Clare O'Neil
Hotham · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“What a great question from the member for Bass. As we come to the end of question time for today, what a stark contrast this draws from the question that was just asked by those opposite—a hardworking local member who comes into this parliament week after week to advocate for her constituents, especially those who aspire to their own home…”
“I'm asked about alternatives, and the three right-wing parties of the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation have opposed every measure that our government has put in place to support first home buyers.”
“When they found out they were eligible for this program, Christy said they were over the moon. They've been able to get into their own home. Now, they're living much closer to town, their 10-year-old son no longer has a long bus ride to school, and he gets to ride his bike instead.”
“They want to scrap help to buy, which helps 10,000 people a year into their own home, and they want to double down on taxing every person in this country to subsidise investors to outbid first home owners in every auction in this country. As we come to the end of the budget sitting, this is becoming abundantly clear.”
“Today I want to pay special tribute to a pivotal and unique leader in my community, John Charles Saunders, who, tragically, passed away in March this year. John served our country in the 3rd Division Signals regiment and continued that service over many years as secretary of the Clayton RSL and region 2.”
“He brought with him that real specialness and that wisdom and humour that we get from that very unique Australian generation who saw challenges face this country, the likes of which my generation has never had to experience.”
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“They want to scrap help to buy, which helps 10,000 people a year into their own home, and they want to double down on taxing every person in this country to subsidise investors to outbid first home owners in every auction in this country. As we come to the end of the budget sitting, this is becoming abundantly clear. We have a party over here who are the last people left in our country who cannot see our broken housing system, cannot see the pain this is causing and continue to defend the status quo. Our government wants to realise the aspiration of families like Christy's. That's why we're delivering real change for Australia's first home buyers.”
“I'm asked about alternatives, and the three right-wing parties of the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation have opposed every measure that our government has put in place to support first home buyers. I wonder what those opposite would say to Christy and her family who, in all likelihood, would still be renting if it were up to those opposite. Would they tell that family just to be happy stuck in lifelong renting outside of town? Would they tell her 10-year-old son that it's better for him to be taking that long bus ride rather than riding his bike to school? These are the kinds of consequences that their policies lead us to. Remember, those opposite have opposed the expansion of the five per cent deposit program—something that's got 260,000 Australians into a home of their own.”
“When they found out they were eligible for this program, Christy said they were over the moon. They've been able to get into their own home. Now, they're living much closer to town, their 10-year-old son no longer has a long bus ride to school, and he gets to ride his bike instead. They live around the corner from the skate park, and Christy says owning her own home has brought their family even closer together. Now, this beautiful family is planning renovations, and they're making this home truly their own. This is what homeownership is about for Australians. It's not just about buying a house. This is about security. It's about opportunity, and it's about giving your kids the future that they deserve.”
“What a great question from the member for Bass. As we come to the end of question time for today, what a stark contrast this draws from the question that was just asked by those opposite—a hardworking local member who comes into this parliament week after week to advocate for her constituents, especially those who aspire to their own home, because her community, as mine, understands that there is no greater aspiration in this country than owning the home that you live in. This is a place you build your future; it's where your family can thrive. That's exactly what Labor's Homes for Australia plan is delivering. I want to tell you about Christy and her beautiful family from Tasmania. Before buying their home through Labor's five per cent deposit scheme, they were living in an isolated area outside Campbell Town.”
“That just tells us everything about who this man was. To his partner, Ann, his sons, Andrew, Tim and Simon, and his grandchildren, Gabe, Arabella, Emilia and Jem, I extend the deepest condolences of the parliament. We honour his life and service. Vale, John Saunders.”
“He brought with him that real specialness and that wisdom and humour that we get from that very unique Australian generation who saw challenges face this country, the likes of which my generation has never had to experience. One of the things I loved about John was that he was so widely respected and so deeply loved all over our community but he never sought recognition for the work that he did. It was that quiet labour of serving his community that motivated him every day. That was one of the many reasons why I loved and respected him every day that I knew him. I had the privilege of attending the Clayton RSL Anzac Day dawn service this year. It was moving. It was respectful. In the last months of John's life, he painstakingly planned out that service so it would be perfect on Anzac Day.”
