Tuesday, 15 October 2024

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:01): My question is to the Premier. How many houses will Labor’s Airbnb tax shift onto the long-term rental market?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:01): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. It is good of you to squeeze us in between court time – question time, court time. It is good of him to squeeze us in. The Leader of the Opposition has asked a question about how we are working hard at every turn to use every lever available to us to build more homes. I say this to the Leader of the Opposition: what is clear from their announcement today is that Victorians –

James Newbury: On a point of order, on relevance, Speaker, it was a very simple, concise question, and I would ask you to bring the Premier to the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has only been speaking for 20 seconds. I will give the Premier an opportunity to answer the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I was asked about our efforts to build more homes. As Victorians know, because they have seen it played out week after week, you just cannot trust a single thing that the Leader of the Opposition says, and you certainly cannot trust the opposition on the question of housing.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Bulleen is warned. Order! The house will come to order. The member for Footscray is warned.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question, and I would ask you to bring her to the question.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: We are using every lever possible to build more homes for more Victorians, because this is about giving more opportunity, particularly to younger Victorians, to be able to access their own homes. Victorians know well that you cannot trust this critical issue of building more homes to the Leader of the Opposition and the Victorian Liberals. You just cannot trust them.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, you have asked the Premier to come back to the question. Halfway through the response the Premier has not actually dealt with the substance of the question and is making a mockery of the standing orders. I would ask you to bring the Premier to the question.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for South-West Coast is warned. I cannot direct the Premier how to answer the question. The Premier is being relevant to the question in relation to Airbnbs shifting onto the long-term rental market and housing. She has been relevant so far.

Jacinta ALLAN: As part of that whole-of-government effort to use every lever we have to build more homes – not block more homes, not stop more homes, like the untrustworthy Liberal Party opposite – we are building more homes. As part of those efforts, we have acknowledged that particularly in regional Victoria a number of homes are locked up in Airbnb and in the longer term market. That means they are not available.

Cindy McLeish interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Eildon is warned.

Jacinta ALLAN: They are not available for key workers who work in our country hospitals, who work in our regional tourism industry and who underpin the economy and community of those regional communities. This is part of our overall effort to be able to provide more opportunity. This is what the Leader of the Opposition and his untrustworthy colleagues stand in the way of: giving more opportunity for more Victorians to be able to access a home.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, we asked a very direct question that sought a single response in relation to the number of homes that it will shift. For over 2 minutes now –

The SPEAKER: Order! What is the point of order?

James Newbury: The Premier is continuing to debate the question and has not yet gone to the question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier has discretion to determine the content of the answer. I ask the Premier to be relevant to the question that was asked.

Jacinta ALLAN: The Manager of Opposition Business, who seems to think we go to sleep at night dreaming about him, has raised a question about how many homes this will shift. This is exactly what the policy is designed to achieve: to make more properties available.

John Pesutto interjected.

Jacinta ALLAN: Well, how many support you, mate? They definitely were not this supportive of you in court. This is about using every lever we have – not using every lever, like the Liberal or the opposition have said, to stop more homes.

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (14:07): Labor’s 2023 housing statement clearly states that ‘local council charges on short-stay accommodation will be removed’. Why hasn’t the government abolished the ability of local government to levy these charges?

 Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:08): This piece of legislation is currently before the Legislative Council. As part of preparing for the bill to be debated by the Parliament there was extensive consultation that was undertaken, particularly led by the Treasurer, in how we could best apply this policy. This is about looking at how we can make more homes available. Let us remember that there are key workers in regional Victoria –

Brad Rowswell interjected.

The SPEAKER: The member for Sandringham is warned.

Jacinta ALLAN: who cannot access the home they need near the local hospital or near the local hospitality outlet. It is about supporting those economies and those communities. That is why we are focused on providing more opportunity for more Victorians to be able to access a home close to where they work and support their community.

Peter Walsh: On a point of order, Speaker, on the issue of relevance, the Premier is effectively still answering the first question. I would ask you to draw her back to the supplementary question about why the local government charges are not being abolished.

The SPEAKER: The Premier addressed the question in the start of her answer. The Premier has concluded her answer.