House debates

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

Statements by Members

Housing

1:42 pm

Photo of Elizabeth Watson-BrownElizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

If it seems like the Labor government's housing policies are written by property developers and finance corporations, that's because they are. I want to give just one example here, but it's a very telling one. Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz was appointed as Chair of the Housing Supply and Affordability Council in 2022. This is the government's major adviser on housing policy. What was Lloyd-Hurwitz doing in the decade before that? She was the CEO of Mirvac, of course, one of Australia's largest property developers, a company with over $20 billion invested in property, where her salary was $4 million. Prior to that, she worked for Lendlease, another major property developer. Lloyd-Hurwitz currently sits on the board of directors of Macquarie Group, a major investment bank with massive investments in property.

No wonder we haven't seen the government invest in public housing and no wonder we're seeing the government push for cutting red tape for big developers. It's a basic matter of conflict of interest. It's a basic matter of integrity in government. This isn't about any individual; it's a question of whose interests government decisions actually serve. Do they serve everyday renters and first home buyers, or do they serve the profits of developers and big finance corporations?

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