Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Housing is a nation-defining challenge for Australia because every Australian deserves a place to call home, and every Australian should aspire to homeownership. Housing, housing, housing—it's front of mind for millions of people across the country and for this government. We hear it from young people who fear they will never own their own home, no matter how hard they work or how diligently they save. We hear it from their parents, too, who fear they will not be able to give their children the same opportunity they grew up with. And we hear it from renters struggling to pay the bills as their rent keeps going up. Labor knows just how serious and urgent this is. That's why we are doing everything in our power to build more homes and help more Australians buy their own home.

It is really disappointing that the coalition still don't get just how urgent and serious this is, because every time Labor wants to build more homes, they want to block them. Right now they are trying to block 80,000 extra homes to be built for renters. Just this week the coalition moved a motion to scrap those 80,000 homes for Australians who need them so much. Every time we want to make things easier for first home owners in this place, they try to block it. Right now they are campaigning against Labor's five per cent deposit for first home owners, a policy that levels the playing field for first home owners while we build, build, build. Housing demands action. People deserve good quality houses to call home. That's why the Albanese Labor government is focused on it. The coalition, and particularly Senator Bragg, should get on board.