Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing. What is the Albanese Labor government doing through our Homes for Australia plan to tackle the Australian housing crisis? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

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

I thank the wonderful member for Swan for her question. We've got a housing crisis in our country that's been building for decades, and the member for Swan is proud, as I am, to be a part of a government that, with genuine and great conviction, is tackling this problem from every single angle. Our Homes for Australia plan is a long-term plan to rebuild Australia's housing system so it actually works for the Australian people—more homes, more first home buyers, a better deal for renters and helping more Australians in crisis. This morning, the Treasurer introduced legislation to deliver the next step: tax reforms that, for the first time in 25 years, will level the playing field for first home buyers and provide a tax cut for every single working person in our country.

We are having a big parliamentary debate at the moment about aspiration, so let me be really clear about where Labor stands. There is no greater aspiration in this country than to own your own home. For most families around this nation, this is the most important financial decision that they will ever make in their lives. Our tax changes are about helping Australians build financial security for themselves and their families.

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

Order! If everyone can take a breath, listen and not interject for the remainder of this answer, I think it'll be beneficial for the House and for everyone listening.

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

There are lots of surveys that tell us that we are at the point where most young people in our country do not think they will ever own a house in Australia. Problems like this can become so big and difficult that people start to give up altogether, not because they lack ambition but because they believe the system will not reward their effort. After all, what is the incentive to work hard when the thing that matters most to you and your family is out of reach? Once a country starts losing belief in aspiration, the consequences reach far beyond housing. Helping more Australians into a home of their own is central to our plan for housing, and it is central to our vision for Australia.

Those opposite don't just want to vote against the changes that we are making; they want to roll them back. They are promising to reimpose a broken system on this country. If we take that approach, we're going to end up living in a country where whether you own a home depends on the wealth you inherited rather than the work that you did for yourself—and that is not Australia. Our government rejects that future. We believe aspiration belongs to every single person in this country, and that's what the legislation that the Treasurer introduced this morning is all about.