Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Many vulnerable Australians are renters, and a large number have been in financial stress for prolonged periods. It means they're also more sensitive to rent increases, and we know rental affordability has also gotten worse. I've spoken to a lot of people in my electorate who are struggling with rent increases and who fear they made may need to move further out to find a home within the same price range.

Vacancy rates, as we know, are so low right across the country, and landlords have been able to pass on interest rate rises to tenants in the form of increased rent. More Australians are turning to share houses as well. Low-income earners, including pensioners, single parents who work part-time, and students, are being priced out of the rental market. Of those who are currently renting, around one million live in homes that are unsafe for their health—just think about that—but they're too afraid to speak up or request repairs, because they're afraid they might get evicted because of it.

Many young people are facing rent increase after rent increase, making it unaffordable to make ends meet, let alone save for a deposit. Certainly many young people have completely given up on ever owning their own home, which is much different than it was 30 years ago. Essential workers—nurses, aged-care workers, early educators, police, ambos and those in hospitality—are being priced out of the rental market. Workers on average are spending around two-thirds of their income on rent. These are the same essential workers that helped us get through the pandemic. My office supports people on a weekly basis who are struggling with evictions and rent increases, who need emergency accommodation, who are waiting for public housing to become available. But we, as a government, know that systemic change is required. That is why the Albanese government is focused on Housing Australia.

We've announced and are implementing multiple reforms and housing policies to change the system, because we need structural changes that will have a long-lasting benefit for millions. These are not a bandaid solution. The Albanese government is committed to ensuring more Australians have a safe and affordable place to call home, whether they're buying, renting or needing a safe space to spend the night.

In just our first year of government, housing has been front of mind in terms of both affordability and supply. The Housing Australia Future Fund, the Social Housing Accelerator and build-to-rent are steps we have taken, announcements we have made, implementing and increasing the number of dwellings across the country. It's real.

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—

Peter Khalil (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take that interjection. We actually do it. We actually pass laws. We invested money in increasing supply. You did nothing for 10 years on this problem! An acknowledgement that housing is an issue of national significance, something ignored by the opposition when it was the then government.

In contrast, we are working to a national target to build 1.2 million well-located homes. We are building and supporting the supply of more affordable homes through the $10 billion HAFF, the $500 million housing support program, the $3 billion New Homes Bonus and the $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator. The HAFF will deliver 30,000 new social and affordable rental homes in the fund's first five years, and there's the National Housing Accord, which includes federal funding to deliver 10,000 affordable homes over five years from 2024, to be matched by another 10,000 by the states and territories. That's called federation, the states and the Commonwealth working together.

There's also $1 billion in the National Housing Infrastructure Facility to support more homes. Up to $575 million has already been unlocked with homes under construction across the country. That's happening. It's a reality. Not only are we building more homes, we've also increased the maximum rate of Commonwealth rent assistance by 15 per cent, the largest increase in more than 30 years.

We've also introduced new incentives to boost the supply of rental housing by changing arrangements for investments in build-to-rent accommodation and we're strengthening renters' rights. We've worked with states and territories to commit to a better deal for renters. This means developing nationally consistent policies on reasonable grounds of eviction, moving towards limiting rent increases to once a year and phasing in minimum rental standards. We know homelessness is also a big problem and that's why we're investing $1.7 billion towards a one-year extension of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. We want more people to own homes, so we've introduced a Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee and expanded the overall Home Guarantee Scheme which has now helped more than 73,000 Australians in their first home since the election. States and territories are supporting the national rollout of the Help to Buy Scheme as well. As a government, it's our job, which we take seriously, to make these good policy decisions in the interests of the nation, in the interests of the Australian people, and having a stable, secure place to live is the right of every Australian and the Albanese government is getting on with that job and increasing the supply of housing.