Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make short statement.

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

Leave is granted for two minutes, Senator Pocock.

Barbara Pocock (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to clarify our decision to not support the referral from Senator Bragg to the Economics References Committee for an inquiry into Housing Australia. The Greens don't support that referral, but I want to also put on record and remind this chamber of the Greens' consistent concerns with Housing Australia and the Housing Australia Future Fund. They're a matter of public record, so we are playing close attention to those aspects of housing, but we don't support this referral at this time. It's a matter which is under consideration through the ANAO. We will be looking with interest at its findings.

We're not averse to potentially, down the track, seeing an inquiry into the HAFF. The HAFF is too slow. It's too complicated. Very few people in Australia understand it—probably 15 people have actually got their heads around it. It relies on investment returns before spending money. It delays building. Its design is imperfect. It subsidises housing without guaranteeing that they enter the long-term, perpetual stock of public housing. It won't build enough housing, and it will potentially put a lot of profit into big developers' pockets. So it's a scheme that really needs a close look, we agree. Housing Australia has had many, many defects in its first years of operation, so we're paying attention. We want to see an inquiry where it's appropriate, down the track—just not right now, until we see the ANAO report.