Ed Husic
Chifley · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“The tragedy of that poem has befallen generations from then to now—the fact that we enjoy being in the sun so much. In many respects we have paid for that enjoyment, and in many cases we've paid for it with our lives, with the cancers that have emerged, particularly melanoma.”
“It's been that sacrifice that he made combined with the observation that, in so much of what he did, there was an absence of gravitas and ego. Richard was us. He walked amongst us all, containing that special talent and gift that he had, with desire to save others. That, I think, marks him out.”
“A lot has been said about what Richard Scolyer has done in terms of his professional, scientific and research background. But I want to come back, if I may, to the remarks I just reflected on. When we think of the Australian character we think of our ability to overcome with physical attributes.”
“These things include not just our toughness and not just the fact that so often the Australian character is defined by a very heavy physical element, of being able to survive the elements themselves. One of the big things that's helped this nation survive is our know-how and smarts.”
“When I paid my condolences to Richard's wife, Katie—and Katie, Emily, Matt and Lucy were on the floor of the chamber with us yesterday—I expressed the view to Katie that her husband was a national hero. National heroes don't always attain that description of heroism because they've been successful.”
“I don't think any of us would not have been touched by that final letter that he penned, knowing how hard it would have been to write those words—every single letter in those words, every apostrophe and particularly the full stop.”
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“ANZ agreed to the penalty because they would rather do that than fight this in court and be further exposed for their poor governance behaviour and framework. But certainly we do need to take a harder line. In particular, where ASIC has the ability to pursue tougher penalties against banks, it should. It's often said that the big four are too big to fail. But they can't be too big to be fined, and they should be fined hard where they breach trust. As I said, it's absolutely critical that people have trust in our financial system and that they have faith in the way the regulators pursue breaches of trust. This legislation will be an important step in giving further strength and improving the efficiency of our financial regulations.”
“Jeannie Paterson, professor of law in consumer protection at the University of Melbourne, said that, while the $240 million is the largest penalty ever sought, the amount that actually can be imposed on financial institutions for contraventions of financial services law is way higher. So, while $240 million is big, it could and should have been bigger. Professor Paterson said: Under provisions in place from 2019, the civil penalty could have been set at 10% of ANZ's annual turnover, currently capped at $825 million per contravention. One point of comparison is the $125 million penalty ordered against Volkswagen in 2019 for misleading consumers about emissions (and later upheld on appeal). Notably, this was one contravention, not four as the case with the ANZ.”
“As I indicated to the House earlier, if ANZ is prepared to deceive the Commonwealth on bond issuance, you can see what it's prepared to do to other people, based on some of the contraventions I just read into Hansard , which have genuinely affected mum-and-dad and other regular customers as well. I congratulate ASIC, most definitely, on the fact they've taken this stand. It is really important not just that our regulators have the teeth but that they use them, and they did. But if anything, with the greatest of respect and regard to ASIC, while I do acknowledge the scale of the penalty that has been imposed, given the rap sheet for ANZ it would certainly be within their ability to go even harder than the $240 million. I'm not alone in thinking this.”
“If they are prepared to mislead the Commonwealth and do what they did, what else are they doing in terms of impacting on the security and the interests of mum-and-dad consumers? This is critically important. It's also worth noting just the number of times that this bank, ANZ, has been found to engage in misconduct. Again, with the indulgence of the House, I will read this into Hansard : over 150,000— contraventions of the ASIC Act, Corporations Act and Credit Act for failing to provide promised benefits to customers with offset transaction accounts or under a 'Breakfree' package over 20 years … We had a banking royal commission. This type of behaviour was supposed to be weeded out. We clearly have a bank, in ANZ, that has not picked up the message.”
“ANZ knew— according to ASIC— its trading could expose its client to significant risk of harm, but did not disclose to its client that ANZ still had significant volumes to sell before pricing nor provide its client an opportunity to consult with ANZ about delaying pricing. This is extraordinary behaviour. The release continues: This denied the Government an opportunity to protect itself and the public interest— when it came to $14 billion worth of bonds— The Government was relying on ANZ's expertise and professionalism. When the Government later asked what happened— this is equally damning— ANZ's reports were misleading or deceptive. The point I would make about this is that, if ANZ did not even blink to do this to the Commonwealth, imagine how they are treating mum-and-dad consumers.”
