GED KEARNEY, MEMBER FOR COOPER: Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to my beautiful electorate of Cooper on this gorgeous afternoon. My electorate runs in the south from the Yarra River at Alphington to nearly the ring road in the north, and we are right here in the heart of Reservoir. Just like any other electorate in the country, housing is an incredibly important issue to the people of Cooper and how delighted am I, I’m absolutely stoked to have here today in Reservoir, the Prime Minister, the Treasurer, the Minister for Housing, and the State Minister for Housing and Building. Without further ado, I will hand over to the Prime Minister.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much, Ged, and thank you for the welcome here to your electorate here in Melbourne. Under Labor, there will be more homes and smaller deposits, under Peter Dutton, there'll be fewer homes and higher prices. I want to help people, first home buyers, into home ownership, and particularly young Australians into home ownership. But I'm also a big supporter of social housing. And one of the things we did was to have a $2 billion Social Housing Accelerator. Now, the Coalition pretend that houses aren't being built. You're here – this was one home, it’s been converted into three one-bedroom dwellings with energy efficiency that will be as cheap to run as is possible, using everything from renewable energy to water-saving devices to proper insulation, making sure that these places, as well, are adaptable housing, so that people can age in-place in housing, that is so important and fit for purpose.
 
This is a really important initiative that we have, just part of our $43 billion Homes for Australia plan. It's one I'm proud of. It's one we'll continue to roll out over coming years. We want more people into social housing. We want more people into private rentals through our Build to Rent scheme. We want more people to be able to own their own home through Help to Buy and through the initiatives that we announced on Sunday. This will make an enormous difference. It is already making a difference, not just here in Victoria, but I've been in homes right throughout the country that have been built through the Social Housing Accelerator. In many cases, homes that were left without people living in them, getting them renovated, getting homes fit for purpose. There's similar programs like this – I've been to Riverwood in NSW, I've been to South Brisbane in Queensland, I've been to Adelaide as well. In homes just like this, making a difference to building up supply, which of course is the key. And the key difference between the policies that were announced on Sunday is we have a plan for supply, as well as a plan for demand. The Coalition just have a demand side issue, which will do nothing to address supply, which we know is a precondition for moving forward in the direction that Australians want, allowing more people to get a roof over their head because that gives them security in life. We'll turn to the Federal Housing Minister, then the State Housing Minister and then the Treasurer and then we'll take just a couple of questions.
 
CLARE O’NEIL, MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS: Thanks so much, PM. We've got a housing crisis in our country that's been a generation in the making and today there are millions of people around our nation for whom housing is a life-defining issue. Now our Government, out of the ashes of the terrible negligence of the former Government, has built easily the boldest and most ambitious plan for housing that a Commonwealth Government has had since the Second World War, $43 billion of investment. We are building more homes, we are helping renters get a better deal and we are getting more Australians into home ownership. And of course, on Sunday, the PM announced these two game-changing initiatives that will help more young people around this country get real access to home ownership.
 
The PM has talked about the fact that we'll offer every young person around the country the opportunity to get into a home of their own with just a 5 per cent deposit. We want to help young people around Australia be paying off their own mortgage, not paying off someone else's. We're going to build 100,000 homes that will be exclusively reserved for sale for first homeowners. They're not going to be facing any competition from property investors or others, just a direct shot at getting into a home of their own. And of course, there's the general supply measures. We are going to build 1.2 million homes working with the states and territories as a country over the coming five years, because more housing means more affordable housing for Australians.
 
Now, I've read a lot of the coverage from the respected people who are here today over the last couple of days on housing, and I just want to make a couple of points. There is absolutely no comparison between the housing policies being offered at this election between Labor and Liberal, and I say that to you very directly and honestly. We have on one hand here a government that is actually taking a running crack at addressing the underlying causes of the housing crisis in our country, $43 billion, which will be invested mainly in building more homes for our country, that supply-side problem that we face. Now, in contrast, we have this ridiculous set of policies that Peter Dutton has come up with from God knows where. Like, it's actually wild. He is going to – if Peter Dutton's plan, will build fewer homes but more expensive housing for the country, making our housing crisis worse. He'll build fewer homes because of all the homes that we're building or supporting as a government, 210,000 of those will be cut or unwound by Peter Dutton. And more expensive housing because of the dud super for housing policy. Now this seems to have dropped out of the Coalition talking points in recent days – I wonder why that's a feature? Because young people around the country are onto this guy. They know that his plan is to make super for housing, jack up house prices around the country and force that younger generation to take their retirement savings and gift it to the older property-owning generation.
 
