QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Ms O'NEIL (Hotham—Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities) (14:51): 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.

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 SPEAKER: The minister will pause.

The member for Bowman? Mr Pike: Just on relevance—we weren't asking for a commentary around opposition political parties. We're asking for a yes or no.

Is that figure correct? The SPEAKER: Minister was asked a question about the home guarantee for 51,000 noncitizens and if that figure was accurate. She has been absolutely, directly relevant in talking about who is eligible.

She did specify—and I think it's for every member to know—that she went through the categories of who's eligible and who's not and the type of person eligible. So she's answering your question and being directly relevant. I'll just ask her to return to the question, but I'm giving the minister a fair go and giving the member for Bowman a fair go as well.

Ms O'NEIL: I think we've clarified here that the people that the member opposite is talking about are permanent residents of our country. So let me say again that those opposite can point the finger and blame the problems facing our country on permanent residents. That is not the position of those of us on this side of the chamber.

What we see is communities of people, many of whom have lived in our country for decades, who have paid into our healthcare system and who have paid into our aged-care system. You know who's got the problem here? It's those opposite, who want to take away the ability for these people to live as they should in our country.

I want people to understand, especially our loved Chinese communities and our loved Indian communities around Australia, that what those opposite are talking about is a group of people who might have lived here for 30 years, and they are saying that they should not be eligible for aged care in our country. I want to just say one more thing, and then I'm going to come back to housing.

Those opposite need to learn that what's heard in this chamber is not just heard in the electorate of Farrer. It's heard in the electorate of Chisholm. It's heard in the electorate of Hotham.

It's heard in the electorate of Reid. I'd encourage them to be honest with the Australian people about where the challenges facing our country come from. Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order!

We're just going to stop the yelling while the minister is on her feet. Mr Taylor interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order, the Leader of the Opposition! This non-stop commentary is not helpful to the chamber.

The minister has 10 seconds. Ms O'NEIL: This is nothing but an embarrassing shroud for the fact that those opposite have not a single sensible thing to say about housing policy in our country, but it won't hold us back from providing more opportunity to the people we came here to represent.