“Let me read into Hansard , based on information released by ASIC, what happened. ANZ was accused of 'unconscionable conduct when managing a $14 billion government bond deal and inaccurate reporting of secondary market bond turnover'. The ASIC media release reads: On 19 April 2023, ANZ was assisting the Government's sovereign debt management agency, the Australian Office of Financial Management (AOFM), to help deliver a $14 billion bond issuance. Instead of trading gradually throughout the day to limit market impact, ANZ sold a significant volume of 10-year Australian bond futures around the time of pricing which placed undue downward price pressure on the bond price.”
“ASIC has—and this is, again, just as staggering—taken action against ANZ nearly a dozen times in the decade. This points to systemic misconduct. Even more importantly, it's happening against the backdrop of a 2019 royal commission into the banking system that was designed to weed out this type of misconduct and, equally, to improve governance—exceptionally important. When you look at ANZ's performance, given the things that I've just mentioned to the House, it seems like ANZ is not getting the message. If they can't get the message after a royal commission, then sterner, harder action needs to be followed up until they do get it. I think it's important for the House to understand why ANZ was the target of the biggest fine that has been levied against a company.”
“Trust itself, in our financial system, isn't a given; it's got to be earned, and it's got to be continually protected. I have to say that, like many people in the public, I was simply staggered to see ANZ fined a record $240 million in penalties after admitting to widespread longstanding misconduct that affected tens of thousands of Australians. This was the largest penalty that ASIC had ever sought against a company—the largest ever. Why? It was because ANZ, one of the big four banks, misled the Commonwealth on a $14 billion bond deal, overstating bond trading volumes by tens of billions of dollars. It failed to respond to hundreds of customer hardship notices. It underpaid interest to tens of thousands of customers. It charged fees to the deceased while ignoring grieving families trying to settle estates. This isn't a one-off.”
“The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025, as my colleagues have reflected, covers a number of areas that will be of great interest to Australians, but one of the big areas in here will be around improving the frequency of assessments of how our regulators are performing and supporting their work in maintaining that trust, that vital ingredient that I mentioned earlier, specifically delivering more comprehensive reviews of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. This will help deliver more considered recommendations that are impossible under their current review cycle. It's designed to improve the effectiveness of our financial system regulations. It is exceptionally important.”
“There are two central ingredients in our financial system. One is obvious, and the other one Labor recognises as equally important. Obviously the first one is money, but the other necessary, vital ingredient is trust. Australians should be able to trust their financial system and know when they save, invest or seek help that they're dealing with institutions that will act with integrity. I know that there's a bit of a trend at the moment. We're going through our normal cycle of focusing on red tape and reducing regulation. I understand that we have to go through these phases, and we'll go through it, no doubt. But, when it comes to the financial system, regulations are there for very important reasons—the reasons I mentioned before, not the least of which is to underscore, reinforce and support trust in the system.”
“They're sensible, measured steps that will be welcomed by fair minded people who believe we should do everything we possibly can to end the tragedy we witnessed for far too long.”
“Indeed, they highlight that the International Criminal Court Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia previously considered even lower ranking individual soldiers can potentially be held responsible for the crime against humanity of forcible transfer, notwithstanding any attempt at utilising superior orders defence. I urge our government to send a clear statement surrounding the risks of participating in IDF actions in Gaza. I also urge our government to consider reforming our laws to prevent dual nationals joining a foreign force in cases where a body with the weight of the ICJ believes plausible genocide could be occurring in a part of the world where a foreign force is operating. Both of these steps are actions we can or begin to take right now.”
“We don't need Australians placed in a position where they witness, abet or participate in what will likely be deemed a genocide. I'm also concerned about the impact of trauma on those returning after witnessing what they would have seen in Gaza. I note, in the Australian today, ANU professor Donald Rothwell stated: Because it is such a high-level political crime, I would find it most unlikely … Individual soldiers who are members of the IDF could rarely be held responsible individually for genocide. However, a counterweight to this position is the ACIJ view that any Australian participating in action in Gaza risks being held liable via what they state are a number of modes of liability, including as direct perpetrators, as well as aiding and abetting through the provision of logistical, material or operational support.”
