Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Treasurer, Senator Gallagher. After a decade of inaction by the coalition, the Albanese Labor government has delivered the most ambitious housing reform in generations. We've committed $43 billion to make it easier to buy and better to rent and to build more homes, helping over 185,000 first home buyers, boosting rent assistance by nearly 50 per cent for a million households and driving a national target of 1.2 million new homes. How is this plan assisting Australians to get into homeownership?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator O'Neill for the question on the important area of the Commonwealth's investment in housing—and my colleagues who sit here today in the chamber for all the advocacy that goes into our policy development. We know that the pressures in the housing sector have been growing for some time. They preceded the Albanese government being elected in 2022, and we acknowledged in that campaign that homeownership felt too far away and being a renter felt too insecure, which is why Labor have put together a $43 billion plan to build more homes, back first home buyers into homeownership and support renters.

Key initiatives include, for first home buyers, the $10 billion to build 100,000 homes for first home buyers, $6.3 billion under Help to Buy and $5.4 million for the five per cent deposit scheme expansion. To boost supply we've also provided billions of dollars to states and territories to address infrastructure backlogs and deliver new housing. To increase productivity we have invested to accelerate the uptake of modern methods of construction and, again, invested in our commitment to incentivise states and territories to remove red tape preventing the uptake of modern methods of construction.

For social and affordable housing, we've invested to make sure that the Housing Australia Future Fund and the social housing accelerator payment—

Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How many has it built?

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

are working to deliver more social housing. I hear Senator Bragg. It's taken a while to get him going, but he's there like a horse at the Melbourne Cup, ready to go. I'll be very pleased to go into the difference between the social houses that were constructed under your government when you were last in power and what we are delivering right now.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, first supplementary?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you so much for that answer, Minister. Under the Albanese Labor government over 500,000 new homes have been built, including more than 5,000 social and affordable homes, and we're training more tradies and cutting red tape to make building easier. It's clear that the solution is boosting supply. How are the government's policies responding to the supply challenge?

Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How's your demand-side policy going?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Bragg, which part of 'order' did you not understand? Minister Gallagher.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More than 520,000 homes have been built nationwide since Labor was elected, and we're working with the states and territories to build infrastructure to support new housing.

I heard Senator Bragg before. He's concerned about demand-side policies. Well, I was concerned to read the transcript yesterday of your interview with Patricia Karvelas, when you just dumped super for housing and everything that you've stood for. And all your colleagues say, 'We're not going to do that anymore. We'll just let that go.' That was at 3.35 yesterday, on a day when more than 30 members of the opposition were racing to get an interview spot in the press gallery. You couldn't get a spot in the press gallery yesterday. It was like a stampede. But Senator Bragg just managed to nick that little 15-minute interview, where he was able to dump super for housing. We have built over 5,000 social and affordable houses— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator O'Neill, second supplementary?

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Minister. I know how much hope those answers give Australians who want to get into housing. How does the Albanese Labor government's approach help Australians get into housing now whilst also ensuring Australians have adequate retirement savings?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Gallagher.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator O'Neill, for that question. When we look at social and affordable housing, over 5,000 have already been completed since the Albanese government was elected. Compare that to 373 in the entire time that those opposite were in government. They worked very hard to deliver those 373. They were exhausted! There have been 5,000 since we came to government, and 25,000 are under construction. We are well on the way to 55,000 social and affordable rental properties.

In terms of the question Senator O'Neill asked about retirement savings, yesterday we saw the big crab walk away from super for housing. For every criticism that we have had about that program, Senator Bragg supported our position. Finally, yesterday, he said, 'We won't have that policy again, Patricia.' There it went, on the floor, on the scrap heap. (Time expired)