PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms MASCARENHAS (Swan) (17:22): It's clear that those opposite are living under a rock—or expecting first home buyers to live under a rock. In case you haven't noticed, we are in the middle of a housing crisis. The job of a government is to act and listen.

We have to listen. And, across the world, people are saying they want more from government, and that is exactly what this Albanese Labor government is doing. If the member for Cook is concerned about Australians getting ahead, he will be pleased to hear what this government is doing.

From 1 July, every worker in this country gets a tax cut. Around three million workers across the country will get a pay rise. We are also banning supermarket price gouging so that Australians will get a fair go at the checkout.

And we're extending paid parental leave to a full six months, giving families more time with their delightful new baby, and making sure we give real support to make that work. We're also making urgent care clinics a permanent part of Medicare. And we have passed new laws to give first home buyers a fair go.

That is what governing for every Australian looks like—not just for some but for everyone. Meanwhile, the coalition chose not to give workers a tax cut. Those opposite deliberately kept wages lower during their time in government.

And let's face it, when it comes to Medicare they would like to use surgeon's scissors and cut it. The member for Cook says the government picks winners and losers in business, choosing which businesses get to grow while others carry the burden. But 2.7 million active small businesses—98 per cent of every active business in this country—are eligible for tax concessions under this government.

This is not about picking winners and losers. This is about governing for everyone. When a small-business owner sells a business that they have spent years building, they should keep more of what they earned.

We have lifted the eligibility threshold for the small-business CGT discount from $2 million to $10 million to make sure that they can. We understand that running a small business is not just a financial challenge; it's a deeply personal one. Problems at the shop, the cafe or the office often follow small-business owners home.

The NewAccess for Small Business Owners program is fully funded by this government and is delivered by Beyond Blue. This provides free mental health support to small-business owners. Ninety-two per cent of participants say that their business benefited and 86 per cent of participants felt more productive at work.

Programs like these and the Small Business Debt Helpline are funded by the Albanese government to help small-business owners beyond tax concessions. This is what wraparound support looks like. This government does not just support businesses; it supports the people who build them.

That goes well beyond the rhetoric of winners and losers. There are young people in my community who have done everything right. They've studied hard, worked hard and saved.

For years they have watched the front door of their own home swinging further out of reach. Perth has joined Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Adelaide in what has been a once-in-a-lifetime property boom. The median house price in Perth has now crossed over $1 million.

In my own electorate, prices have almost doubled in five years. In Belmont, the average house price in 2020 was around $500,000. This was the suburb that was once genuinely affordable for first home buyers.

Now that same home costs $950,000. That's nearly doubled the deposit and nearly doubled the time to save. We've also changed the housing deposit schemes so people only need a five per cent deposit.

For young people already struggling with rent and cost of living, that finish line was not getting closer. It kept on moving further away. That is why the Albanese government reformed capital gains tax and reformed negative gearing.

A home should be a place where you live, not just an asset that you profit from. The member for Cook disagrees. He claims that the government is making it harder to buy a home—a claim I find to be completely hollow.

The Minister for Housing has been clear: these reforms will bring 75,000 rental households into homeownership. Once again, the coalition stands up and says that our tax reforms— (Time expired)