“For example, three months ago, the Australian Centre for International Justice wrote to the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, plus the AFP, asking that we send unambiguous public warnings about the legal implications of joining IDF actions in Gaza. The ACIJ emphasised it was troubled by statements from Netanyahu government officials highlighting an intent to pursue the systemic and widespread transfer and deportation of Gazans from territory in which they lawfully live. Why is that an issue? It's a crime against humanity, specifically the deportation or forcible transfer of population as defined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and it's an offence under our own Criminal Code Act.”
“I think it's important for the parliament to note that the ICJ, the International Court of Justice, believes it's plausible that the acts of the Netanyahu government could amount to genocide. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide requires countries, including ours, to take steps to prevent genocide, not just punish it. The Netanyahu government is planning to seize and control entirely Gaza city. It's also mobilising recruits to join the IDF, and there's resistance to this from within Israel itself. In these circumstances, it's not unrealistic to expect that dual nationals from our country may be called to serve in the IDF. We should be sending a clear message—please don't join. Some dual nationals have already left Australia to join the IDF, prompting concerns in civil society.”
“Starvation shouldn't be used as a weapon against civilians. Civilians, aid workers and journalists should be off limits. It's just wrong, and we can't turn away from that. This has remained the case, even as the supporters of a foreign government here and abroad have consistently sought to deny, deflect or outright misrepresent my position and those who share my views about preserving and protecting innocent life. They do that because it's easier than confronting the morally challenging reality that 63,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the Netanyahu government actions since October 2023. Nearly 70 per cent of those killed are women and children, and there are more child amputees and orphans in Gaza per capita than anywhere else in the world.”
“Let me state this clearly and unambiguously at the start of this contribution: Hamas is a terrorist organisation; what it did on 7 October 2023 was an abomination; Hamas should be held to account for its actions; and all Israelis taken hostage by Hamas must be released immediately. I also want to state clearly and unambiguously that innocent Palestinians should be protected; they should not be targeted by actions in Gaza. I made comments like this in this House back in October 2023, and I've expressed similarly repeatedly since the horrific events of October 7. Since then, I've stressed we should be conscious of the humanity of others. My stance has been utterly constant and steadfast, but it's gotten stronger and stronger as I've witnessed the suffering of the innocent and the starvation of kids.”
“Along the way, he wrote a book called Educating Gen Wi-Fi that looked to modernise the way schools educate and deal with the vast impact of technology, and he wrote that 10 years ago. I'm really sorry. I was just saddened incredibly at Greg's departure. I would like the House to know about his contribution to public life in his way. I thank him enormously and will miss him greatly. Vale, Greg Whitby.”
“I'm conscious that Minister Rishworth is here and she thought that I'd only speak for 10 minutes but I've spoken for 17. And I notice the member for Barker on the other side coughing. Are you speaking next, or is it Minister Rishworth? You've been very good to me, Minister Rishworth, so thank you for that. I want to end on a sombre note. We learnt of the passing of Greg Whitby. Greg Whitby was with the Catholic education office. He was someone I worked with when I was first elected. I was stunned to hear that he passed away on 30 August. He was a teacher, academic and author who changed the lives of thousands, particularly through his principles of inclusivity. He was awarded the highest honour for teachers in 2017, as director of the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta, assisting 78 schools, 43,000 students and 4,500 staff.”
“Finally I want to say thank you to my partner, Fiona. She's actually my fiance, but my nickname for her is 'wife asterisk', where the asterisk represents a rounding up, because she will be my wife at some point soon. I can't tell this chamber how blessed and lucky I am to have someone like Fiona in my life. We are parenting three boys: Tor, Sam and Harry. It is an absolute blessing to have that in my life. I regard public office as a tremendous opportunity, but ultimately being able to find someone you love who can make such a big difference in your life is truly something words cannot express gratitude for. To Fiona, who I love so deeply, I just want to say thank you—in particular for all her fierce support, her help and, more importantly than anything else, her love. I'm grateful for all of that.”
