Renee Coffey (Griffith, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fadden for the opportunity to speak on housing and on the work that this government is doing to address it. Given housing did not have a dedicated ministerial focus for six years of the opposition's time in government, it's genuinely good to see the member for Fadden and, more recently, Senator Bragg holding the shadow housing portfolio.

Housing is one of the most immediate and life-shaping challenges facing Australians today. Across Griffith and across the country, people are working hard and doing all the right things and yet are struggling to get in the market. I hear it from young people, who wonder if they will ever be able to own a home of their own. I hear it from parents, who want their children to have the security that they once took for granted. I hear it from renters facing repeated rent increases, short leases and the stress that comes with not knowing what happens next.

Australia's current housing situation has been building for a long time. For 40 years, our country simply has not been building enough homes. We know it will not be fixed overnight, but that is exactly why it requires national leadership, serious ambition and a government prepared to act. The Commonwealth needed to return to housing policy with purpose, investment and a clear focus on delivery, and that is what this government has done. Our $45 billion housing plan is built around three clear priorities—building more homes, making it easier to buy and making it better for renters. It is a practical plan that recognises there is no single lever to pull and no one announcement that will solve a challenge of this scale.

At the centre of this effort is a simple fact: we need more homes. That is why we are working with state and territories on planning reform, cutting red tape, investing in enabling infrastructure and training more tradies so we can lift housing supply across our cities, our suburbs and our regions. The commencement of new builds is up 11.6 per cent compared with this time last year. Construction cost inflation, which reached extraordinary heights under the former government, has fallen to 1.8 per cent. Construction times have also improved, with new homes now being built 10 per cent faster. These are important signs of progress. They do not mean the work is done, but they show that sustained action is making a difference.

We are also rebuilding the Commonwealth's role in social and affordable housing, something very close to my heart. Through the Housing Australia Future Fund and our broader housing agenda, 55,000 new social and affordable homes are on the way for people who need them most. That matters deeply because, for many Australians, the private market alone will never provide the security or affordability that they need. I have seen what it looks like in Griffith through the Brisbane Housing Company project in Stones Corner.

Last year, I was proud to welcome the Prime Minister to see residents moving into these 82 brand-new social and affordable homes. We met John, Jan and Karen and heard what secure housing meant for them. John told me that it was the first time in years that he had been able to sleep soundly. That stays with you. Behind every housing statistic is a person, a family, a life made more stable and the quiet relief that comes with finally having a place to call home.

Alongside the work to increase supply, we're making it easier for people to buy their first home. More than 50,000 Queenslanders have now bought their first home with help from Labor's five per cent deposit scheme, including more than 1,140 in my electorate of Griffith since February. That is practical support that helps people get into the market sooner. At a mobile office in West End recently, I spoke with Mitchell, a young man in my electorate who finally has a genuine chance to enter the housing market through Labor's Help to Buy Scheme. For people who have felt locked out for too long, that kind of support can change the direction of their lives.

At the same time, we know many people in Griffith and across Australia rent, and they deserve support as well. For 7,270 renters in Griffith, we have delivered back-to-back increases for maximum rates of Commonwealth rent assistance, amounting to an increase of almost 50 per cent since we came into government. Renters deserve not only assistance but also a housing system that offers greater stability and even better options. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. In Griffith, that hope is shared by young renters, growing families, older residents, key workers and people doing their best to get ahead. They deserve a government willing to meet the scale of that challenge with energy, investment and purpose.

Labor has brought the Commonwealth back into the work of building homes, backing buyers and supporting renters, and communities like mine are already seeing a difference. I'm proud to be part of a government approaching this challenge with ambition, care and a clear commitment to delivery for the people of Griffith and for Australians across the country. This government is getting on with the job. We're building more homes, and we're making it better to rent and easier to buy.

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