Press conference – Jordan Springs, New South Wales
CHARLES NORTHCOTE, BLUECHP: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome here today. We’re absolutely delighted to have the prime minister with us. My name is Charles Northcote, I’m the CEO of BlueCHP, we’re a community housing provider and we have built these homes here and the one next door. And these are homes that are going to provide people with affordable housing, and they’re going to see great benefit for their lives going forward. But it’s a great day to welcome also Minister Collins, federal minister, and also Minister Jackson on the state side, as part of the team, this is a collective effort – community housing providers, state, federal government, local government, this makes it all happen. And this is the benefit that we give to our population, people who do it tough. And what we’re trying to do here is to give people a permanent roof over their head, enabling them to then their children to go to school and better quality of life, better quality of health and then they contribute to society. And I’m delighted, I’ve got two Ministers who have experienced this, and the Prime Minister as well, who experienced that in their life and it’s a testament to why housing is so important.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Charles, and it’s great to be here with you and your team at BlueCHP, but also to be here with my Housing Minister, Julie Collins, and the New South Wales Housing Minister, Rose Jackson. This is a practical example of the difference that good government can make. This is the 135th home in this area that BlueCHP have constructed. Community Housing is a great asset because it will stay in community ownership in perpetuity. It can provide adaptable housing, appropriate housing for people with disabilities, and could be purpose built to suit the people and families who will be housed here. A secure roof over one’s head isn’t just about that in itself, it’s the key to opening up the doors of opportunity for education. It’s the key to ensuring that people have good health outcomes, both physical and mental health. It’s the key to people being able to gain secure employment. If you don’t have a secure house, a roof over your head, then it will impact every aspect of your life. And for your children growing up as well, having that security is so important. I know it because I’ve lived it. I grew up in a house with a single mum with that secure roof over my head and over her head, even though she did it tough as an invalid pensioner. So we need to make sure that there’s more housing just like this here. And what Charles has said to me is that BlueCHP alone have 3000 homes ready to go once the Housing Australia Future Fund passes the Senate. Now we’ve done a lot already, we’ve provided an additional $2 billion of funding for community housing, we’ve extended the agreement between the Commonwealth and state and territories by one year while we negotiate the long term agreement by $1.6 billion, we’ve added in an additional $2 billion with our social housing accelerator that we announced in June. And in return state and territory governments are doing workon planning and making sure that we can get more housing supply and housing built. And NSW is one of the governments, under Chris Minns’s leadership, that have made that very clear that they’re determined to ensure that that can happen by changing the way that local government and approvals are made. To make sure there’s appropriate housing, sustainable housing, but that you get that increase in supply that is so critical. But the fact that the Housing Australia Future Fund, which was the keynote of my second budget reply, now almost four years ago, we had a clear mandate at the election for it and the Coalition, One Nation and the Greens political party holding it up in the Senate is just an act which is unworthy of either a government or an alternative government or a political party that says that they care about social and affordable housing. Because it’s having a real impact, it’s having an impact of around about $2 million a day for every day that it’s held up, and that’s why it is so irresponsible. The Senators are voting to defer it twice now, and therefore not passing the bill, blocking the bill in effect. We’ll continue to present that bill to the Senate to make sure that it gets done. But today I’m really proud to be here, it’s a great thing. We’ve managed to talk to the builders, talk to those people at NHFIC, talk to the community housing providers. This is a not for profit organisation where every single dollar stays in social hands and makes an enormous difference for families. We need to do more into the future, my government is determined to do more, and we want to work with the Minns Government in NSW and work with other state and territory governments to address issues of housing supply, which are the key to addressing issues of housing affordability. Happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: I have a question on another topic.
PRIME MINISTER: Have we got anything on this first? And then I’m happy to take other things.
JOURNALIST: The current waitlist, there’s 57,000 people on it at the moment, many of who aren’t going to wait a decade before they get a house. The housing climate now is incredibly hostile. Are you worried that in this climate that number, that 57,000 number, the number of people waiting for a home will blow out?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it will blow out unless you get more done. Under the former Coalition government, I might ask Rose if she wants to make some comments about at this as well as the NSW Housing Minister. But under the former Coalition government here in NSW, at the end of twelve years in government there was less public housing stock than there was at the beginning. So, you had the sale of properties, I used to drive across Sydney Harbour Bridge when international visitors were here and say, isn’t it a great thing, pointing at the Sirius building in the Rocks, that people in this country, purpose built housing for people with disabilities was what that was. Flogged off, flogged off on a fire sale without the money being put back into additional housing. I used to say that that says something about Australia and our concept of a fair go and a quality of opportunity that people with disabilities, some of whom I grew up with, the kids of them who went to St. Mary’s Cathedral where I went to school there in the city. That of course has now been all sold and not put back in. It doesn’t just happen, governments have to make it happen. And unless governments, federal and state, and territory put more money into social housing, then you will have waiting lists that don’t decline, that get larger and that will place pressure. And in addition to that, of course, there’s a link between that and private rentals. If you’ve got the pressure that’s on and not enough supply, which is the key, then you’ll have an increase in private rental costs, you’ll have an increase in the waiting list for public housing, and you’ll have increased inequality. So that’s why I say, for goodness sake, to people who purport to care about these issues. Traditionally the Liberal Party haven’t really cared for social housing, and at a Commonwealth level they’ve said, ‘oh well, that’s someone else’s problem’ and most of the time they haven’t bothered to actually appoint a Housing Minister. I’ve got a Housing Minister in the Cabinet, we want to do something to make a difference working with state and territory governments. All we want, in order for more people who need housing to be able to, including of that 30,000, including 4000 reserved for women and children escaping domestic violence, including a component of the fund that will be allocated for remote housing for Indigenous Australians. All we need for someone to be able to be sitting in a new home, that is for them, to make a difference to their lives and their children’s lives, for them to be sitting in those homes is for the Greens Party to get up off their seat and go and sit on the right side of the chamber with Labor, with David Pocock, with Jacqui Lambie and with Tammy Tyrrell, who all understand why this legislation should be carried. And I say as well to the Coalition, we have a mandate for this. It is an act of spite that they continue to say no to everything and they should be voting for this as well. But I’d ask, Rose might want to comment.