“Today I want to pay special tribute to a pivotal and unique leader in my community, John Charles Saunders, who, tragically, passed away in March this year. John served our country in the 3rd Division Signals regiment and continued that service over many years as secretary of the Clayton RSL and region 2. He was a constant presence, steady, generous and deeply committed to the wellbeing of veterans and their families. I first met John when he was elected as secretary in 2013. That was about the same time I became the member for Hotham. From the very beginning, he was the most generous mentor and the steadiest person, offering me support. I can remember coming out of my office and seeing the beautiful, warm face and wide smile of John Saunders as he helped me understand the experiences of local veterans and work with him to improve them.”
“Today I rise to recognise a special institution in my community, the Clayton RSL Sub-Branch, as it marks 80 years of service to veterans and local families. Since its very beginnings in 1945, when Clayton was a very small village, the RSL has been a constant—a place of support, connection and quiet strength for those who have served our country and for their families navigating life beyond service. As our community has grown, so too has this RSL, but its purpose remains unchanged. That spirit continues today thanks to the extraordinary group of people who volunteer to run this organisation—people like Ian 'Sandy' Sandford, Andrea Delaforce, Michael Newbond, Lisa Supple and Ann Coram—along with the broader volunteer community who carry this work forward each day.”
“We've got Help to Buy, which is delivering smaller mortgages for low- and middle-income families, we've got the five per cent deposit program that is helping Australians get to auctions years earlier, and now we've passed legislation so that, when a young family gets to an auction, they're on a level playing field with other first home buyers. Our government is firmly on the side of first home buyers.”
“Nicholas told us that this changed everything for their family: 'Help to Buy allowed us to go from a small, rented two-bedroom apartment to a well-located three-bedroom townhouse close to shops, schools and family and made it affordable.' It's pretty simple. Our housing policies are about helping Australians build a better future for themselves and their families, and, last week, the parliament took a critical next step towards that plan. I want to explain to the parliament how our approach fits together.”
“I really thank the member for Paterson for her question. She is an absolute powerhouse in advocating for better housing opportunity for regional Australians. More than 2,000 people in her electorate have got into their first home with our government's assistance, and there are many more to come. We've put in place first home buyer assistance because we recognise that there is no greater aspiration than owning your own home, and Labor is delivering real change to help more Australians realise that dream. I want to tell you about Nicholas and Anthea, who have a little girl called Adeline. Like so many Australians, they were desperate to get into a home of their own. They saved for years, and they just could not make the numbers stack up. Then they found out about Labor's Help to Buy shared equity scheme.”
“The document goes on to say: The reduction in investor demand is expected to lead to a small and temporary slowing in house price growth, estimated to see prices grow by around 2 per cent less over a couple years relative to no tax policy change. It's there in the budget documents, and I'd encourage those opposite to actually read them.”
“I appreciate that question from the shadow treasurer. Again, I'm being asked effectively the same question that I was asked just before. Let me come back to a bit of advice to those opposite. The impact of the budget changes on house prices is actually in the budget documents, and I would really encourage those opposite to have regard to those documents. I'm going to refer to page 5 of the factsheet on CGT and negative gearing, and I'm quoting directly from the budget: Treasury modelling suggests that the reforms will increase the owner occupier share of the housing market, resulting in around 75,000 additional owner-occupiers over the next decade. I continue: This is equivalent to reversing around 10 years of declines in the home ownership rate.”
“I think those opposite surely have availed themselves of the information about the Treasury modelling that suggests a slower rate of growth of about two percentage points. That ballpark figure is backed up by other major models, including that of the Commonwealth Bank and the Grattan Institute. I say again that we had this conversation in the parliament yesterday, but it's pretty clear where the Labor Party stands on this. We support first home buyers. We support them through the five per cent deposit program, we support them through Help to Buy and we support them by providing for the first time a fair go at winning an auction that they deserve.”
