JULIE COLLINS:
So it’s terrific to be here at Centacare Evolve, a social housing project here in Letitia Street in North Hobart. What I want to see, of course, is more homes like this right across Australia and here in Tasmania. From 1 July, we have a new national housing agreement with the states and territories. Tasmania will be receiving $195 million as part of that agreement. We also, of course, are today providing through the Housing Support Program $1 billion to the states and territories. And here in Tasmania that is an additional $25 million, of which up to 25 per cent is spent directly on social housing. And it can be spent on enabling infrastructure, such as sewerage and roadworks and other things to get more social and affordable housing out of the ground. What we want to see is more homes right across the country. 1 July, of course, is also the start of our ambitious national housing target of 1.2 million homes right across the country before the end of the decade.
1 July is also significant for many Tasmanians, because 1 July is when 280,000 Tasmanians will be getting a tax cut. This is a significant tax cut for more Tasmanians because of the change by the Albanese Labor government. 1 July is also the start of the energy bill rebates for Tasmanians that have energy bills. Every Tasmanian household will be getting $300 off their energy bill, and small businesses will be getting $325 off their energy bill over the 12 months. It’s also, of course, the start of superannuation on paid parental leave, which will benefit again many more Tasmanians. It’s also the start on 1 July of an increase in the minimum wage. This will benefit 77,000 Tasmanians, they will be getting a 3.75 per cent increase in their pay. So what it means, all in all, is more Tasmanians will be able to earn more and keep more of what they earn from 1 July. I’m happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST:
What does it mean for Tasmanians that progress of housing legislation has been stalled in the Senate due to the so‑called ‘No‑alition’?
COLLINS:
So what we’ve seen unfortunately this week again in the Senate is the Liberals, the Nationals and the Greens teaming up to block more housing legislation. This time, it’s the Build-to-Rent legislation that would see more affordable rentals being built right across the country. They, of course, have form. We’ve seen the Greens political party work with the Liberals and the Nationals in the Senate to block of course our Housing Australia Future Fund. This delayed the fund by more than 6 months. We would be having projects coming out of the ground today if the Greens and the Liberals hadn’t delayed the Housing Australia Future Fund. We, of course, have heard from the Liberals and the Greens that they will again next week block our shared equity scheme. This is about getting more Tasmanians and more Australians into home ownership. So we’ve got the Greens and the Liberals in the Senate blocking more social and affordable housing, blocking more affordable rental housing, and blocking more Australians into home ownership. It appears there’s no housing legislation the Greens and the Liberals won’t team up to block. And what I would say to them is this: they need to get out of the way. We need more homes of every type being built here in Tasmania and right across the country.
JOURNALIST:
And as you say, you can get more homes of every type. The Greens are blocking more affordable homes. Why is it important that there’s a mix?
COLLINS:
Well, what we want to see is a mixture of homes. Australia doesn’t have enough homes. We haven’t had enough funds for a long time. And we need more of every type of home. We need more homes to rent, more homes to buy and more homes for Australians that are doing it tough who need a safe place to stay each night.
JOURNALIST:
When it comes to cost‑of‑living and housing support measures, do you want the state government to also step up in support and meet you with your, with your litany of commitments that you’ve just given?
COLLINS:
We, of course, are working with state and territory governments right across the country. Here in Tasmania, we’re going to continue to work with our state government to get more homes on the ground right across Tasmania. It’s important that we continue to work together. It’s only with the 3 tiers of government working with the community housing sector, working with the construction industry – if we’re all heading in the right direction, in the same direction, we can get more homes on the ground more quickly. The state government, of course, has made commitments at National Cabinet around doing more planning and zoning reforms. And they need to get on with that job, and I know that they are so that we can get more homes on the ground. They’re also lifting their investments in social and affordable housing. We all need to lift and we all need to work together if we’re going to get enough homes on the ground here in Tasmania and around the country.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think you can work together and find a solution to the ongoing funding issue for Disability Voices Tasmania and Autism Tasmania?
COLLINS:
What we’re talking about here is a grant round that was done through the Department of Social Services. I understand and have been advised that the decisions around that grant funding were made by an independent delegate of the Department of Social Services. We, of course, want to see people living with disability have the very best lives, which is why we established the National Disability Insurance Scheme. That’s why Minister Bill Shorten is working so hard to make the Scheme sustainable. But we do need, again, tiers of government working together to make sure that all Tasmanians and all Australians get the very best outcomes.
JOURNALIST:
Is this part of a wider decision that will impact other disability organisations [inaudible]?
COLLINS:
Look, this was a grant round that was done nationally and these decisions were taken and made by an independent delegate from the Department of Social Services. As I’ve said, we want to see all Tasmanians, all Australians living with a disability get the best possible supports and services. And that’s why we are fixing up the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
JOURNALIST:
And what do you say to members of the disability community who relied on these organisations for help or worked at these organisations that might lose their jobs?
COLLINS:
From my understanding, some of these organisations are providers under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. So they do have other streams of incomes in some circumstances. I understand that’s not the case with everyone, but this was a grant round. It is the usual process of this grant round to be renewed and the decisions were made by an independent delegate and the Department of Social Services.
JOURNALIST:
Is the $1 billion enough for states to share around?
COLLINS:
Well, this is part of the agreement on social housing that we struck with the states and territories. There will be an additional billion dollars made available to the states and territories, and we’ll be paying that to the states and territories immediately this financial year. We want to see houses get out of the ground more quickly, and this is about enabling infrastructure. And as I’ve said, they can spend up to 25 per cent of it directly on social housing if they choose. It’s on top of the $9.3 billion as part of the agreement. It’s also on top of each state receiving a share of the billion dollars that will be going to transitional emergency accommodation and accommodation for young people. So, there’ll be an additional billion dollars coming through Housing Australia that the states and territories, as well as community housing providers, will have access to.
JOURNALIST:
Are you still confident with the 1.2 million homes goal by the end of the decade?
COLLINS:
Well, we’ll be doing everything we can. We said it was an ambitious target. We need to be ambitious as a country. We have significant housing challenges, so we need to be ambitious. We want to change the settings and the architecture of housing in Australia. That’s what all the work we’ve done – the state premiers through National Cabinet, through housing ministers, and indeed, working with the construction sector and the community housing sector – has been about. We want to all be working together, and we need to be ambitious. Thanks.