Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throughout Australia, people both young and old are worried about the cost and supply of housing. In my electorate of Corangamite in Victoria, many residents are facing rising rents, inflated housing prices and increasing uncertainty about whether they can afford to pay their mortgage. The Albanese government recognises we are in a housing crisis. That's why we are taking action with a suite of measures to make it easier for our most vulnerable to put a roof over their head, to increase our nation's housing stock and to make it easier for Australians to buy or rent. We know the number of Australians who rent is significant. In my electorate, over 20 per cent of residents are renters. Our median rental rate is 21 per cent higher than the Victorian average and over 33 per cent higher than the Australian average. Almost 30 per cent of those renting in our community are paying more than 31 per cent of their household income towards weekly rent.

Behind these concerning statistics are the real stories of people struggling to find a stable and secure place to call home. At a recent market in my electorate, two people approached my stall and told me of a woman living rough in her car just around the corner from where we were standing. The woman has been living like this for some time, after her landlord sold the house she had been living in, forcing her to seek refuge wherever she could. Corangamite's cold, harsh winter nights are particularly brutal, and the back seat of a car is no place for anyone to be toughing it out day after day. My office has now been in touch with the Salvation Army, and we are in the process of finding accommodation for her. There are many stories just like this one right across our nation.

Across our regions, the dream of secure, affordable housing has become so much harder to realise for ordinary Australians. It's particularly harder for the 116,000 Australians already experiencing homelessness. It's harder for workers forced to move further and further away from their work. It's harder for businesses that want to hire new employees but are finding there is just nowhere that is affordable for new workers to live. And it's harder for the hundreds of thousands of Australians who are on social housing waiting lists. The latest PropTrack Market Insight report shows that less than 18 per cent of rental properties listed online are available for less than $400 a week—the lowest rate of availability for affordable rental properties in Australia since 2018. Rental vacancy rates are currently at a record low of 0.8 per cent.

In my region, these statistics are further exacerbated by the massive influx of visitors over the peak holiday period. In my electorate, we have some of the most beautiful surf beaches in Australia, and we are the gateway to the world-famous Great Ocean Road. So, naturally, visitors come from across the nation and the world to experience the Surf Coast, the Bellarine and everything we have to offer. Of course, this means our population ebbs and flows over the course of the year, with our coastal towns hosting up to three million visitors a year. Around 40 per cent of these visitors stay overnight, in short-stay accommodation, so I recognise how important this is to our local economy, but I believe it's also important to acknowledge just how much this phenomenon is adding to our housing supply challenge.

I recognise this challenge and so does the Albanese government, and that's why we have a range of measures to improve our housing supply to make sure we continue to support our tourism operators and also improve the availability of housing. For example, our budget included funding for an additional $2 billion in financing for more social and affordable rental housing, by increasing the guaranteed liabilities of Housing Australia. Also included were incentives to increase the supply of rental housing by providing arrangements for investments for build-to-rent accommodation.

And, of course, there's our National Housing Accord, a shared ambition to build one million new and well-located houses over five years from 2024. This includes an investment of $350 million in additional federal funding to deliver 10,000 affordable rental homes over five years as part of the accord. It doesn't stop there. From 1 July we've expanded eligibility for the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and the First Home Guarantee so that Australians who haven't owned a property in the last 10 years will soon be able to access help. We're widening the remit of the National Housing Infrastructure Facility, making up to $575 million available to invest immediately in social and affordable rental homes. We're delivering the largest increase in rent assistance in more than 30 years, as well as a $1.6 billion extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement with states and territories to tackle the ongoing problem of homelessness across our nation.

We also have a very important piece of legislation to address the housing crisis: the Housing Australia Future Fund. This bill is facing opposition. So I say to the coalition and the Greens: if you want to do something about social housing and housing supply, and if you want to be part of the solution, simply vote yes for our $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. Four thousand of these homes will be for women and children escaping domestic violence. A portion of the funding will be for veterans who are at risk of homelessness. $100 million will be for fixing up remote housing for Indigenous communities. These are worthy, practical solutions, so I find it truly extraordinary that the coalition and the Greens come here and complain about the cost-of-living crisis, yet they're not supporting the reform this government is bringing to the table. They ask for more social housing, and this bill provides that, yet they oppose it. They ask for more housing supply, and this bill provides it, yet they oppose it. It's time for those opposite to stand up and do the right thing for those battling through winter nights sleeping in parks, under bridges and in the back seats of cars.

In closing, we know that communities are more vibrant and diverse when affordable housing is available. We know that more affordable housing means a stronger workforce, more connected communities, more opportunities, a thriving economy and, importantly, a community that is secure, because housing is a necessity. We all deserve to have a roof over our heads.

I urge all those in the Senate and all those opposite to support the Housing Australia Future Fund Bill. Get behind the Albanese government's plan to deliver this huge, much-needed and long-overdue reform of our housing market. Our regions, our cities, our whole nation is in desperate need of more homes that are affordable. It's time to boost Australia's housing stock. It's time to put an end to the stories of people living in their cars or relying on friends and family to keep them safe and secure. In the words of former prime minister Paul Keating:

There are no better measures real or symbolic of how well we are succeeding as a nation and as a society than the quality of our housing …

…   …   …

Look and you will see stark evidence of the fact that poor quality housing and poor urban environments mean greatly reduced opportunities …

With that, I say it's time for the coalition and the Greens to support our housing bill.

Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time for the grievance debate has expired. The debate is interrupted in accordance with standing order 192B. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:30