“The Leader of the Opposition is asking about the house price impacts of the budget. We covered this matter in some detail yesterday, but let me go through it again for those who are a little bit slower off the uptake. Firstly, legislation passed the parliament last week which does two really important things. It delivers a tax cut for every single one of Australia's 13 million workers and it delivers for the first time a level playing field for our nation's first home buyers. That's going to get 75,000 Australians who are today stuck in renting into the home of their own that they deserve. Now, house prices in Australia, according to Treasury, will continue to grow over time but a little bit more slowly than they otherwise would have.”
“I appreciate this question. We are aware of the issues that the member is raising. We're working through them in the usual way. This will be resolved in a future piece of legislation, and I look forward to engaging with the member when it comes forward.”
“I think the government's made clear in several statements that this is an issue that we've been aware of for some time, and the Treasurer has spoken about the government's deliberations. Those opposite will have the opportunity to have their further say about how this is legislated, because it will come back in the second tranche of legislation.”
“I thank the member for Monash for her really important question. I think she'd be aware that the Minister for Finance clarified the government's pathway on this in the Senate earlier today. We're aware of these issues and we're working through them in the usual manner. We intend to address the arrangements for jointly owned assets in circumstances like inheritance and divorce in subsequent legislation. We'll also ensure that the exemption for income from genuine testamentary trusts applies to the minimum tax on capital gains. The parliament will have the opportunity to debate and discuss that as the second tranche of legislation comes forward.”
“I'm just laughing at how they have to egg each other on here. 'Great question! Great question!' It's not a great question, and I think those opposite know it. I want to come back to the central point here, because it is a really important one. House prices in our country have risen by 400 per cent in the last 25 years. I want to be really clear and direct with the parliament. We cannot allow that to happen again for another generation. If we do, our country will be unrecognisable to us. This has already radically transformed what it means to be aspirational in our country. We've got a generation of young people who tell us repeatedly in polling that they don't think they will ever be able to afford a house in our country. Any government with any sense of integrity and belief is going to stand up and do something about that.”
“And not just that—they're going to come into this parliament and vote against every single aspiring first home buyer in our country. That comes on top of the years that they have spent attacking everything that our government is doing to help young people get into the market. I shake my head and wonder what has happened to the party of Robert Menzies. This is a party that once said that it stood up for first homeownership. Today, they are a pathetic shadow of what they once were. I want to just remind you—”
“When members vote on this legislation on Thursday, they're going to face a pretty simple choice: who are they here to fight for? Is it working Australians and aspiring homeowners, or is it the people who already have the system stacked in their favour? For me and for the members behind me, this is not a complicated question. We are on the side of first home buyers and we are on the side of working Australians who are trying to get ahead. Now, I'm asked about alternatives. The Liberals and the Nationals have already made their choice. They did it before they even bothered to read the legislation. They are going to come into the parliament tomorrow and they are going to vote against a tax cut for every single working Australian.”
“I thank the member for Bean for his question and I want to acknowledge the fantastic advocacy that he undertakes in this parliament for his community. There is a really important bill before our parliament. This is a bill that is going to deliver a tax cut for every single working Australian and a bill that will help level the playing field for the first time for Australia's first home buyers. These are urgent and important changes for our country to make. If we just step back from the political debate that we're all engaged in, at a time when homeownership rates are falling through the floor for Australia's young people, our country simply cannot keep tilting the playing field away from first home buyers. That's exactly what our tax reforms are seeking to change.”
“The member for New England has decided not to show up today, but 2,292 of his constituents have bought under the five per cent deposit program. And the member for La Trobe—where's my friend the member for La Trobe?—should know we have supported 6,000 people in his electorate get into the dream of homeownership. That is far more than his margin at the last election. It's abundantly clear now—those opposite are the only people in our country who can't see that we've got a broken housing market. To the young people of this country, I say: Labor sees you, we see your aspiration and we are giving you the support you need to get the homeownership opportunities you deserve.”
“You're not going to believe this, but when it comes to our tax changes the shadow minister for housing has not only said that he wants to roll back the level playing field that we are creating but he actually wants to put investors on an even higher platform. He is talking about a new regime that actually gives a bigger CGT discount for investors. How could you come up with that idea? It is very hard to avoid the conclusion that those opposite have declared war on our nation's aspiring first home buyers. But let's have a little look at what their constituents think. The member for Hume, opposite me, is groaning. Well, he might be interested to know that 1,370 of his constituents have bought under the five per cent deposit program.”
