Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

Since coming into this place last year, and in my time as a councillor and mayor, I have risen countless times to discuss one of the most critical and pressing issues facing us in Australia, particularly in my electorate of Bennelong, and that is housing. Secure and affordable housing is a fundamental right that underpins the security and dignity of every individual and family in this country, and I know from my experience that the best way to address this crisis is for all levels of government to contribute.

For the first time in a decade, I'm so proud to be part of a federal government that cares about and is committed to delivering housing across the nation. A decade of inaction under the former Liberal-National government has left us grappling with significant housing challenges nationwide. The consequences of this inaction have been felt by many, and we cannot afford to have this inertia continue any longer. Our government came to parliament with a mandate to reform Australian housing delivery and with an ambitious housing agenda that will boost the supply of housing across the affordability spectrum. But, week after week, we go on without this crucial agenda being implemented because it is being blocked by the Liberals and the Greens political party, who have chosen to block more homes being built. This obstruction is detrimental to the constituencies they claim to represent and directly impacts the lives of countless Australians who are in dire need of stable housing today.

Our government has not only invested significant sums of money directly into housing but also put up long-term reform and innovative solutions for how we can increase the supply of homes across the country, working with every level of government and institutional investors to do so, because supply is what matters here. More homes equals fewer social housing waiting lists, more homes equals less pressure on rents, and more homes equals more options for people to buy.

However, the progress of our broader attempts to lessen the impacts of this crisis is all at risk due to the obstructions caused by the Liberals and the Greens political party. The delays caused by their opposition to our Housing Australia Future Fund mean that every day $1.3 million that could have been utilised to increase supply is not being spent. Numerous projects that could have provided housing solutions for vulnerable Australians have been indefinitely postponed due to the lack of this style of funding from the Housing Australia Future Fund. The community housing sector themselves say that between 8,000 and 12,000 properties are not under construction today because the fund was blocked in the Senate by the Liberals and Greens. Families and individuals who desperately need stable homes are now left in limbo, uncertain of their future, all while political parties go out and doorknock, telling people that the government isn't doing anything about this crisis. Can you believe it?

We need to recognise that the housing crisis is a multifaceted issue that requires comprehensive and bipartisan efforts. Our direct investment policies such as the social housing accelerator are but one set of solutions to this problem. Their effectiveness, of course, is hampered without the support and the establishment of the Housing Australia Future Fund.

We know that when there is bipartisanship and all levels of government work together, that delivers tangible results for the community. Just minutes away from my electorate of Bennelong, in Carlingford, a partnership between the Commonwealth, the New South Wales government and community housing provider BaptistCare has delivered 162 new social and affordable homes in Carlingford for hundreds of people in need. Ninety-seven social housing applicants will now be moved off the waiting list and into secure accommodation because we have these levels of government working together. These are the types of projects that the HAFF will fund. In Bennelong, over 2,000 applicants on the New South Wales housing register are waiting to be allocated housing. For a studio apartment there's a five- to 10-year wait. For any housing over two bedrooms, the wait is longer than 10 years. Projects like those in Carlingford are sitting idle because the Greens and the Liberals have decided to play politics. Their blocking undermines our collective effort when the nation elected us to address homelessness and create stability for those struggling to pay rent or find a place to call home. Their blocking of more housing makes an absolute mockery of their self-proclaimed title that they are the party for renters. It's like giving yourself a nickname: it's lame and it doesn't work.

Get out of the way. Support this bill. Let's get more houses out of the ground.

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