Now this mortgage proposal that Peter Dutton's come up with in recent days. This is a generational triple whammy for Australian young people. Peter Dutton not only wants young people to pay off their landlord's mortgage, he now wants them to subsidise mortgage holders around the country, the people who've been able to get into housing, and he wants them to set their retirement savings on fire, to burn up house prices around the country. If I was trying to think of a way to make the housing crisis worse, then this is the weird mix of policies that I would come up with.
 
Now I want to just finish by saying something quickly on another topic. I saw that David Littleproud has come out with some really deeply offensive comments in the last little while about the member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters. Let me be really clear: Lisa Chesters is a Labor powerhouse. You will not find a stronger, more fiercer advocate and defender of her local community than Lisa Chesters. She is an unbelievable person and a fantastic Member of Parliament. And the fact that we are in an environment where a leading male politician in our country thinks that it's appropriate to compare a female MP to a dog, I just think that tells us everything about where the Liberals and the Nationals are trapped. I thought that we would move beyond this as a country, but this is a person vying to be Deputy Prime Minister of our nation, and he speaks about a female Member of Parliament as though she is a dog. Now, Lisa Chesters is not just a great Member of Parliament and a great advocate, she is a friend of ours, we deeply respect her. And I ask David Littleproud to come forward and apologise for his comments. But this tells us everything about the Liberals and the Nationals. They don't respect women and they don't preselect women. Look at the numbers. Now, for the first time in Australian history, we've got a majority female government, and by God, does it make a difference. For us, women's issues are not some kind of sideshow or afterthought. They are central to the work that we do as a government. I only wish I could say the same about the Liberal Party of Australia. When will they grow up? Thank you.
 
HARRIET SHING, VICTORIAN MINISTER FOR HOUSING AND BUILDING: I'll keep my remarks brief. As the Victorian Minister for Housing and Building, the fact is that we can't solve the issues around housing affordability and availability on our own. It takes real partnerships and here in Victoria, we've seen the benefit of those partnerships. This is State Government land. What we've been able to do in partnership with the Albanese Government is to deliver housing that is bright, modern, energy efficient, fit for purpose and a place for people to be really proud to call home. In the coming weeks, people will move from the housing wait list into these brand-new homes, and they'll be able to be connected to services, to schools, to healthcare and to education. And that's what this is all about. Ultimately, it's not just roofs over people's heads. It's about making sure that people have opportunities to thrive, that they can make the decisions that are right for them and that they have good futures for them, for their kids, and also for the people around them. We've seen a significant change in the way that housing funding has been delivered. And under the Albanese Government, we've seen around $497 million through the Social Housing Accelerator program, going toward delivering around 769 homes, from the middle of Melbourne right out through to the edges of the state. We can see that this is making a real and practical difference. It's bringing homes into the market to provide support to people – right from social housing through to assisting people to get into their first home sooner. Partnerships are integral to the work that we are doing. And right around Australia, people have benefited from the work of the Commonwealth Government to come to the table with funding that is really making a difference. So much of this is at risk. If Peter Dutton has his way, the social housing Housing Australia Future Fund will be ditched. This will mean that thousands of Australian families will miss out on the opportunity to have housing that meets their needs and the dignity and the pride of a place to call their own.
 
JIM CHALMERS, TREASURER: Thanks, everyone. Just briefly, at the halfway point of the election campaign, the choice on housing is very clear, but also the choice on the cost of living more broadly, as well. Under Labor, higher wages, lower taxes and ongoing help with the cost of living. Under Peter Dutton, higher taxes, lower wages and no ongoing help with the cost of living. What we are seeing from Peter Dutton is a cost-of-living con job. The relief that he wants to provide in the near term will be clawed back by higher permanent taxes on every Australian taxpayer, lower wages and, as I said, no ongoing help with the cost of living.
 
