Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer.

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

Member for Wannon, I just said there would be silence, and you've started the conversation. When I say 'silence', that means no talking. I give the call to the member for Aston and start the clock again.

Mary Doyle (Aston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Treasurer. How are the Albanese Labor government's housing policies helping lay the foundations for a stronger economy after a wasted decade, and what is standing in the way?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the wonderful member for Aston. She has asked three times as many questions as the member for Hume since the budget reply last month. The wasted decade in this country made our country more vulnerable to global economic uncertainty. That's true in the housing market. It's true as well in the labour market. But the Albanese government has recorded, as the PM said, the strongest jobs growth in its first year of any new government on record—more than 465,000 jobs. We've seen new analysis released today that shows that Australia is a world leader when it comes to job creation and workforce participation, well ahead of all the major advanced economies, with the highest participation rate and the strongest jobs growth since May 2022.

We know that what we need to do is to make sure that there are affordable homes close to where the jobs and opportunities are being created in our country. That's why building more homes has been absolutely central to our first two budgets and to our broader economic plan. I want to pay tribute to this Minister for Housing and this Prime Minister for the announcement that they made on the weekend: a $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator, which will build thousands of new homes in our country. It will mean more housing for more people in more parts of our nation, and it's part of our broad and ambitious housing agenda.

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

The member for Deakin is on a warning.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There is the National Housing Accord and the biggest increase to Commonwealth rent assistance in 30 years. We are expanding the First Home Guarantee and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and increasing the liability cap of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation. There is also extra funding to the states and territories through the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement to help tackle homelessness.

Earlier on today, the Senate had an opportunity to advance this substantial, broad and ambitious housing agenda, and the Senate failed to grasp that opportunity. The Housing Australia Future Fund is a really important part of building more homes for more people, particularly the most vulnerable in our country, including women and kids fleeing domestic violence. It beggars belief that the Greens have teamed up with the coalition to stop those tens of thousands of homes being built. It was a big test for the Greens and the coalition in the Senate, and they failed that test.

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

The member for Boothby is warned.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens, in particular, give these speeches saying they support social housing, but when the crunch comes, when it comes time to put their hands up for more social housing, they put political posturing and product differentiation before the right outcomes for the most vulnerable people in our society. After the vote in the Senate today, one thing is abundantly clear: the Labor Party is trying to build more social and affordable homes; the Greens are voting with the coalition to prevent them being built.