Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the National Rental Affordability Scheme. What we have seen over the last two weeks is a softening up exercise from the government, which wishes to cut this highly successful scheme. This is a scheme that is designed to deliver low-income housing right across Australia, and that is exactly what it is doing. It has helped with 14,000 homes so far, and there are another 24,000 in the pipeline. One of the members opposite talked about international students. On the ministers own figures international students make up less than eight per cent of the people who are housed in this accommodation. Those international students would otherwise be in the private rental market, pushing up private rents. The whole idea of the National Rental Affordability Scheme is to increase the availability of affordable rental property. It is to ensure there is extra investment coming in from the private sector, and from community housing, to increase the stock of affordable rental housing. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

The minister claims this is not delivering for low-income workers, but 92 per cent of people—sole parents, families, kids, low-income workers, and key workers housed in our inner city areas—use the National Rental Affordability Scheme. But we know what this is about. It is a softening up exercise to cut further funding from homelessness and housing programs in the budget.