Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister representing the Minister for Housing has been asked to attend the Senate to explain why the government is hiding from scrutiny of its housing policy. The answer is simple: the Albanese government's housing policy is a shambles of ill-considered measures, written for social media moments. When implemented together, the measures have driven up housing prices and rents and have ensured young Australians will never afford their own home unless they come from a wealthy family. Over and over, this government pursues policies that assist the rich, assist foreign multinational merchant banks and assist superannuation companies—not Australian superannuation companies, though. The government has just decided to send $2.13 trillion of Australian money to the United States to make America great again. The mask is off. The Albanese-Chalmers Labor government is not a government of the Australian working class. Instead, it is beholden to multinational, mostly American controlled, crony corporations.

Imagine what could have been built with that money here in Australia. Imagine the breadwinner jobs that $2.13 trillion could have created. Imagine the opportunities for traineeships, apprenticeships and entry-level jobs for young Australians starting out in life. Imagine the employment for tradies and small businesses with that level of investment. Imagine the life being given back to struggling rural and regional communities. What a betrayal of young Australians from the Albanese Labor government—yet another betrayal. President Trump must be laughing at us right now.

Senator Bragg has rightly pursued the government over their disastrous housing policies. The Australian National Audit Office, ANAO, has joined in, announcing an audit of the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. The fund was supposed to deliver 40,000 homes for new buyers and for the disadvantaged. One Nation pointed out at the time that this wasn't enough and that there weren't the materials to build those houses. We were right as usual. The average cost of the government's social and affordable homes was more than $750,000, with some reaching more than $1 million—three to four times their budget. Auditor-General Caralee McLiesh recently revealed the Housing Australia Future Fund disbursed—wait for it—just $13.6 million in 2024-25 out of the $10 billion fund. That's 0.136 per cent, barely one-tenth of one per cent. The Housing Australia Future Fund is now exactly two years old. Minister, where are the houses? Where are the construction contracts, the earthworks the materials purchases—anything at all? The Housing Australia Future Fund was only ever a social media program, an election illusion.

I look forward to the Australian National Audit Office finding out where taxpayers' money has gone. I understand it's gone to union superannuation funds to fund net zero. Let's see. I understand part of the government's problem. Australia is already building new homes at the fastest per capita rate of any country in the world and has been for years—not the government but tradies in private enterprise. Construction is down from 219,000 new homes in 2015-16 to just 179,000 in 2024-25 because the things that are needed to build houses are in short supply: materials, land availability and qualified construction workers. With closures in aluminium and steel smelting, these shortages and our reliance on China will get worse. Do I hear 'net zero'? Employment for everyday Australians will get worse thanks to net zero.

One Nation's housing policy will make a major difference to the lives of young Australians. It will turn the useless Housing Australia Future Fund into a low-deposit mortgage fund for young Australians offering low-interest, fixed rate mortgages for up to 30 years. We'll allow HECS holders to roll their HECS loan into their home loan, reducing their combined payments and increasing their borrowing ability so they can get in early. We'll overcome the deposit gap by allowing Australians to use their super account to take a share in their home—not their super fund but their own super account, which will continue to grow as the value of the home grows. It's a great investment. We'll limit negative gearing to two homes.

As a result of the Albanese government's low-deposit scheme, home prices have gone up six per cent. It's made the housing shortage worse—a stupid mistake. Offering incentives to help young people own their own home increases demand, forces up prices and leaves younger people worse off than before the government helped. We will remigrate—deport—200,000 people who deliberately broke their visa conditions, who completed their study and simply stayed here, or who lodged spurious asylum claims. We'll send them home—deport, remigrate—and reduce demand. (Time expired)