Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Labor is delivering on its social and affordable housing program. It is building momentum. We are up to 5,000 social and affordable homes now completed with federal government investment since the Albanese government was elected. Most of these have been built from the ground up, start to finish, across Australia. These homes are now supporting those doing it tough, from women and children escaping domestic violence to older women at risk of homelessness. These homes have been built across Australia, and we've got 45,000 more to come and 25,000 social and affordable homes now in construction and planning. We are getting on with and delivering what we promised the Australian public. As for the locals at home, our five per cent deposit for first home owners and two per cent for single parents is now up to 4,080 people that have already taken up that opportunity in the electorate of Lalor—fantastic news.

Scammers are targeting Tarneit and Werribee. They're targeting communities nationwide, and our community is on the frontline. Recent analysis from a major bank shows Tarneit and Werribee, both in our electorate of Lalor, are among Australia's top five scam-affected postcodes over the past year and the top two in Victoria. This sets off alarm bells for all of us—alarm bells already heard by this federal government and reflected in legislation to address it, with implementation imminent. In the meantime, the scammers are sophisticated and fast moving. The biggest threats right now are investment scams; business e-mail compromise; impersonation of trusted brands, like banks, the ATO and Australia Post; romance scams; and threat-and-penalty demands. The impact is personal and profound, with savings wiped, invoices diverted and confidence shaken. My message is simple: pause before you pay. Don't click on unexpected links or attachments, don't share personal details, verify invoices and make a phone call to make sure you're paying who you think you're paying.

Finally, I want to mention recent events in Victoria: the murder of two Victorian police officers and the injuring of a third—officers doing their jobs to keep us safe, two of them cut down. I want to send my condolences to family and friends and all the VicPol members who have been touched by this incredible event. I want to thank you for the work to capture the perpetrator and the work on Sunday, under trying circumstances in light of that so-recent event, keeping Melburnians safe on our streets.

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