“To be honest, I'm particularly grateful for their service to the country as well because what they did was to help a first-term Labor government achieve quite a lot, and I'm very grateful for all their work I'm grateful to the electorate office as well. In my time as a minister, I wasn't there as much as I'd have liked, but I can tell you that they made a difference. I had so many people say that their lives had been shaped by the fact that the electorate office would go that extra mile to help people out. I'm sure every single member of parliament reflects so warmly on their members of staff within their electorate offices for the work that they do. I give a heartfelt thanks to every member of my office. To one who just recently left, Ade Amuda, I want to say thank you so much for your help.”
“There are a lot of people who have been through the office or worked in the office, led by David Masters and deputy chief of staff Ellen Broad. I want to recognise Brett Gale before them as well and all the team that worked in the ministerial office. I could rattle off a list of things, but the big thing is that we were driven by a belief, a faith, in the power of Australian ideas to make Australians' lives better. It was a huge honour to play a part in that industry and science portfolio—in particular, in terms of supporting the great work of so many people in those areas, Australians who are doing phenomenal things for our nation. I appreciate having that ministerial team there, and I want to say to them: thank you so much for working the hours and doing what you did. It will never ever be forgotten.”
“I extend to them my deepest gratitude. I want to thank local state members Edmond Atalla, Stephen Bali, Prue Car and Warren Kirby. It's been tremendous to work with them and Mayor Brad Bunting and the Blacktown City Council team. It is terrific to have the federal, state and local government levels working together. Can I just say to Deputy Premier Car, who's got her own health challenge at the moment, that, if anyone's going to beat a health challenge, it's Prue Car. She is a tremendous fighter, and we look forward to her getting through the challenges she's facing and getting back on the front line in our area. We had a wonderful campaign launch in Tregear, and I want to thank all the branches for being there through thick and thin. I want to say thank you to my ministerial office.”
“It builds on the fact that we've announced the five per cent deposit scheme for first homebuyers, and we've had a 50 per cent increase in the maximum rent assistance, which helps over 11,000 people in the Chifley electorate. For this term, pushing for more social and affordable housing will be a massive priority for us. All of this can only be done by a government that takes seriously its responses in these spaces. I want to end with thanks. There have been a lot of folks who have helped us out over many years, but especially I want to thank those who helped in the recent election—working on stations and mobile offices and being there through prepoll and out on election day. I make huge thanks to my FEC, the branches in our area, and volunteers—some who may not be members of the party but wanted to assist and support us in the campaign.”
“Our government put forward a billion-dollar roads plan, which is delivering for people in my area, including the upgrade of Richmond Road. The other big project that I'll be working on is the extension of the metro and the filling of the metro missing link that would see Tallawong to St Marys constructed in the long term. The other thing that I think we've got to be able to work on is building social and affordable housing in Chifley. I'm proud to be part of a government that has dedicated so much towards the building of new homes and increasing supply. It will be a priority for me in this term to push for the greater development of social and affordable housing. Later this month, we'll hold a housing forum to talk about how we can make that happen.”
“By visiting the Rooty Hill Road North urgent care clinic, 12,000 people were able to get the help they needed, and it will continue to provide support for them in our part of the world. Doctors, GPs, nurses and support staff all work so hard—and there are a lot of doctors. In fact, I want to recognise one who's retiring this week: Dr Kek, from the Mount Druitt Medical Centre. He's worked in our area for nearly 50 years. The reality is these doctors could have worked in any other part of Western Sydney. They didn't; they stayed in our area and made a tremendous contribution. Infrastructure is another big thing. I've fought hard for upgrades for the fastest-growing parts of our electorate, like Marsden Park, Colebee and Schofields, which have had real issues with road funding.”
“For us, it is a clear reflection of a national value that we look after our own, and we don't judge them on how big their bank balance is. They'll get the care they need. The fact that we cut the cost of medicines means a big deal to Chifley residents. It's been estimated that people in our neck of the woods have saved over $9 million, with about 1.5 million of cheaper scripts. For people on low incomes in our area, that is huge. It's a huge relief, and it stops them wondering whether or not they can afford to get the medicines that will make their quality of life better. On top of that, I pushed for the establishment of an urgent care clinic in our electorate. That happened with the setting up of the Rooty Hill Urgent Care Clinic.”