ROSE JACKSON, NEW SOUTH WALES MINISTER FOR HOUSING: I mean, the sad reality is there isn’t 57,000 people on the social housing waiting list in NSW, There’s 57,000 applications. There’s well over 100,000 people – men, women and children – waiting for social housing in NSW. That number has already increased fifteen per cent in the last twelve months alone. We’ve seen almost five hundred additional people counted in our rough sleeper street count in the last twelve months alone – the situation in NSW is dire. We saw $3 billion worth of public housing sold under the previous government, and the reality is we’re desperate. The NSW Government is getting on with what we can to deliver more social and affordable housing. We’ve had our first tranche of planning reforms requested by the federal government, rightfully asking us to get on track. We’ve had our first tranche of rental reforms. We’ve done what we can. We’ve stopped the sale of public housing, we want to deliver more. We are ready, desperately waiting for the Senate to pass the HAFF so that all of the work that we have done can get back on track to delivering the housing. The Social Housing Accelerator is fantastic news and I thank the Commonwealth for that contribution. But the HAFF, that stable and consistent revenue stream year after year, developing, delivering, building that pipeline is critically necessary. We are ready, we have our applications ready to go, we were anticipating that 1 July deadline to put them in, to get that work started, that’s now all on hold. This is an act of political sabotage by the Greens and the Coalition that is undermining a policy of substance. Every single stakeholder in the sector, every single state government wants this to happen and to have it held up and to hear the calls and the letters and the emails that I receive from people who are waiting, who have already waited too long and to tell them, I’m sorry there’s yet a further delay on the sixteen to nineteen thousand houses that the HAFF alone could deliver in NSW because of political games in Canberra breaks my heart. So, I’m excited to have the leadership from the Commonwealth Government, I send the message we’re ready to go. But the reality is yes, the situation is bad and it’s going to get worse unless we pass legislation like the HAFF.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, this financial year, low-to-middle income earners will lose or are losing their tax offset, is that something your government would reinstate?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it’s something that Josh Frydenberg made the decision as Treasurer to make that change when he put in that place that measure in the 2022 Budget.
JOURNALIST: Is that something your government would reinstate?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that was a decision by the former government that they undertook. What my government has done on cost of living, in just a short period in which we’ve been in office; firstly, we did the $3 billion of Energy Price Relief Plan that was done in partnership with State and Territory governments including, to give credit where credit’s due, including with the Perrottet Government, here in New South Wales. That was supported by every State and Territory Government regardless of politics. It of course, was opposed by Peter Dutton and the Coalition, who are opposed to everything that is ever put forward, including the Housing Australia Future Fund. We have brought in cheaper medicines for the first time since the PBS was introduced, decreasing the cost from $42.50 down to $30 – the maximum price. The measures we had in the budget will halve the cost by allowing for 60 days scripts instead of 30 day scripts. We have 480,000 fee-free TAFE places that are making an enormous difference opening up opportunities for people to get those skills, whilst not having to pay for that, making a difference there as well. Our cheaper child care plan came in on July 1, making a difference as well. Our Medicare plan, where we have tripled the bulk-billing incentive, making an enormous difference for some 11 million Australians to get access to health care with just their Medicare card instead of their credit card. We’re opening Urgent Care Clinics so that if a young kid on a skateboard falls off, they’re not waiting, clogging up emergency departments, they can get the care that they need – 58 of them, we will have. I opened one in Perth, just just the Saturday before last; last Saturday seems like a long time ago, last Saturday. So three countries ago and six days ago, we opened one up in Rockingham and we’ll be opening them up right around Australia. What we are doing is concentrating on providing cost of living relief, whilst not putting pressure on inflation, and that’s why we’ve turned around what was due to be a $78 billion deficit, we’ve turned into a surplus which will be more than $4 billion that we projected in the May budget. So my government is doing what we can, we recognise that people are doing it tough. We’re not responsible for all of the decisions that the former government made.
