorsteps, at free barbecues and in town halls. We can bring the community's voice into this parliament. We need to end the corporate influence on the decisions that are made in our parliament. The good news is that it does not have to be this way; things can change. This election is an opportunity to create change together.

The Greens plan for housing will freeze and then cap rents so that people aren't being forced out of their homes and communities because they don't know how they will pay next week's rent, so that renters have someone in their corner. We'll establish a national renters protection authority to establish and enforce renters' rights.

We can bring down mortgages by regulating the banks to deliver fairer, lower mortgages. We'll build millions of affordable and public homes by setting up a government property developer that will create high-quality housing and rentals that people can actually afford. We must phase out the tax handouts that are going to wealthy property investors right now. Those with more than one property investment in this country can do an incredible amount to reduce their tax exposure. It is just not on that in this country there is a set of tax handouts that enable someone to utilise a place where a person could live as a structure to lower their personal income tax. We have to end these tax handouts for any property investor who owns more than one home. This means—let me be blunt—phasing out the capital gains tax discount and doing the same with negative gearing for every property after the first one.

Our community is facing a cost-of-living crisis, and we must take bold action. People are sick of half-measures, and this is exactly why we need more Greens in our federal parliament. In this cost-of-living crisis, we need this parliament to look at all the possible areas to take the pressure off our community. This is exactly what the Greens' plan includes. We need to get back to everyone having a secure home. We'll freeze and then cap rents and regulate the big banks so renters and first-home buyers actually stand a chance again. We need to be able to build for everybody a healthcare system that delivers health care that people can afford, when and where they need it. We'll build thousands of new free local healthcare clinics across the country that will offer access to GPs, dentists, psychologists and nurse practitioners for free.

We can and must extend Medicare to cover dental care, expand access to mental health care and make it easier to get ADHD and autism diagnoses under Medicare. The Greens plan would also wipe student debt and make going to university free again, which so many in this place had the opportunity to benefit from decades ago.

We must lower the price of going to the supermarket. We must stop the supermarket chains price gouging our community. We must make price gouging illegal, and we must break up the duopoly that is Coles and Woolies. Our community is facing a cost-of-living crisis, and we must take bold action, not just half-measures. Everything this government chooses to do is a political choice. The budget was a political choice and, unfortunately for our community, this government continues to choose to tinker around the edges rather than doing what is needed.

At this election we have the opportunity to do something historic, but we have to vote for it. Nothing changes if nothing changes. And be assured: so many in this place are content with the status quo. That is why it is more important than ever to vote Green so we can get to work helping our community and send a message to the political duopoly that the status quo is no longer accepted. So, this election, 'Vote 1 Greens' and be part of something that is bold, that is hopeful and that will create real and meaningful change for our community.