MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator TYRRELL (Tasmania—Independent TAS Whip) (17:35): I thank Senator McKim and the Greens for bringing forward this urgency motion today, but I wonder if the Greens shouldn't turn that finger around and point it at themselves. Yes, housing prices are rising at an unprecedented rate. And, yes, the government's strategies are ineffective at tackling the issue.

But the Greens didn't exactly help matters. They held up the HAFF for months. We could have used that time for the HAFF to help people.

They say their pressure on this matter extracted $3 billion of spending on housing, but their arguing stopped the HAFF from accumulating funding for more than half of 2023. It wasn't building houses. It wasn't putting roofs over people's heads.

I'm all for holding the government accountable, but everyone knows you shouldn't throw stones in glass houses. If we are going to solve the issue of unrealisable homeownership, particularly back home in Tasmania, we need to push for the adoption of strong medium-density housing strategies. A great example of this is happening right now in Launceston, where the old Birchalls building in the Brisbane Street Mall is being developed into a 21-apartment precinct with added shops and commercial opportunities—all this while maintaining the historical facade of the building and using unpurposed buildings in the city centre.

It provides homes in the heart of Launceston. It increases foot traffic, keeping local businesses patronised. It addresses the housing problem, meeting demand with supply instead of meeting demand with more demand.

Senator McKim is right—giving more tax breaks to landlords and allowing more homebuyers into the market with a five per cent deposit only drives up demand, which in turn drives up housing prices. Handing out more money has never made things cheaper. It's been made clear multiple times.

Tackling it sounds pretty simple, and I think it can be.