“Our budget reforms are about levelling the playing field when they get there and the results are starting to speak for themselves. On average, more than 115,000 first home buyers have purchased a home each year under our government. This is more than any other Australian government in our history. I'm asked about alternatives. The coalition of the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation have spent years attacking almost every measure that our government has put in place to support first home buyers. You're not going to believe this: they want to cut Help to Buy, a program that does nothing more than help 10,000 Australians on low and median incomes get the opportunity they deserve to get into homeownership. They don't support the expansion of the five per cent deposit program and have said that they want to roll that back.”
“I thank the member for Hughes for his question. We are just about to tick over 1,000 of his constituents getting into their homeownership opportunity with the support of our government. What a great moment for them. The member for Hughes and our government understand that there is no greater aspiration in our country than the aspiration to own your own home, and that's why homeownership is at the heart of our bold, ambitious Homes for Australia plan. Today, in our country, more than half of all first home buyers in the market are getting support from the Albanese government to own their first home. We are almost at 270,000 Australians who have gotten into homeownership under our five per cent deposit program. The five per cent deposit program is all about getting first home buyers to auction sooner.”
“We are creating better opportunities for the young people of this country, and they are winning at auctions for the first time in a generation.”
“They said, 'We could not have done this without help to buy.' Help to buy is a program that helps 10,000 Australian families on low and moderate incomes get into homeownership in circumstances where they'd otherwise have no real opportunity to do that. We're adding on top of this 260,000 Australians who have gotten into first home ownership through our five per cent deposit program and, on top of that, 75,000 Australians who will get into first home ownership because of our budget measures. These measures are incredibly popular with the young first home buyers in all of our electorates. Why is that the case? Because the problem was never about aspiration and drive. The problem was about opportunity, and our government is stepping in.”
“Just this last weekend gone, we had yet another Sunday of reporting about the auctions that had happened on Saturday and story after story about first home buyers being at the front of the queue and winning for the first time in a generation. Speaker, you would have read in the Nine papers the report of a young couple who bought their first home at auction in Coburg North in Victoria. This was a three-bedroom home that had been owned by the same family since 1972. This young couple were able to compete because they were supported through Labor's help to buy scheme. The young couple were very frank when they were interviewed by the newspaper.”
“Speaker, in the Australia that you and I grew up in, ordinary people on normal incomes could get into homeownership after saving for just a handful of years. This was a central part of what made Australia a fair and equal country at that time. But that has changed. The average time it takes for a young person to save a 20 per cent deposit in Sydney today has gone up to 17 years. Something's got to give, and that's why our government has stepped in so significantly. After a decade of ignorance of this problem and total neglect of it, we're stepping in. We're building more homes, we're backing more first home buyers and we're levelling the playing field at auction.”
“I thank the member for Bullwinkel for her question. It was absolutely wonderful to be in Western Australia with pretty much our whole team WA caucus having a big forum to talk about what's next for housing in Western Australia. We have got incredible advocates fighting for that great state here in our parliament on the Labor side of politics. The discussion at that forum was all about how we get our country building more homes and how we get more young people across our nation getting into that incredible aspiration of owning the home that they live in. Of course, that is what the federal budget was all about—building more homes for Australia and making sure that we back in more young people to get a fair go at auctions.”
“But I just want to be really clear for Australians: permanent residents are not the cause of the challenges facing our country on housing, and any attempt to assert that they are is wrong. Those opposite can continue racing to the bottom against One Nation. But I'll tell you what: you can't 'out-One Nation' One Nation. You're never going to be Pauline Hanson. I think it's time that you accept it.”
“The five per cent deposit program is a program our government is incredibly proud of; 250,000 people around this country have the keys to their first home because our government backed in their aspiration. The member opposite asks about the role of migrants in this. Let me be really clear: temporary migrants to Australia are not eligible for this program. I just want to be really clear for the parliament about who is eligible: Australian citizens and permanent residents of our country. I don't want to be personal about the honourable member opposite, because I understand how tactics committees work, and I understand how that piece of paper ended up in his hands.”
