Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government rewarding Australians' hard work and encouraging aspiration? How does this apply to policies, including the recent budget, and what are the alternatives—

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

The member for Boothby will pause. We're not having commentary, particularly from the Leader of the Opposition. When he asks questions, he expects the House to be silent, and I give him that courtesy, always. How about we do the same for the member for Boothby?

There's no point pointing. I just want you to sit there and listen to the member for Boothby. People listened to your question out of respect. Show the member for Boothby respect. It's not a hard concept. People ask the question in silence. Then people can make their decisions on the answers, but not before that. The member for Boothby will begin her question again, and I'd like everyone to show her respect.

Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government rewarding Australians' hard work and encouraging aspiration? How does this apply to policies, including the recent budget, and what are the alternatives being offered?

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

I thank the member for Boothby for her question. We on this side of the House stand for aspiration for all, not just for some—the opportunity that generations of Australians have fought for, including those Australians who've come from overseas not just for a better opportunity to work hard and to aspire to a better life for themselves but for better opportunities for their children and grandchildren to come as well. That is our vision for Australia, and that is what our reforms are about. Everything that we do, whether it's making the tax system fairer, rewarding hard work with tax cuts, making Medicare stronger and more accessible, giving people the opportunity to upskill through free TAFE, building our resilience by investing in Australian manufacturing and a future made here in Australia or, of course, helping young Australians who hold the aspiration of buying their first home achieve that dream.

Around the country, more and more first home buyers are getting a fair crack. In Unanderra, in Cunningham electorate, Blake Torresan, the selling agent, said this: 'The home was sold the day of the scheduled auction. It was purchased by an Illawarra first home buyer.' In the Shortland electorate of Pat Conroy, in Cardiff Heights, an auction drew seven registered bidders, all first home buyers. Paul Campbell, the estate agent, said: 'We have a lot of first home buyers looking, and they're not competing against investors right now.' In Tighes Hill, in the electorate of Newcastle, Jesse Wilton, the listing agent, said: 'We had a first home buyer, a young family and a young couple bidding on it, and it went to the first home buyer.'

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

The member for Gippsland is warned.

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

In Calwell, Nick Fernandez, the estate agent who sold the home, said: 'The owner is over the moon, and so is the first home buyer.' In South Melbourne, in the electorate of Melbourne, at one auction, the successful bidder had spent more than a year trying to buy. This is what they said, 'I think it's great to encourage younger buyers rather than investors making more money all the time. It's giving young people a shot at it,' and that is precisely what we are doing through these reforms: giving young people a shot at the stability that comes from owning a roof over your own head. For too long, the housing system has been broken; we're doing something about it. We're taking action, delivering real change and making a positive difference.

Alison Penfold (Lyne, National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Why didn't you take that to the last election?

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

Before I call the member for Lindsay, the member for Lyne will leave the chamber for the uncontrollable yelling at the end of that answer. We're not going to have people screaming and yelling. Everyone, take a breath. I've got a few people on warnings, but, if that's not working, there will be no warnings. Just do better.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. To ram through Labor's toxic taxes, the Prime Minister has changed his position yet again and done a dangerous deal with the Greens. Will the Prime Minister rule out agreeing—

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

No, we're going to start again. Just as for the member for Boothby, it's a two-way street. The member for Lindsay is going to begin her question again; the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government is warned.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker—

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

Alright, the member for Lindsay can just get on with her question.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Prime Minister. To ram through Labor's toxic taxes, the Prime Minister has changed his position yet again and done a dangerous deal with the Greens. Will the Prime Minister rule out agreeing to the Greens' demand to remove grandfathering on negative gearing?

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

I thank the member for her question; I really do. We have legislation which passed the House of Representatives—the reform that we think is appropriate. We now will have it carried by the Senate on Thursday, and, yes, we have secured a majority in the Senate because those opposite—the three right-wing parties—didn't take Dennis Shanahan's advice and actually engage in debate. What they chose to do was what they consistently do, which is to just say no before they've seen any detail, before they've seen the legislation. And now they've promised to repeal it.

Well, there is a very big difference, of course, between us and those opposite. We're building 55,000 social and affordable homes over five years through the HAFF. They built 373 over the decade they were in office. We've helped 260,000 Australians into their first home with five per cent deposits. They want to gut the scheme and said that it would only benefit the children of billionaires. Remember that? We're throwing everything at housing supply.

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

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Lindsay asked a very political question that contained a lot of matter in it, but I'll give her a fair go.

Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance—I asked the Prime Minister an important question for Australians, particularly those trying to get ahead. Will he rule out agreeing with the Greens to remove grandfathering—

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

Resume your seat. The Prime Minister was asked about the legislation that has been ushered through the other place and what deals have been done about a particular topic, but he's being directly relevant. When you've got a question framed like that, there's going to be some political commentary because it was a political question, which is fine. But the Prime Minister is being directly relevant.

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

As for negative gearing, what we support is not the same position as the Greens political party, because, unlike this Leader of the Opposition, who allows the One Nation tail to wag the Liberal and National Party dog, what we do is we stand up for our values. Our values are to make sure make sure that grandfathering is there in negative gearing and in the changes that we've made. We've made sure as well that negative gearing can still occur but what they'll be doing is investing in new homes, not existing ones.

So the examples that I just used, the examples that we're seeing right around the country on Saturdays, are that, for the first time in a long while, young Australians are getting a fair crack, because they're not competing against investors who have taxpayers supporting their bids. It has changed the whole competition there and is enabling first home buying Australians to have a fair crack. What they want is to reinstate the tax breaks for property investors across the board—that is what they've said—and take away the gains which are made.

We have a $47 billion Homes for Australia plan. They didn't even bother to have a housing minister most of the time they were in office.