Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, everyone knows. They might not know that about me, though. For my family, a migrant family that came to Australia in the seventies, having access to that affordable housing helped to level the playing field to a certain extent. It offered my family real equality of opportunity, and it was because of the policies of Labor governments, both state and federal, that we were given that opportunity. Despite many of the challenges and the prejudices we faced, it gave me the chance to succeed based on hard work and on merit. The fact that we had that foundation meant we weren't worried about being able to have a place to live. We were given that opportunity. The five per cent deposit scheme brought forward by the government will now make it even easier for those growing up in situations like mine to purchase their first home and have that foundation as well.

As I said, we were elected with a clear mandate to bring down the deposit hurdle for first home buyers. That's what we're doing today with this debate. We have an ambitious $43 billion housing agenda that is actually delivering on our promise and our election commitments, because this government is about delivery. When you get rid of all the white noise—all the sound and fury that comes from the opposition benches, the crossbench and all the rest of it—in the end, Australians look to their government, the federal government, to fulfil its commitments and to deliver on the commitments it makes to them. We are building more homes to deliver on our commitment. We're backing first homebuyers, and we're supporting renters as well.

We're making the Australian dream of homeownership attainable for millions of Australians, as it should be, because I think it's true to say—and I would hope this is agreed upon right across this place—that every Australian deserves the opportunity to own their own home. It shouldn't just be some day in the distant future; it should be sooner. And this government, the Albanese Labor government, is working hard every day to deliver and make that dream a reality.

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