JOINT MEDIA RELEASE - EMBARRASSED LABOR GAGS HOUSING DEBATE

THE HON PAUL FLETCHER MP

Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy

Shadow Minister for Science and the Arts

Manager of Opposition Business in the House

THE HON MICHAEL SUKKAR MP

Shadow Minister for Social Services

Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme

Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

28 February 2024

EMBARRASSED LABOR GAGS HOUSING DEBATE

The Albanese Labor Government has continued its pattern of avoiding parliamentary scrutiny, by gagging debate this evening on its poorly conceived Help to Buy Bill.

Labor shut down consideration in detail debate to less than an hour and pulled its speakers on the Bill given the obvious embarrassment from Government MPs at the state of the policy.

Manager of Opposition Business in the House Paul Fletcher said the move by Labor sends a worrying signal that the government is more focused on playing politics than debating the merits of its own legislation.

“The Bill is poorly targeted, badly designed and offers poor value for taxpayers’ money,” Mr Fletcher said.

“A much better approach is supporting Australians to buy a home through effective policies the Coalition delivered in the last government.

“This move by Labor comes as no surprise. They have a shocking reputation for ramming through legislation to suit the interests of their union paymasters.”

Shadow Housing Minister Michael Sukkar says Labor is fiddling while the housing crisis gets worse.

“Schemes like this already exist throughout the country and have been rejected by Australians, with 94 per cent of places still available in the virtually identical New South Wales scheme. It's no wonder Labor's backbenchers were too humiliated to speak on this shambolic bill,” Mr Sukkar said.

“The only housing policies delivering support to first home buyers are the housing policies Labor inherited from the former Coalition Government.”

Paul Fletcher contact | William Sparling 0416 628 276  

Michael Sukkar contact | Maddie Collins 0413 322 340