“Some of the largest numbers of students who will benefit from the 20 per cent cut in student debt come from the Chifley electorate. It makes it a bit easier that, once they've finished their studies, we relieve a bit of that debt and that they can get on and chase the things that they want in their neck of the woods. The other thing I've fought hard for, which I think reflects our national values, is health care. As much as some people might think we go on about Medicare, the reality is that Medicare reflects an embedded value of this country—the value of a fair go. When you hold up that Medicare card, it represents what we truly believe, which is that if you're in strife, particularly with your health, the size of your bank balance should not be the determinant. It should not decide whether or not you get quality healthcare.”
“The fact we put in $5 billion, with the New South Wales government, to make sure we invested in the proper resources for primary and secondary schools is phenomenal. As much as people think 'life changing' is a well-worn term, that is exactly what it is. In Chifley we saw the biggest investment in school infrastructure in 10 years. On top of that, about half a dozen schools received improvements to the quality of their infrastructure, so that the schools were modernised, they had modern equipment, and parents could have confidence that their kids were going to a place that is a quality environment. Plus there's the investment we made through the school funding reforms, which has been huge. It is critical. The fact that we are cutting student debt is a point of pride for us.”
“Our government, in our first term, worked out with the states and territories the funding stream to properly bring to life those Gonski reforms. People may not remember the bloke, but they do remember and do get that if you've got an area of high need, it takes a bit more in terms of resources to be able to make sure you get your way through. That's what Gonski was about. Schools like Crawford Public would tell me that the extra resources they got at the tail end of our last government helped them set up tutoring for kids who were struggling in math. They provided that, and, once they did, they could see a definite difference in terms of the math scores in that school. That is huge because that means the life trajectory of that student has been transformed.”
“It is right. Labor governments in times past opened up the university sector to ensure more kids from a first-in-family background took up that study. The thing about the study hubs is it gives them a place to go and quietly do their study and, more importantly, engage with other students going through the same experience as them. I am proud of the fact that our government put forward the money that then got invested into our area. It got taken up by MECA, and now we have these hubs, which I suspect will expand in time. We're building those skills, and the base of it all is making sure that, if young people are going to TAFE or uni, before they got there, investment in primary and secondary education happened.”
“That's aspiration right there, and I'm proud of the fact that our government has fought so hard to make sure we have fee-free TAFE. Just the other week we opened up a university study hub with the Minister for Education, the member for Blaxland, Jason Clare. The Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency fought to get that funding and have just opened up a uni study hub in Mount Druitt and will open one in Emerton. So many kids and young people in our area—they would probably be mortally offended that I referred to them as kids, but it's probably a sign of my age—will be the first ones to go through uni. For so many families in our area, it's the first time they have. I want young people in our area to feel that uni is for them, because sometimes they figure it's for someone else better than them, and that's absolute garbage. It is proper.”
“For example, things like education are a big deal in my area—making sure we are investing, in particular, in primary education and secondary education. Once kids finish school, which I always urge them to do—please do. Your fortunes in life will be shaped by the bag of skills you get, and you will not develop them fully just by finishing high school. Being able to take time to go into TAFE or uni is a big deal. The fact that Chifley has some of the highest uptake of fee-free TAFE in the nation shows you aspiration right there. There are a lot of young people that want to go to their local TAFE, like the one in Mount Druitt. I've met automotive apprentices they really want to be able to not only get a job in there but start their own shop as well.”
“They always talk about how those from our part of Western Sydney, when you need a hand, will go out of their way, even if they have limited means to do so. They will literally give you the food off their plate or the shirt off their back to help you out. That is why I have been proud of representing Chifley. I've been proud to have such great faith in the people of our area. As a response to that, I have fought really hard. People know I don't take a backward step; I'm always prepared to argue, and argue hard, for the people of our area because, as I've said, they've been told quite often that they have to just wait in line and take their time to get the things everyone else has had the good fortune of being able to receive.”
“We recognise them every year—for instance, in the Coral McLean Awards, named after Coral, who, it was estimated, dedicated over 100,000 hours of her personal time, out of the Holy Family Parish in Emerton, to help people at all hours of the day. In fact, when she moved out of our area to the Central Coast, we were told stories by her children of people knocking on her door late at night who'd driven from our part of Western Sydney to the Central Coast to get help from Coral. When Coral passed away after a battle with cancer, we set up these awards to recognise the contribution of women and girls in our area who are building better neighbourhoods. The community spirit in our area is often remarked on by people who visit our part of Western Sydney.”
