Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing and Homelessness. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering on its commitment to ensure more Australians have a safe, affordable place to call home?

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Reid for her question and also for holding a roundtable in her electorate for me to attend with housing and homelessness service providers, because of course she, like everyone on this side of the House, understands that safe, affordable housing is central to the security and dignity of all Australians. We know how many Australians are doing it tough. We know this because we see and we hear it every day. We have Australians dealing with rising rents, increasing homelessness and, of course, homeownership out of reach for ordinary Australians. Our housing challenges are now widespread, and they're visible for all to see.

But today marks a turning point. Today I introduced the government's legislative package to deliver on our election commitment to ensure more Australians have a safe, affordable place to call home. The $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund is the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing by a federal government in more than a decade. Returns from this fund will be the principal mechanism to deliver on the government's commitment that we put to the people at the last election, a commitment to build 20,000 new social homes and 10,000 affordable homes in the first five years of the fund.

We've also introduced legislation to establish the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, which will provide independent advice to government and governments on options to increase housing supply across the country. It will provide independent and expert advice on the right policies and the levers needed to address housing affordability.

We want to get more homes on the ground more quickly, but we need to make sure they're the right homes in the right places. Of course, we also introduced our legislation to establish Housing Australia as the principal Commonwealth agency for delivering new homes on the ground: homes in our cities, homes in our regional towns and homes in remote Australia. But, of course, these reforms build on the actions that we have already taken. Last year we unlocked up to $575 million in funding from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to invest in more social and affordable homes.

Here are some examples of some of the projects I've recently announced: more than 130 new apartments in Adelaide, more than 300 dwellings in Westmead and up to 180 homes in north-west Tasmania. We've brought forward our commitments to regional Australians with our Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and have over 1,700 Australians now in their first home. Of course, this builds on the Housing Accord that was announced in the last budget, where we will work with industry, with the sector and with state, territory and local governments. The Australian government is providing an additional $350 million for 10,000 more affordable homes. We're delivering on our agenda.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin will cease interjecting immediately. There is far too much noise.