Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We on this side of the House believe every Australian should own their own home. It is clear that those opposite don't. Our government is getting on with the job of fixing our housing crisis, including fixing the tax rules that have made it near impossible for working Australians to be able to buy their own home. Since '99, house prices have risen 400 per cent, more than twice as fast as wages. The tax concessions introduced back then were meant to grow supply. They didn't; they grew prices. While the coalition is keen to entrench this, we've accepted the responsibility of doing something about it. We are here to make the system fairer.

This policy doesn't shut the door on young investors; it opens a new one. And here is where the opposition aren't telling you the truth. We are continuing to support property investment—in new builds, because, when taxpayer support is on the table, it should go towards creating a home that didn't exist before. Invest not just in your own wealth but in the wealth of the nation.

Now, those opposite are predictably rolling out the same old scare campaign to keep the broken status quo—a status quo that is locking young people, families and workers in my community out of homeownership. But this government isn't accepting the status quo. We are making sure every single one of them gets a fair shot of getting into their own home.

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