CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms DOYLE (Aston) (09:39): Housing affordability is one of the most important issues facing families in my electorate of Aston. For too many people in Melbourne's outer east, especially younger people, the dream of homeownership is slipping further out of reach. They have done everything that has been asked of them.

They have worked hard, saved carefully and made sacrifices. Yet year after year they watch house prices rise faster than their ability to get their foot in the market. And that is why the Albanese Labor government is taking responsible action to address Australia's housing challenges and ensure that first homebuyers in Aston have a fair chance to own a home.

Labor is delivering sensible reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions to help level the playing field for first home buyers and restore fairness to our housing market. These reforms recognise that our tax system should support aspiration and opportunity, not create barriers for a new generation seeking to purchase their first home. We are also helping Australians to get into the housing market sooner through our government's five per cent deposit scheme.

In Aston alone, over 1,119 of my constituents have already used the five per cent deposit scheme to achieve the dream of homeownership. These are real people and real families whose lives have been changed by a government prepared to take action. At the same time we know that increasing housing supply is critical.

That is why our government is investing in 25 additional social and affordable homes in Aston, providing greater housing security and helping address growing demand. These homes will be spread out across the suburbs of Bayswater, Boronia, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield, Rowville, Scoresby, The Basin and also Wantirna. We also recognise the pressures facing renters since coming to government in 2022, Labor has delivered a 50 per cent increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

In Aston, 6,250 people received this support, helping ease cost-of-living pressures and providing much needed relief. While the Albanese Labor government is focused on delivering practical solutions, the opposition continues to offer no practical alternative. The coalition spent years in government overseeing a worsening housing challenge and, remarkably, did not even have a dedicated housing minister for much of that time.

Now, instead of providing credible solutions, the opposition leader continues to blame migrants and vulnerable communities rather than addressing the real causes of housing affordability challenges. Australians deserve better than division. The coalition is all bark and no bite when it comes to housing.

They say they're all about a better future for Australians but have failed to present any serious plan that delivers them one. The Albanese Labor government is on the side of first home buyers, renters and their families. We are investing in housing supply, supporting renters, helping Australians into homeownership and building a fairer housing system for future generations.

That is what responsible government looks like and that is what we are delivering for my constituents in Aston.