JOURNALIST: I’m sorry Prime Minister, but you didn’t answer my question.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I did we’re not responsible for Josh Frydenberg’s budget.
JOURNALIST: But you are your own –
PRIME MINISTER: What we, what we are – and I have told you what we are doing. What we are doing is putting in place positive plans that make a difference for people, on childcare, on housing, on health care costs, on education, including on the provision of TAFE, on childcare. What we’re doing is putting in place a series of measures while managing the economy so that we take that pressure off inflation, and one measure alone, our Energy Price Relief Plan, the Governor of the Reserve Bank and the Treasury have all said that alone will take three quarters of a percent off inflation, making a difference.
JOURNALIST: So not reinstating the tax?
PRIME MINISTER: Further questions?
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister what kind of result or swing would you be happy with in tomorrow’s Fadden by-election? What would be a good result for you, or equally, what would be a bad result for Peter Dutton?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, Peter Dutton, I don’t expect that any result will change what characterises his opposition. He has taken the position of Opposition Leader far too literally, because he’s opposed to everything. He’s opposed to the Housing Australia Future Fund, he’s opposed to any initiatives. We’ve seen the debacle where this week, after his own Shadow Ministers had various views about what should happen with the position of the Reserve Bank Governor, he’s actually been campaigning and being against something that wasn’t even happening. So, I don’t think that will change. Traditionally, there are swings away from a government of around about four to five per cent in a by-election. Fadden, and that northern part of the Gold Coast have only ever returned LNP members, they have never returned Labor members federally since Federation. But our candidate is a great candidate; she’s out there – I was very happy to launch her campaign and the Labor Party are running so that people have that choice. But I don’t expect anything like the Aston by-election result. That was an extraordinary result, the first time in 100 years that the government have won a seat off the Opposition. And the circumstances there were quite unique, way back in 1920, with someone re-contesting who had been accused of treason at the time in the seat of Kalgoorlie. So, I would expect that the voters will have their say, but I don’t expect that anything will change for the Coalition and anything will change for Peter Dutton.
JOURNALIST: Just earlier, you listed a series of policies that you introduced, targeting the rising cost of living. But yesterday, the Chief Executive of Commonwealth Bank said the brunt of rising interest rates and housing costs will be felt within the next six months. So what else does your government have on the table to offer families relief on their rent and mortgage?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it could start by having the Housing Australia Future Fund. It’s not on the table, it’s in the Senate. It’s passed the House of Representatives, and we in addition to that –
JOURNALIST: Is there anything else?
PRIME MINISTER: In addition to that, from July, from this financial year, we have the largest increase in rental assistance in 30 years, for private people who received that assistance for private rental relief. We had the range of measures, when you make an announcement in the Budget they don’t come in on that day. They’re coming in from now, from July, providing that support when it is needed. Thanks very much.
JOURNALIST: I’m just going to ask one more on Philip Lowe, how do you think he’ll be remembered? Will history be kind to him? Some Australians view him as insensitive and I suppose a representative of all things wrong with the RBA? How do you think he will be remembered?
PRIME MINISTER: I spoke with Governor Lowe this morning, I wished him well. Governor Lowe is deserving of respect as a fine public servant. The Reserve Bank is independent of the Government, and Governor Lowe has always carried out his tasks with dignity, and I wish him well. He will continue to serve of course, until September. And I think, he certainly expressed his view to me, as he has publicly, been very pleased with Michele Bullock’s appointment as the next Governor of the Reserve Bank. This is a historic appointment, the first woman to hold this very senior role in Australian society. And I think it is a very good thing that I also discussed, obviously, with Michele Bullock was with myself and the Treasurer this morning in Canberra for the announcement. The Cabinet met this morning and unanimously approved the Treasurer’s recommendation, and I wish Governor Lowe well. He will travel with the Treasurer to the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in India, they’ll be travelling over the weekend and representing Australia. And can I say this, that I have had the opportunity at the NATO Summit to talk with world leaders about not just defence and national security issues, but also about the economy. And if you look at where Australia is positioned, notwithstanding the global challenges, which are there, that are having an impact; the Russian invasion of Ukraine combined with the aftermath of the global pandemic and the supply chain issues that arose from that, have had an impact on the global economy with rising inflation, rising interest rates right around the world. But if you look at Australia, where we’re positioned, compared with the G7 Countries, the seventh largest economies, advanced economies in the world, there is nowhere where you’d rather be than this great country of Australia. We have the best employment growth, we have inflation, which is better than that of our competitors. We have interest rates that are lower than they are in the United Kingdom, in Europe, in North America. We have the only country of those advanced economies that has a budget surplus, they are all in considerable deficit. And we have higher increases in workforce participation rates as well. So we do have challenges in this country, it requires considered leadership from government, because we understand that in such an environment, there are some people who are doing really tough, but we will do our best each and every day to make a difference to their lives. That’s why we’re here today talking again about housing and community housing because that can make a difference to people’s lives. We’ll continue to engage, we’ll continue to listen and we’ll continue to provide positive leadership to create the better future that we committed to at the last election. Thanks very much.