On the 14th of June I asked the Prime Minister if he supported unlimited rental increases.
My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer you to your reported comments that coordinating a freeze on rent increases with states is absurd and untenable and would amount to nationalisation. Prime Minister, was it absurd when you coordinated with the states to cap energy prices? Has the ACT Labor-Greens government nationalised the private rental market with its rent controls or did national cabinet nationalise housing when it coordinated a freeze in five states and territories during the pandemic? Will you finally act on rent increases at national cabinet and freeze rent increases with the states?
Mr ALBANESE: I say to the member for Griffith that he's a member of the House of Representatives and in our federated structure for Commonwealth government, there are state governments and there are local governments, and state governments, of course, have controls over housing issues. The matters that he refers to, once again, is disingenuous. There is no rent freeze in the ACT—none. There is no rent freeze in the ACT. There is not a jurisdiction in the ACT that has done that. What we have is a comprehensive plan, a National Housing Accord, a partnership with industry super funds and states and territories to build a million homes, a Housing Australia Future Fund that the member wants to block that would produce 30,000 social and affordable rental homes.
National cabinet has agreed to strengthen renters' rights, and, at the next meeting, that will be on the agenda. We have planning reforms as well to increase housing supply and affordability. We have incentives to increase build to rent. That will result in 150,000 additional dwellings. We're providing an additional $2 billion in financing to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation, we expanded eligibility for the Home Guarantee Scheme and we had the largest increase in Commonwealth rent assistance in 30 years. That is what we have put forward.
The member has never seen a housing development that he wants to support, because if you look at the member's website it currently hosts at least three separate petitions against housing supply! He opposes 855 new homes, including apartments, townhouses and detached houses, on a 20-hectare site for over 2,000 extra residents.
This is what he has to say: 'I also have significant concerns over what 2,000 extra residents will do for traffic.' He opposes new homes for another 960 residents. In another petition he's opposing turning a vacant block of land in Holland Park West into a retirement village, even offering supporters a yard sign to demonstrate their opposition to housing.
So don't come in here and say you support housing when you won't support any in your own electorate and when you're opposing 30,000 new, additional, social and affordable housing units, including 4,000 designated for women and children escaping domestic violence.
Government members interjecting—
The SPEAKER: Order! Will members on my right cease interjecting so I can hear from the member for Macquarie.