Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's pretty extraordinary that the member for Fadden has come here today to talk about irony. It's pretty extraordinary because he is part of a coalition that didn't have a housing minister for most of the time that they were in government. It's pretty extraordinary because he is part of a coalition that teamed up with the Greens to vote down, to block and to delay critical housing policy. It's pretty extraordinary because he's part of a coalition that voted against Help to Buy. He's part of a coalition that voted against build to rent. He's part of a coalition that voted against the HAFF. It's pretty extraordinary and it's pretty ironic, because, when those sitting on that side of the chamber were in government, they built a measly 373 homes in nine long years.

What Australia needs and what Australians need isn't talk. It isn't business being brought to this place to have a chat about. What Australians need is a plan, and what they need is consistent delivery of that plan. In this country we have a supply problem when it comes to housing. We have a supply problem that has been building for the last 40 years. For Australians, this has real impacts. This has impacts because, everywhere I go—whether it's at the local fete, whether it's across the back fence, whether it's while you're out doorknocking and talking to people—families want the key to their first front door, parents want their children to have the same opportunities when it comes to housing that they did, and young people are contemplating whether housing will ever be a reality for them and their future.

We have a long way to go. People are doing it tough, but there are green shoots coming through. I've seen the faces of those people who are getting into their first homes because of the work that Labor is doing with our local communities to make housing more accessible and more affordable. The other day I met with Mitchell. Mitchell is a young person in my electorate on Brisbane's south side. He just bought his first home, a townhouse in Moorooka not too far away from the city. It's pretty close to the train station. Mitchell said that he wouldn't have had a hope to get into that first home without the Help to Buy scheme. In my own team, Kane and his partner, Jaxen, have just moved into their first home. They did it because they were able to save the five per cent deposit, something introduced by Labor.

Housing is more than bricks and mortar. It's about having a home. It's about having security. It's about setting down roots and being able to have a place where you can watch your kids grow up and you can build a life. Our government has been working to do practical things to throw the kitchen sink at what is an incredibly challenging problem for our nation. It's why we're building more homes and we have an ambitious target for 1.2 million new homes—570,000 built since we came to government and new home starts up by 11.6 per cent. It's why we're delivering 55,000 new social and affordable homes through the HAFF, with 6,000 complete and 24,000 in planning and construction. It's why we've introduced five per cent deposits. There are 230,000 Australians who have bought their first homes with it. The shadow minister called five per cent deposits a gimmick. It's not a gimmick for those young people who are buying their first home. It's not a gimmick for those people who, for the first time, have the ability to plan for their future.

The member for Fadden says it's only been the last four years. That shows the profound misunderstanding of this challenge from the coalition.

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