“It's not been about checking off a list of things that need to get done for the sake of being able to rattle those off. I've always taken the view that my part of Western Sydney has been told long enough that it should wait its turn, that the folks I represent, salt of the earth people in Western Sydney, based in Mount Druitt, should wait a bit longer to get what they need. I saw the needs that they had were great and that they needed to get those things that would make their life easier and, more importantly, that they could use to deliver for their kids, to build better neighbourhoods and to oversee the personal challenges they have in their life, in our area, so they can have a much better quality of life. I've seen tremendous contributions in my area.”
“Congratulations, Deputy Speaker Aldred, on your appointment to the Speaker's panel and on your election, for the first time, to this place. I have to say it's my 15th year of having the honour of representing my part of Western Sydney, the electorate of Chifley. I never expected to be elected. I'd had a tilt before and not been successful. As I've explained to people, when the opportunity came round, it was akin to stepping on the wrong end of a rake: it came very suddenly, very quickly. And I didn't know what had happened for me to be put in the position of being preselected and then selected to represent the party I've loved since my teenage years and joined in that time. Having grown up in my part of Western Sydney, I've always taken this job incredibly seriously.”
“The coalition did nothing through their time in government and are using their time in opposition to oppose everything when it comes to what we're doing on housing. They hardly built enough homes under their watch, certainly nowhere near the amount of social and affordable housing that we needed. Interestingly, now they're setting up this debate that renting is worse than buying. We heard that from the member for Cook. I wouldn't want us to look down our nose at what needs to be done to get roofs over people's heads. People want a range of options, and I would hate to think that the next battleline here is to oppose build-to-rent as one of the areas that we think is important to create more homes in Australia. (Time expired)”
“But it's one of those great things about certain areas of policy that get put into Treasury—it takes a little bit longer to get ideas out the door. I often find Treasury is a great place for ideas to go to die, but housing being put in Treasury is probably one of the areas where I've always raised my eyebrows as to why it sits there. Treasury needs to probably—this is a subject for another day—get a clear focus on what its core functions are, but housing is in there for whatever reason. I'll be interested to see if Treasury does back the need for more prefab homes to be built and for us to be able to provide the existing procurement pathways for that to occur. I just want to end on the coalition.”
“And Australians, according to Amplify, want to be able to move into prefabricated homes. In fact, the advocacy group Amplify said that 95 per cent plus support reform aimed at unlocking modern housing, community support for the reform grows as people learn more about prefabricated building and the opportunity for debate, and 94 per cent strongly agree there should be diverse housing options for all. Interestingly, Amplify found that people of all politics backed the reform. There's broad consensus, and all generations back that reform, which is important as well. We do need to unlock that. As a government, we have put some money in to back that in. I don't think we've put anywhere near enough. We need to put more in and be able to have HAFF do it.”
“I've seen it in the western suburbs with places like Fleetwood in Smithfield, who are doing great work in being able to build a home in a factory, take it on the back of a truck and build it on site, which is particularly important. We should use procurement to ramp this up. Future rounds of the HAFF should focus on using procurement and set a challenge to have the greatest number of prefab homes built using Australian industry and Australian manufacturers to do so. We should provide that platform of procurement and have the HAFF do that so that we can get the guarantee for the volume of supply. In other countries, prefab has fallen over because we have not seen governments provide the volume of work and the certainty of work that prefab manufacturers require to build their homes. We need more of that to be able to happen.”
“For people who think that those homes are just akin to the school demountables that they lived in, they clearly haven't walked through a prefab home that has been built recently with current, seven-star energy efficiency standards and is a comfortable place to be able to live. We need to do more of this. In Japan, it's estimated that 15 per cent of their homes have been manufactured in a factory. In Germany, that's up to 20 per cent, and in Scandinavia it could be anywhere between 45 to 80 per cent. We've got to be able to have these modern manufacturing methods being used to build homes faster and smarter. In doing so, according to the Productivity Commission, you cut 20 per cent off the construction costs and halve the time it takes to build these homes. It creates a great manufacturing opportunity.”
