QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (14:51): Senator Brown, thank you very much for that question—a question so good that she asked it twice! On 1 October, just a few days ago, the government delivered on its promise to expand the five per cent deposit scheme to all first home buyers three months ahead of schedule.

I am very proud to tell the Senate that more than 190,000 Australians have bought their own home with a five per cent deposit since the Albanese government was elected in 2022. That's around twice as many as under the coalition. The people that we are delivering for are ordinary Australians, particularly young Australians, Australians who work hard, Australians who just a generation ago would have already been able to own their own home.

Saving 20 per cent for a deposit is a massive hurdle for young Australians, particularly when you are renting and paying off somebody else's mortgage. It might be very difficult for some people in this place to understand, but it is a very difficult hurdle to get over. That is why we have expanded the five per cent deposit scheme to every Australian first home buyer—no income limits, no limits on places, no complexity and house price caps that better reflect the cost of a home in every part of Australia.

It is un-Australian for young people to be locked out of the housing market unless their parents have money. That's not how we do things here. That is not what this government is about.

Expanding this scheme is the right thing to do. It is fundamentally fair and it's made a real difference to young Australians. (Time expired.) The PRESIDENT: Senator Brown, first supplementary?