Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Millennials like me have been told for years that, if we stopped buying smashed avo on toast and oat iced lattes, we could all afford a house. Well, I've done the maths: it doesn't add up, when considering the dramatic increases in house prices in my community. Even if I skipped breakfast every day, I'd still fall short tens of thousands in the deposit for a home. What will make a difference isn't skipping breakfast and coffees; it's policies like the five per cent deposit scheme, so that people in Petrie, young and old, can finally get their fair go at owning at a house.

That's why the five per cent deposit scheme, starting on 1 October, means so much to me personally. It means that people like me—people who rent, people who are saving while juggling everyday costs—finally have a real chance to step into the market. For the first time, owning a home feels within reach, not like some distant dream.

I speak about this not just as a representative but also as someone who understands what it's like to rent. Like so many people in Petrie, I've paid rent week after week, knowing that every dollar going out the door could have gone towards my own home. I know I'm not alone. Thousands of renters across Petrie are in the same position: working hard, doing their best, just wanting the security of a place to truly call their own. This policy is about giving us that shot.

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