1The House met, at 10 am, pursuant to adjournment. The Speaker (the Honourable M. Dick) took the Chair, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

 2PETITIONS—STANDING COMMITTEE—REPORT—STATEMENT BY MEMBER

Ms Belyea (Chair) presented the following documents:

Petitions—Standing Committee—Report 8: Petitions and Ministerial responses—

Report, 23 March 2026.

Petitions.

Ministers’ responses to petitions previously presented to the House.

Ms Belyea made a statement in connection with petitions.

 3Protecting Australia’s Prime Agricultural Land Bill 2026

Mr Gee, pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to protect Australia’s prime agricultural land, and for related purposes.

Document

Mr Gee presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

 4PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS NOTICE

Upon notice No. 2, private Members’ business being called on, Ms Chaney, in the absence of Dr Haines, and at her request, fixed Monday, 25 May 2026 as the day for presenting the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Communications in Natural Disasters) Bill 2026.

 5Housing 

Mr Caldwell, pursuant to notice, moved—That this House:

(1)acknowledges that the Government has made Australia’s housing crisis worse than ever by:

(a)expanding the 5 per cent deposit scheme from a sensible and targeted approach, to an uncapped and non-means-tested free for all which has supercharged house prices by 3.6 per cent in just one quarter, and exposed first home buyers including young Australians to larger mortgages;

(b)creating the failing Housing Australia Future Fund which has $11.4 billion within it but has built only 895 houses in 2.5 years of operation; and

(c)proposing to fiddle with the capital gains tax and negative gearing, which is dressed up as an equity measure but will not actually result in the construction of new dwellings;

(2)notes that the Government is overseeing a historic collapse of housing construction, with dwelling completions now running at around 170,000 each year, whereas 200,000 dwellings were completed annually under the previous Government, while the population has grown by more than 1.6 million since the Government came to power; and

(3)further notes that the Government is already running more than 80,000 dwellings short of the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes by mid-2029, and modelling by the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council says the Government will not reach its own target, falling more than 60,000 dwellings short.

 6Free TAFE program

Ms Belyea, pursuant to notice, moved—That this House:

(1)recognises the Government’s Free TAFE program has, for three years, expanded opportunity and opened new pathways for Australians to gain the skills they want for the jobs we need;

(2)notes that, despite opposition from the Opposition, the Government has successfully legislated to make the Free TAFE program permanent, securing its future and ensuring this pathway is not taken away from the next generation;

(3)observes that, through the Fee-Free TAFE Skills Agreement, the Government has partnered with state and territory governments to invest over $1.5 billion in Free TAFE program places across the country; and

(4)reflects that, unlike their federal colleagues, the Victorian State Opposition will not oppose a bill to guarantee Free TAFE.