“I'll just start with the why. We're a pro-supply government. We've got a challenge facing our country because, for 40 years, we haven't been building enough homes, and that's why we're building a better housing system. That includes the government building homes, something that was not done at all when those opposite were in office. I'm asked about the definition under the legislation of what is a new build. That is how the legislation works. I'll take the member to the budget papers. They're very clear on what does and doesn't satisfy the definition. Page 6 of the relevant—”
“Twenty-eight new homes started construction in the member for Parramatta's electorate. The member for Hasluck kicked off construction of 56 new homes in her electorate. The member for Canberra kicked off construction of 55 new homes in her electorate. The member for Swan kicked off construction on 15 new homes in Victoria Park and, just this morning, the member for Bean and I kicked off construction on 140 homes.”
“This was a plan that we started in 2022 when our government was elected. We've built on it each budget and each election, and we're going to continue to do that. Social and affordable housing sits right at the heart of our agenda. For Australians who are escaping family violence, for older women who are at risk of homelessness, for families who are doing it tough, a safe home changes their life. It changes everything. Our goal is 55,000 homes. We've completed more than 7,000. We've got 23,000 today in planning or construction. I want to give the parliament a little bit of a flavour of some of the things that have happened on this front just in the last six weeks. The member for Petrie and Senator Mulholland kicked off construction on 36 new homes in Deception Bay.”
“I want to thank the member for Dickson for her question, and I know I speak for all of my Labor colleagues when I say how privileged we are to work with her. The housing debate in the parliament in recent weeks has been focused on the tax changes that passed the lower house earlier. We've got a broken housing system in this country, and today our Labor government stood up and did something big about this. Our law, for the first time, puts first home buyers on a level playing field. It'll help 75,000 Australians get out of renting and into a home of their own. Also, don't forget the tax cut for every single one of Australia's 13 million workers. The changes that were in the bill before the parliament this morning are part of a much more huge, ambitious and nation-shaping plan for housing—our Homes for Australia plan.”
“You can't back first home buyers and then critique and belittle the choices that they make. We are incredibly proud to have helped more than a quarter of a million people around our country realise the dream of homeownership, and there'll be more where that came from.”
“That's because young people were never the problem here. They needed a chance. They needed the government to back them in, and that's exactly what we're doing. Our five per cent deposit program is helping Australians get to auction sooner, and the changes in our budget will make sure they have a fair shot when they get there. I'm asked about alternative approaches. The three right-wing parties, One Nation and their poor tribute acts, do have very different views about how to manage housing. Instead of trying to help, those opposite spend their time talking down the 250,000 Australians who have used this scheme. We've heard the Liberals call it a gimmick, we've heard the Nationals call it a scam and we've heard One Nation call it socialism. I don't know how you call 250,000 Australians in homeownership socialism, but there you have it.”
“Under the five per cent deposit scheme, more than 250,000 Australians have bought a home of their own. Together, those Australians have avoided more than $2.3 billion in lenders mortgage insurance. About 60 per cent of the people who enter this scheme actually come in with a deposit that's larger than five per cent. Nearly 70 per cent are ahead on their mortgage repayments, and one in four of these scheme participants have built up so much equity in their home they've transitioned off the scheme altogether. The Commonwealth Bank recently confirmed that participants in the scheme are outperforming their broader mortgage books when it comes to repayments. How good is that? What it shows us is that, when you give young people around this country an opportunity, they grab it with both hands.”
“I thank the member for Blair for his question. Not only is he a superb representative of his local community, but, in part because of his advocacy, we have now supported 5,000 of his constituents into homeownership through the five per cent deposit program. Now, there is no greater aspiration in the life of most Australian families than getting into a home of their own, and there is no shortage of aspiration coming from young Australians. The problem is opportunity. Young Australians want to buy a home; they want security; they want stability; they want a home to build their future. What they need and deserve is a fair chance and a government that will back them in, and that's what they're getting from us. This is exactly what our Homes for Australia plan provides.”
“I want to say to Australians: we want you to get ahead and we want you to do it in a home of your own, and that's what this bill is all about.”
