Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Yes, indeed, there are challenges of housing affordability in Australia. We accept that. What we have done is to accept responsibility for making changes that the national government can do. There is the national government; there are state governments, which are responsible for many of the issues that the member raises; and local governments are also responsible, in terms of whether they choose to support affordable housing. I've said before that, in my area, fortunately, the Labor councillors support affordable housing. Unfortunately, members of the Greens party and some others have failed to ever support any affordable housing measures, because they say that increases in density are bad.

I'd encourage the member to come to the Mirvac project in my electorate which is on the corner of Marrickville Road and Livingstone Road. They can see there a great example of a project that brought an increase in density, and, with the support of the council, provided a 100 per cent privately-paid-for public library that has won awards for architecture, and not just in Australia; it is now winning some global awards as well. This is an example where the local government worked together with the state New South Wales government, because it was the old Marrickville hospital site, to get an increase in density, close to public transport, which is also allowing for an increase in affordable housing. So I'd say to the member—

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