Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

Unfortunately, that question, once again, as is regrettably characteristic of your party, asks us to make false choices. The Australian Labor Party consider that we have an obligation to invest in our national security, and we intend to do so. We also believe that we have an obligation to address the housing crisis, which has been a generation in the making. For too many Australians—and we acknowledge this, Senator—homeownership feels too far away and being a renter feels too insecure. That is why we have a $43 billion plan to make it easier to buy, to make it better to rent and to build more homes.

I remind senators of the approach that the Greens political party took in this place when we were attempting to legislate part of that agenda. Their approach was to block, delay and defer instead of to bring forward practical solutions for the people that you now, in this debate here, claim to be so concerned about. If you had been genuinely concerned about bringing on new housing supply and about making arrangements to make it better, fairer and safer for the many Australians who are experiencing housing insecurity, you would have voted with us in this place to support the HAFF and you would have supported the other initiatives that we have been bringing forward to try to expand the availability of housing for Australians.