“In the construction trades, we're 90,000 short of people available to build homes. How are you supposed to do that? We also have competition. If you get more workers in to work in construction, you're instantly in competition with infrastructure projects, who are offering higher rates of pay for workers to go there. So, the minute you get people in construction, they get poached by infrastructure. That's a big deal. Also, we cannot keep importing labour to fill the gaps, which means we've got to find new ways to build homes. One of those ways is certainly prefab and modular housing, which'll help us build homes faster and smarter.”
“We also need to see more homes built for people fleeing terrible situations such as domestic violence and to be able to provide crisis accommodation as well. We need to get that happening. I'm pleased to say that the New South Wales housing minister, Rose Jackson, will be coming along, and we'll be getting other experts in the field to talk through how we can create more social and affordable housing in the areas that I represent in my part of Western Sydney. Types of measures like what we're talking about today will be exceptionally important. We've got to build more homes, we've got to improve the range of homes that are being built, and we've also got to help renters. People want to be able to buy their own home, for sure, but they need to live somewhere in the interim. We've got big challenges, though, in building homes.”
“We've got to address it, and we're bringing forward the ability for first home buyers to get access to that scheme, slashing the amount of time required to save for a deposit and uncapping the scheme, which is a terrific move. Also, for single parents, I might add, we'll continue the Family Home Guarantee, which helps them buy a home with a two per cent deposit. It's a terrific way to be able to do that. We need to be able to open up those avenues for first home buyers to buy their homes. I know that, in my part of Western Sydney, this is a big issue. Later this month I'll be hosting a housing forum in my area to see how we can boost the building of social and affordable homes in Chifley in the outer western suburbs. We need to see more of that happen.”
“If I can pick up on something the last speaker said, the member for Fowler, who talked about what's at the heart of what we're discussing here in the parliament at the moment—the five per cent deposit—we can't just rely on one thing. No-one from the government is suggesting that. We've actually got multiple options that are designed to address a housing crisis that has been decades in the making and to make sure that we provide relief to people. I've got to tell you, the fact that we are enabling first home buyers to get their homes sooner, with a five per cent deposit, is a big deal. Here's the stat that tells you why it's a big deal: today it takes someone on the median income around 12 years just to save for a deposit. Back in the nineties, it took four to five years, so you can see how those times have absolutely blown out.”
“The nurses, the teachers, the cleaners, the mechanics—all the people who help modern cities function but who are being pushed to the furthest fringes of the city and made to travel at the weirdest hours of the day just to start their shifts, after having travelled probably over two hours to get to work—we've got to be able to have homes for those folks, who make sure our cities run, and ensure that they're built in the face of nimbyism, which certainly is the case for the Woollahra council decision, and we've got to think laterally about how to address supply. I'm proud to be part of a government that's doing just that. We all recognise that we have to build more homes, and we have to do it in a range of different ways.”
“Full credit to the Minns government for coming up with the idea that they would provide that in there. In our neck of the woods, we're still waiting for the completion of the missing link of the metro, while all these homes get built and there is no infrastructure, yet Woollahra council seem to have walked into a stable full of gift horses and made sure they didn't miss the opportunity to smack each one of them in the mouth by rejecting a plan that would build infrastructure and homes in a city where we do need to find places where we can get the critical workers that are important to cities.”
“Anyone in Sydney in the last week or so who thinks a lot about housing would have been absolutely perplexed with some of the reactions to boost housing supply in Sydney, especially the reaction of Woollahra council to the New South Wales government's proposal to build higher density homes close to the city but with infrastructure to be built alongside it. We had the Woollahra council reject that proposition of higher density homes being built in Woollahra. As someone from Western Sydney who has grown up and seen fields transformed into rows and rows of mortar and rooftop tiles continually, we would love the idea that you would have infrastructure built at the same time as housing, because I've got to tell you that that hasn't happened for quite some time.”
“It seems fitting, when recalling Uncle Greg, to end with one of his signature phrases—one that always left an imprint on the minds of those who heard it. 'When you take your next step, remember the ones that took the steps before you.' Rest in peace you tremendous, warm soul, Uncle Greg Simms.”