QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Ms O'NEIL (Hotham—Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness and Minister for Cities) (14:58): I thank the member for her question. We've been through this before in the parliament. There is tightly controlled eligibility for this scheme.

Temporary residents are not eligible for the scheme, despite what's been inferred and said by the Leader of the Opposition. The only people who are eligible for this scheme are citizens of our country and permanent residents. Permanent residents are very likely to have lived in our country for a long time.

The hint is in the word 'permanent'. These are people who are working as doctors and nurses. They are aged-care workers who are caring for our elderly.

They are carers who are working in the disability and other sectors. They are permanent residents across our country, and they are helping our country grow. Now, I'm hearing a lot of interjection from the Leader of the Opposition.

I want to remind him again that the words that he utters in this parliament are not just heard by the people he thinks— The SPEAKER: Order! Ms O'NEIL: I'm responding to an interjection, Speaker. The SPEAKER: I can handle it, Minister, thank you.

The manager is entitled to raise his point of order, so I'll hear his point of order. Mr Tehan: Out of respect for the member who asked this question, it didn't have anything to do with the opposition, and I think the minister should be brought back to the question itself. The SPEAKER: I'm just reading the question.

There was no analysis of opposition policy, so I'm just going to get the minister to come back to the five per cent deposit scheme, but I'm going to make sure that, if she is doing any policy relating to the topic or any comparing and contrasting, she's relevant to the question she was asked. The Leader of the House? Mr Burke: Just in terms of the compare and contrast issue, there's a series of different points throughout that question.

I'm just looking at it now. It's not even limited to one policy area; it contains other comparisons. So the capacity to be able to compare and contrast is broader in that than it would otherwise— An opposition member interjecting— Mr Burke: Take the call if you want to chat.

The SPEAKER: Okay, we'll get through this. The Manager of Opposition Business? Mr Tehan: The minister was referencing specifically the Leader of the Opposition.

Now, there was nothing in there about the Leader of the Opposition, in that— The SPEAKER: We'll be able to sort this out. I'll hear from the Prime Minister. Mr Albanese: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

The minister was referring to the policy issue which related directly to the question that was asked. The question that was asked went to eligibility for the five per cent deposits. It is perfectly relevant for the minister—and, indeed, in order to give an answer to that question, it is necessary for the minister—to point out who is eligible for this scheme.

And the fact is— Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! The manager was heard in silence. I gave the courtesy to the manager.

I'll ask the same courtesy be applied to the Prime Minister. Mr Albanese: The fact is that that is why the minister needs to go through the way the scheme operates and why the explanation of its eligibility is critical. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order!

It will help with things if the Leader of the Opposition ceases interjecting so the minister doesn't respond to interjections as well. Everyone is correct in this argument. I want to make sure, as I said, that if there's compare and contrast, it's related to this policy.

That's my point and that's my ruling. Ms O'NEIL: In regard to the compare and contrast in relation to this policy, I want the parliament to know that, actually, since we last met, the Leader of the Opposition was busted making a false claim about the eligibility of this policy, and I want to quote to you what he said. He said: 'Labor has made the five per cent deposit program available to anyone the day they arrive.' Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: The minister will just pause for a second.

Just take your seat for a moment. I am not happy with the level of interjections during this question time today. There is far, far too much ongoing interjection—the member for Lyne is continuously interjecting; I'll have to put you on a warning, Member for Lyne—and that goes for both sides.

I don't like issuing a general warning, but I'm getting close to doing it for everyone inside this House today. Please, I am asking everyone to listen to the minister, to show respect, and to show respect for the person asking the question as well. It's not good enough, and I'm asking everyone now to do better.

Ms O'NEIL: I was just reporting to the parliament that, in the sitting break, the Leader of the Opposition was busted saying behind closed doors: 'Labor has made the five per cent deposit program available to anyone the day they arrive in the country.' I want to call that out because it just speaks to the disgraceful reflex for division that those opposite bring forward to all of the problems facing our country.

It wasn't just that. The Leader of the Opposition actually said publicly when he announced that he wanted to withdraw support for permanent residents, 'when you commit to this country we'll commit to you'. And I want our loved Chinese Australian community and I want our loved Indian Australian community to know that we see your commitment to our country.

We respect it, and we value it. This is a program our government is incredibly proud of. 260,000 people have the keys to their own home today because of this fantastic support that we are offering them. Not only are those opposite focused on division, but they do not have a single sensible thing to say about housing, the most important issue facing our country.

We're not going to be distracted by their obsession with conflict. We've got housing issues facing our country, and that's why we're stepping up and making real change to Australia's housing system.