Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to build more houses for Australians? Are there any risks to the delivery of these homes?

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Cunningham for her question. We are so lucky to have her powerful voice representing regional Australia in our caucus, as are so many regional MPs behind me representing the Labor Party.

We're in the middle of a housing crisis that's been cooking for 40 years. The answer is: we've got to build, build, build. But to build we first need to approve. For so many housing projects that we see around the country, it takes much longer to get approval to build a home than it does to actually build one. This is one of the things that our government is working to change.

This is a really important day as we take a big step forward in reforming Australia's broken environmental laws. Australia's new environmental laws will reduce approval times for housing, in some cases from years down to weeks. A faster yes and a faster no will give home builders the certainty that they need.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Those opposite continue their yapping as usual about the views of industry, but I want to let them know that the Property Council have come out fiercely supporting these changes today. They said, 'These new laws give businesses greater certainty, support better environmental outcomes and speed up housing supply.'

Housing remains a really important challenge for our country, but there are some great green shoots of progress that we're starting to see. Our government is delivering 55,000 much-needed social and affordable homes. We've got building approvals in Australia today up 15 per cent on where they were a year ago. We've got a million households around the country benefiting from our almost 50 per cent increase to Commonwealth rent assistance, and we've seen 59,000 construction places taken up as part of fee-free TAFE.

I was asked about risks to delivery, and there are many—not as many as there were earlier today!—and they sit opposite me. Those opposite had a prime opportunity to use the power that they have in this parliament to help us fix Australia's environmental laws, but what did they do instead? They decided to be completely irrelevant and focus on their favourite activity, which is undermining each other at every single turn. We have got an opposition so divided they are organising separate, clashing drinks events for different leadership contenders. My support sits with the member for Lindsay—

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

The member for Reid is now warned. We'll hear from the Manager of Opposition Business.

Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, the minister was asked about housing, and she's not addressing housing at the moment. New South Wales built fewer houses this year than last year, so maybe she can get back to the topic.

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

The minister was asked: 'Are there any risks to the delivery of these homes?' I want to make sure, for that part of the question, she's making her answer directly relevant, and she'll need to talk about the risks, not just opposition policy. She'll need to answer the question that she was asked about.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think it shows, very clearly, part of the problem—that those opposite can't see the massive division that they bring to this parliament every day and the risk that that poses to good government across our country.

We have seen something extraordinary happen today, which is the member for New England calling it quits. When Barnaby thinks there's too much drama, you know the wheels are really falling off.

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

The minister will refer to all members by their correct titles.