Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. What are people in the housing sector saying to the government about the Housing Australia Future Fund, and why has the bill failed to pass?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for her question. She was there, of course, in Melbourne on Saturday when we announced a $2 billion additional investment in social housing—new money for new homes. It comes on top of the other initiatives that we have taken.

But there is one initiative, the Housing Australia Future Fund, a $10 billion fund that will build 30,000 new social and affordable homes, which has been blocked in the Senate. It's supported by housing and homelessness organisations across the board, but the Greens political party have formed an unholy alliance with the coalition to block it in the Senate. It's a coalition of the unwilling. This is what the St Vincent de Paul Society said yesterday:

This will further delay solutions to Australia's social and affordable housing crisis, after a decade of neglect. The Society is urging the Government, Coalition, minor parties and independents to support the establishment of the HAFF as a priority …

The coalition have never supported social housing, and they say no to everything in this parliament.

But, for the Greens political party, this isn't about the Australian people. This is about them. They want the issue not the outcome. They deal in protests; we focus on progress. You don't have to think that that's the case, because the member for Griffith has carefully and clearly said the quiet bit in an article that's been written in the Jacobin magazine. He wrote:

… this parliamentary conflict helps create the space for a broader campaign in civil society.

He went on to say this: 'We're opposing 30,000 social and affordable homes' because—and I quote:

Allowing the HAFF to pass would demobilize the growing section of civil society that is justifiably angry about the degree of poverty and financial stress that exists in such a wealthy country.

They're opposing it because it would demobilise people from campaigning against poverty. They want people to stay in poverty so they can have a rally against it. You can imagine. He went on even further. They want to keep people down. He said:

While Parliament has debated the HAFF, the Greens have also launched a national door-knocking campaign targeted at Labor-held federal electorates.

They want to knock on doors; we want to build them homes with doors. That's the difference. It's all about the campaign, not about the substance, and it is exposed by that. (Time expired)

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

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

There is far too much noise on my right.

Mr Chandler-Mather interjecting—

The member for Griffith is warned.