Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the motion that's before this chamber at the moment. The Albanese government makes no apologies for using every single tool at its disposal to improve the lives of very hardworking men and women of this country and making sure that their families can also prosper. What we do know is that, predominantly, many young Australians are doing the right thing. They are gaining skills. They're undertaking further education. They are working bloody hard. Yet we know that they also face a monumental challenge when it comes to saving for a deposit to buy their own home. In response to this significant national challenge, those opposite, unfortunately, have done absolutely nothing in this place since we've come to government. They have simply voted against every single measure that this government has proposed that would help increase housing supply. At the moment, we have a housing supply issue and we need to drive up construction of homes in order to drop the price of housing and have many more homes available for people to buy. It is just pure economics: demand and supply are what is causing a lot of issues when it comes to housing prices right now.

Those opposite also oppose the direct construction of new homes when it comes to the Housing Australia Future Fund. They even oppose cheaper deposits for Australians trying to purchase their first home. Now, we know that housing supply is also just one side of the equation, so of course the government is trying to use every single tool at its disposal to help address what is one of the biggest issues facing Australians. Without commenting on the budget, because, quite frankly, I have to wait, like many of us, until 7.30, when the Treasurer delivers his budget speech tonight in the other place, but what I will say about the budget is that the Labor government makes no apologies for and does not shy away from any reforms boldly made in the traditional Labor way. We want to make sure that working people are looked after and we want to help working people and their families prosper and share in that prosperity like every single Australian should in this place. When circumstances change, as we are seeing right around the world at the moment—when crises emerge, our government, whoever is in the seat, must make whatever change is necessary to protect our standard of living and the way that we live. This is a great country, and we need to protect it.

Unfortunately, those opposite take a very different approach. Despite cost-of-living pressures, housing unaffordability and global instability, they remain committed to the same tired policies—or should I say maybe no policies at all—and oppose every sensible measure put forward by this government. That's why the Australian people are fed up. They have sent a very clear message—a message they should have learnt last year and they should have learnt over the weekend. The coalition now have been reduced to 43 seats in the House of Representatives. That is why over the weekend the people of Farrer—I acknowledge the shirt that was worn by one of our fellow senators who is in the chamber at the moment, but it is a message that the Australian people have sent clearly to the Liberals and the Nationals with a primary of just 12 per cent for the Liberal Party and the Nationals getting just under 10 per cent. That's around 22 per cent. If you look around the room, I bet you there are eight senators right now in the coalition who are very nervous because they're No. 2 on their ticket. Quite frankly, they won't be returned should there be a general election here— (Time expired)