This is from Peter Dutton a cost-of-living con job. What he wants is he wants to make wages lower again, he wants to make taxes higher again, and he wants to make budgets rorted again. That is the economic agenda of Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor and the Coalition. Now, I want you to understand what Peter Dutton said this morning. Peter Dutton said that he will take his cues on budget management from Tony Abbott. This is the clearest indication we've had so far that if Peter Dutton wins the election, he's coming after health and he's coming after education. Never forget that after Tony Abbott promised no cuts to health or education, he moved immediately upon winning the election to cut $80 billion out of health and education. Now, Peter Dutton has today said the quiet bit out loud. He said that he will take his cues, his inspiration on the Budget from Tony Abbott. Now, remember, even after Tony Abbott and Peter Dutton pulled $80 billion out of health and education, they still found a way to double the debt even before COVID. So, if Peter Dutton wants to take his cues on budget management from Tony Abbott, that means this unusual combination of huge cuts to health and education, a Budget which is full of debt and waste and rorts.
 
When we came to office, we inherited an absolute mess in the Budget. Because of our collective efforts and the Prime Minister's leadership, we've engineered the biggest positive turnaround in a budget in a single term ever. We've delivered two surpluses and halved this year's deficit. We've got the debt down this year $177 billion, that's saving Australians $60 billion in debt interest. We will continue to manage the economy in a responsible way. There is always a premium on stability and responsibility, but especially in uncertain times. What our opponents are offering is a Coalition of cuts and chaos which will make Australians worse off and make our economy more vulnerable at a time when the international economy is so volatile and unpredictable.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you been briefed on reports of Russia’s trying to access an air base in Indonesia for its military? And what's your response?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We are ascertaining, having a look at those reports, as the Foreign Minister and Defence Minister have said. We have a good relationship with our friends in Indonesia and we're seeking further clarification.
 
JOURNALIST: Have you or the Foreign Minister had a chance to speak to your Indonesian counterparts directly?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I just answered the question.
 
JOURNALIST: Does it give you a pause for thought and concern about the state of the Indo-Pacific and what this would mean, Prime Minister?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, our friends in Indonesia, the relationship has never been better than it is right now.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we're here in the middle of construction. Peter Dutton has said earlier today that he'd help his children with a home deposit. Would you do the same?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Families don't have a place in these issues. I don’t comment on other people's families. And I don't go into my own personal details.
 
JOURNALIST: Just back on Russia, did you know about this before the Indonesian Government made it public?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are seeking, we are seeking further information from Indonesia about it.
 
JOURNALIST: But did you - were you already aware?
 
PRIME MINISTER: I've answered the question. I can't answer it any different way.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have we been too concerned about the influence of China in our region and not focused on Russia?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, we have been right to be engaged in our region. And we have an extremely positive relationship with our friends in Indonesia.
 
JOURNALIST: PM, you’ve said the relationship with Indonesia’s never been better. Would a Russian aeroplane stationed in Indonesia, would that harm the relationship?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we're seeking is proper clarification, that's the way you deal with international relations, making sure that you're not flying from the hip. What we didn't do when the United States made its decision on tariffs, was question our defence relationship with the United States. It took John Howard to intervene, to point out to Peter Dutton that that wasn't appropriate. We'll respond in an appropriate way with our friends in Indonesia.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, we've had a few foreign affairs issues pop up in this campaign. If you were not in a campaign right now and [inaudible] would the government be sending Richard Marles [inaudible]?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are in a campaign at the moment.
 
JOURNALIST: You keep saying you're seeking information about this incident from Indonesia, but it sounds like you haven't heard back from Indonesia.
 
PRIME MINISTER: We are seeking –
 
JOURNALIST: Have they not returned your calls?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, we are seeking further information from Indonesia. As you're aware, as you're aware, I've been travelling from Hobart to here with you. Or on a different plane, but at the same time.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what is the Australian Government's position on the stationing of Russian aircraft in Indonesia -
 
PRIME MINISTER: We are seeking –
 
JOURNALIST: Obviously we oppose it, or no?
 
PRIME MINISTER: We are seeking further information. We obviously do not want to see Russian influence in our region, very clearly -
 
JOURNALIST: [Inaudible] It’s hardware, Prime Minister. It’s military kit.
 
PRIME MINISTER: We have a position, which is we stand with Ukraine. We regard Vladimir Putin as an authoritarian leader who has broken international law, who's attacking the sovereignty of the nation of Ukraine. Thanks very much.
 
ENDS