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

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. Labor's leaked cheat sheet of broken promises admits the government has 'focused on housing supply' and now needs to use every lever to get Australians into houses and meet its target of 1.2 million new houses. Minister, how will new high taxes on houses build more houses and address Australia's national housing crisis?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You'll have to wait until the budget to get the detail of what the Treasurer will announce tonight, but what the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and members of the government have said very clearly is that this will be a budget that is true to Australia's values, and Labor's values, of fairness and aspiration as we go forward. You know, Senator, that you have opposed all of the housing supply measures that the government has brought in in the last term, although you might have shifted—no, that was the Greens that shifted. You also know that making sure we do all we can to enable the next generation of Australians to fulfil their—

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

Senator Bragg?

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

A point of order on relevance. The question was: 'How will more taxes make more houses?'

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

The minister is being relevant, and I'll continue to listen carefully. Minister Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator, I again say to you that, as a matter of principle, this is a government that is focused on ensuring that the next generation of Australians are able to fulfil the aspiration that you and others have, which is to own your own home. I know you don't think governments have a role in that; we do, and the budget will reflect that imperative as well as other imperatives.

Well, I'm happy to take questions tomorrow. I'm sure you'll ask many questions tomorrow, Senators Cash and Bragg, on these issues and many other issues.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We won't get any answers no matter how many questions we ask.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I look forward to answering your questions about what a fantastic budget the Treasurer has delivered tonight. As I said, it will be a budget that is true to both aspiration and fairness.

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

Senator Bragg, first supplementary?

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

Your government has previously admitted that higher housing taxes will not deliver additional houses. If Labor's own leaked cheat sheet for broken promises says the focus must be on housing supply, isn't this housing tax just another cash grab from a desperate government addicted to more taxes?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The answer is no.

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

Senator Bragg, second supplementary?

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

Labor's own leaked cheat sheet for broken promises says that young Australians, their parents and their grandparents are all worried that they will never own their own home and that the answer is to lift housing supply. So why is Labor more than 200,000 houses short of its own housing supply target based on its own estimates while attacking the very investment needed to build more houses?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The fundamental difference is that you do not believe—and I think you've made it clear in this chamber—that federal government has a role in facilitating additional housing supply, end of story. You don't think government has a role in that. We on this side do because we want more Australians to have the opportunity to own their own home.