Mr TIM JAMES (Willoughby) (11:49): My question is directed to the Minister for Building. With building approvals for new dwellings at a 12-year low, what immediate actions is he taking to address—
Mr Paul Scully: There are 72,000 under construction.
Mr TIM JAMES: I will start the question again because I was rudely interrupted.
The SPEAKER: The member for Willoughby will resume his seat. All members will come to order. I remind the member for Willoughby that the Presiding Officer decides whether members may restate a question. The interjection from the member for Wollongong was disorderly and unhelpful. The member for Willoughby will return to the table and repeat his question. The member will be heard in silence.
Mr TIM JAMES: Thank you, Mr Speaker.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Camden to order for the first time.
Mr TIM JAMES: My question is directed to the Minister for Building. With building approvals for new dwellings at a 12-year low, what immediate actions is he taking to address this decline?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (11:50): I thank the member for Willoughby and shadow Minister for his question around housing and building approvals, because we on this side of the Chamber are implementing reform to get more housing onto the market. My question to the shadow Minister and the Opposition is: Will they support all the housing reforms that we are doing?
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Oatley to order for the first time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Will they support Rosehill? Up to 20,000 dwellings onto the housing market to help support people to get housing. We are all aware of the challenges in the construction industry at the moment. We are all aware of the significant macro factors that are impeding the construction of homes—whether it is interest rates, the cost of materials or the competition for labour. We all know that. But one of the best ways we can help get building approvals done and get housing onto the market is through our building reforms to ensure that we lift the standards of quality of buildings and to ensure that consumers have trust and confidence in the sector when they are making the most significant investment of their lifetime: to buy a house for themselves for their family and to build their lives around a community.
Lifting building standards and ensuring that we have strong compliance means that the building industry does not need to do the same job twice. That means that there will be more builders able to complete jobs quicker, there will be greater productivity in completion of buildings and it will free up labour to continue to ensure that building and housing approvals happen. But the biggest impediment to the building industry and to building approvals is none of those factors. It is Opposition members. Their answer to housing is "No". They do not support housing. They introduced legislation in the other place to prevent housing from happening in and around public transport infrastructure. How can they have building approvals when they do not even support the building industry and development applications at all?
Mr Tim James: Point of order—
The SPEAKER: The Minister will resume his seat. The member for Willoughby rises on a point of order.
Mr Tim James: The question expressly asked about "immediate actions". I have not heard a word about immediate action.
The SPEAKER: I thank the member for Willoughby. The Minister does not have to use those exact words. The Minister has been directly relevant.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Whilst Opposition members continue to say no to housing to prevent the next generation of younger Australians from owning their own homes, there are currently 72,000 dwellings under construction. Only the Minns Labor Government is getting housing onto the market and helping the next generation of Australians own their own homes. Members on the other side of the Chamber just say no, no and no.
