Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the coalition's matter of urgency motion. This is nothing more than a scare tactic by the coalition to distract us from their genuine lack of a solution to the housing crisis. Instead of talking about the tax rorts fuelling the housing crisis—negative gearing and the capital gains discount—the parliament is wasting time making up tax changes to debate. Crocodile tears and scare campaigns aren't going to house anyone. On the other side of the chamber, Labor continue to tinker around the edges, pledging to bring forward their home deposit scheme, which experts agree will only turbocharge house prices and saddle first home buyers with even bigger debts. We need real action on housing, not tinkering or scaremongering. Scrapping the tax breaks for property investors to push up the price of housing, however, just might start to ease the crisis which both sides of this chamber are responsible for creating.

In my home state of Victoria, any chance of addressing the housing and homelessness crisis is being bulldozed, literally. The Victorian Labor government plans to demolish all 44 public housing towers and displace over 10,000 residents. Handing property developers special deals and selling off public land will only make the housing crisis worse. Labor know this; they held an inquiry where experts and tenants told them exactly that. Imagine sitting here in Canberra talking passionately about the housing crisis while both major parties support the demolition and privatisation of literally every public housing tower in Melbourne.

You know what stops homelessness? Public housing. You know what brings down the cost of rents? Public housing. You know what the government has a responsibility to provide? Public housing. Yet, instead of investing in the public housing we so desperately need, the major parties are wasting this parliament on furphy taxes while fast-tracking laws to fund homes for US troops under AUKUS. Labor and the coalition are choosing to side with foreign powers and corporate interests instead of people who need a safe and affordable home and roof over their heads.

I'll be here with the tenants, the renters, the housing unions and my Victorian Greens colleagues, fighting this disgraceful abandonment of public housing tenants every step of the way. The Greens will be fighting to scrap negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. We will be fighting to stop selling off our public housing. We want to make big corporations and fossil fuel giants pay their fair share so we can put affordable roofs over people's heads.