Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

What has become abundantly clear after today's performance in the chamber by those opposite is that they do not understand the people of my generation let alone the generation below me. I think the behaviour that we saw while Senator Walker was attempting to ask her question in question time really says everything about what those opposite think about young people in this country. We should not forget that this is a coalition who, while in government, had no plan to build homes, had no plan to help young Australians get into their own home. They didn't even have a housing minister for most of the decade that they were in government. They built—what was it?—300-and-something homes while they were in office. Now they have the gall to come in here and speak over Senator Walker, who comes from the generation below me and who feel like they are locked out of a system that does not work for them. They're a generation who can do everything right, who can work hard, but who still can't get their foot in the door and still can't get a home of their own.

Our government is committed to changing that. Yes, we have made a hard decision to do what is right. We are not sitting on our hands and pretending this isn't a problem like those opposite did for the near-decade that they were in government. I am proud to be part of a government that is delivering for my generation and the generation below mine and the generations to come to give us a real shot at owning our own home.

This budget brings our total housing investment to $47 billion dollars. Our tax reforms will support 75,000 more young people to own their own home. We will invest an extra $2 billion in enabling infrastructure to help the states and local governments build more homes. Our budget will build 65,000 more homes for Australians. We will also deliver $59.4 million for states and territories for social and affordable homes. In my home state of Western Australia, we are building 4,200 more social and affordable homes. More than 3,000 of those are through the HAFF, which Senator Bragg likes to pretend isn't actually building any homes despite all evidence to the contrary. I don't know if he's walking around the country with his eyes closed, but I see them in my own community and in the regions as I am out further in Western Australia. I see these homes being built. Nineteen thousand Western Australians have bought their first home thanks to our five per cent deposit scheme. That is 19,000 Australians who otherwise would not have been able to buy their own home. They certainly wouldn't have been able to buy their own home if those opposite were in government.

So it's really no surprise to me that my generation and the generation below can't bring themselves to vote for the Liberal Party anymore. It's because they do not speak for young people and they will not make the hard decisions to get young people into their own homes. They sat on their hands for a decade and did nothing. It was an absolute disgrace. Only Labor is doing what is right to build homes. (Time expired)