Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I was talking about housing. I was talking about the lack of scrutiny that this government wants for their housing policy. This housing policy is so bad that the ANAO, the Auditor-General, has now decided that it requires additional scrutiny. We've seen the Chair of Housing Australia resign under suspicious circumstances. There were allegations of bullying; now that's gone. We tried to have additional time with Housing Australia at Senate estimates. They were pushed out to the middle of the night—last thing in the middle of the night. Thank heavens the Senate has the power to compel Housing Australia to come back, and we will see Housing Australia at Senate estimates at a spillover next week. But, my goodness, it has been like pulling teeth to get this government to talk about its housing policy, because it is so ashamed.

It's so ashamed of the fact that it hasn't actually built any bloody houses—excuse my language, Acting Deputy President. It is so ashamed because it hasn't actually built any houses. It's spent $60 billion, yet it hasn't built any houses. That's taxpayer money. That's money that has been borrowed through the Housing Australia Future Fund and delivered nothing. The Housing Australia Future Fund has been operating for two years. Do you know how many houses it's built? Doughnuts. Nothing. Zip. Squat. Zero. Nothing. It hasn't built a house yet. That's your money they're using. Today, they are hiding from you. They are not only hiding from you but playing games in the chamber so that they don't have to respond to questions about it.

It is private senators' time, not government time. This bill will at least go some way to helping provide transparency, to helping prevent this executive overreach, to ensuring that we have accountability for decisions that are made and the ability for this chamber to do its job and not have games played—the ability for this chamber to scrutinise legislation and not have a minister have a free rein. I know that power has gone to your heads. You might have the numbers in the chamber over there, but you do not have them here. (Quorum formed) I want to talk about this housing guarantee scheme and I want to talk about the private senator's bill that has been brought in to introduce more scrutiny, more transparency and more accountability, but, unfortunately, I keep getting disrupted. And the reason I keep getting disrupted—can I be very clear—is that Labor are refusing to produce a document that we requested to see for two years. They're refusing to produce a document which, ironically, is a review into jobs for mates.