“They want to scrap the Commonwealth's building of homes for people who would otherwise be homeless. How could you do that in the middle of a housing crisis? On this side of the House, we refuse to sit on our hands. We're not going to ignore the hard decisions and the difficult problems our country faces—and, if we're looking for hard decisions and difficult problems, we don't have to go much further than housing. I will say very quickly that I've spoken about my portfolio but I do want to touch on the tax reform that is in this, which is about benefiting Australian workers. This bill contains tax cuts for every single Australian worker, and we are so proud as a Labor government to be delivering that. When we look at what Australians are confronting right now, we see people who are working harder than ever and are struggling to get ahead.”
“We do not want this broken system to continue hurting Australians. Those opposite are making speeches about everything except the housing difficulties faced by Australians because they are out defending the status quo, and I do not understand how in good conscience you can do that given the pain that this is causing Australians today. It is, of course, not just the tax changes that those opposite are opposed to. Their commitments basically amount to ripping up every single piece of the $47 billion program, which is helping Australians right now. They want to wind back the five per cent deposit program. They want to scrap Help to Buy, which is getting into the market 10,000 Australians who in all likelihood would have had no realistic chance of getting in there.”
“The thing that you want most will still be out of your reach because the housing system is broken.' That's what a lot of young people are looking up and seeing today, and that's what we are seeking to change here. I think every member of parliament in this chamber knows about the housing difficulties faced by their constituents. I truly believe that, because you have to know; you don't have to be talking to a voter for very long before housing comes up. It might be housing for them. Very often, it's not for them but for someone they love—a young person in their life who they are desperately worried about. They wonder if they're ever going to have the opportunity to set down roots in this country. I want people to understand what's happening right now in the parliament—a Labor government that is seeking to change. We stand for change.”
“We will fight every day for Australians, to make sure that you get ahead and do it in a home that you own. These reforms to our unbalanced tax system are about helping Australians build financial security for themselves and for their families. We don't have to look too far to find survey data telling us that there is a majority, in some cases, of young people around our country saying that they actually don't think that homeownership is ever going to happen for them in our country. If you want to talk about an aspiration killer, that's it—a broken housing market that tells the young people of this country: 'It doesn't matter what you do. It doesn't matter how much you save. It doesn't matter how hard you work and how hard you study.”
“We needed to fix the critical problem of what investors versus first home buyers are facing at auction. I honestly, truly believe—having been in this debate and looked at this problem over a long period of time—that doing nothing about this is not an option for our country. If we want housing to be fair for Australians, we have to make the changes that are in this bill before us. We're having a really important debate in the parliament at the moment about aspiration, and I want to be really clear about where the government stands on this. There is no greater aspiration in this country than the aspiration to own your own home. For most Australian families, this is without question the most important financial decision that they will make in their lives.”
“In this budget we are not only levelling the playing field between investors and first home buyers; for the first time, we, the Australian government, are standing behind the first home buyer, backing them in and helping them into the market in exactly the way that we should. We've seen new builds in Australia—new commencements—up 26 per cent on where they were last year, and you've heard me talk about those 55,000 desperately needed social and affordable homes. It's the most important thing the Commonwealth can do to address that rising homelessness that I've talked about. We're working with states and territories to deliver a better deal for renters. This is an absolutely massive housing agenda, but, before this budget, we were not yet doing enough.”
“If you want to be a property investor, our government will back you in, but we want you to do something important for our country: build a new home. We want more Australians to own the home they live in, we want more homes built and we want first home buyers to have a fairer opportunity to compete. These reforms of course form a part of what is easily the most ambitious Australian government agenda on housing that we've had for 70 years—the $47 billion Homes for Australia plan that is building more homes, making it better to rent and backing in first home buyers, just as an Australian government should. Part of this plan is our five per cent deposit program.”
“The reforms in this budget will make our tax system better, fairer and simpler and deliver an Australian tax system that takes our intergenerational responsibilities seriously. By replacing the 50 per cent discount on capital gains tax with a cost base indexation system and by limiting future negative gearing to new homes, we're going to get an additional 75,000 Australian households out of the rental queue and into the property market. The reforms have been really carefully designed. Existing arrangements for current property investors will remain in place. If Australians out there want to invest in housing, they'll still be able to access these tax concessions, but we're changing the incentives.”