Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Six weeks ago I left the federal parliament and I think I could be forgiven, having heard the number of words about Queensland coming from the government today, for believing that I have accidentally returned to the Queensland parliament and I am faced with the Queensland opposition on the other side of this House. One might be forgiven for thinking that the federal government believe that there is nothing left on the federal agenda and that all they now have to do is worry about state issues because their job is done. Let us hope that, after the election, that is the case because there are real problems out there. Families are under enormous pressure, yet we do not hear from the government about working on solutions. Instead, what we heard in question time today was a government frontbench whipping themselves into a frenzy of self-congratulation on anything they think might have gone okay and thrashing about finding somebody to blame for anything that remains undone or might be going wrong. They even tried in the last few days to blame the states in advance for any interest rate rise that might be forthcoming. But many experts jumped on that theory for the nonsense that it is. Make no mistake: the government know full well that it is nonsense, just as they knew that their claims about interest rates in the last election campaign were nonsense. In doing this, they treat the voters with contempt. 

This government, even now, with reports and figures coming out daily, is confirming what anybody who gets out a bit already knew: that families, individuals, people with children and retirees are doing it tough. This government is not looking for answers but is looking for a way to spin itself out of trouble and back into office. There was very little governance in question time today, just politics, and let me tell you that my community needs much more than that from its government. They need a government prepared to take the responsibility and do the work, even in an election year. Out there, faced with rising costs in petrol, child care, food and health and with rising interest rates and rents, families are well and truly stretched to breaking point. Thirty-three per cent of renters in the Parramatta electorate are facing rent stress—that is, they are spending more than 30 per cent of household income on rent. The average mortgage payment has increased by over 50 per cent in the last five years from $867 to $1,300.

Labor’s Family Watch Survey has revealed that one in seven families ranked interest rates and housing affordability as their No. 1 financial concern. The new census data shows that back-to-back interest rate hikes under John Howard are taking their toll, with one in four households with a mortgage now financially stretched. In my electorate, mortgage repayments now eat up over 35 per cent of household income, compared to 24.5 per cent in 2001. The situation is likely to have deteriorated further, as the figures were produced after the first six back-to-back interest rate rises and there have been two more since then.

This government has so lost touch with ordinary Australian families that, in spite of the financial pain out there, it introduced workplace laws—the bill previously known as Work Choices—which ripped away at the wages and conditions of working Australians, at the very time when families already faced incredible financial pressure. Just a few months ago, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, the Prime Minister was still saying that working families have never had it so good. We on this side of the House believe that every Australian deserves secure, affordable housing and we will work hard to help Australians achieve their housing aspirations.

Since the summit on housing affordability, Kevin Rudd has made a commitment that, in government, federal Labor will set up a $500 million housing affordability fund to tackle the undersupply of new residential housing, cut down on holding charges and contribute to infrastructure. Federal Labor will establish a national housing supply research council to analyse the adequacy of land supply across the nation, as well as rates of construction, negotiate a national affordable housing agreement with Australia’s eight state and territory governments and the Australian Local Government Association and appoint a cabinet level minister who will be responsible for federal policy on housing. When it comes to affordable housing, my community deserves and expects much more than blame shifting and spin from their government; they deserve the government’s care and attention and the hard work necessary to help Australians achieve their housing aspirations.