TV interview with Minister Butler, Sunrise – 24 April 2026

NATALIE BARR, HOST: Australia's housing crisis is in the spotlight this morning with our target of building 1.2 million homes in just five years seriously lagging. The latest figures show just 260,000 homes have been built, nearly 100,000 behind target. Even a Treasury official concedes there's a long way to go. As concerns grow, policies meant to help buyers may be pushing prices higher. For more, we're joined by Health Minister Mark Butler and Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume. Good morning to both of you.
 
Mark, it doesn't seem to be getting on track, the housing policy. How are you going to get it back on track?
 
MARK BUTLER, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGEING, MINISTER FOR DISABILITY AND THE NDIS: It reminds us how much work we've got to do, Nat. We've struck deals only in the last couple of weeks with jurisdictions to do some really important infrastructure work to make sure sewerage works and footpath works and things like that are put in place to allow houses to get built more quickly. Some of the over-regulation that we saw last decade, which added to cost and added to times to build houses, we've paused as well. But this just reminds us again, we've got a lot of work to put our shoulders to the wheel. Obviously, we're doing what we can. We've got to do more. The industry needs to do more. State governments need to do more to look at their planning laws, because planning is often something which blows out costs again and blows out time frames.
 
But one of the good pieces of news out of this report is that almost quarter of a million first home buyers, mostly young Australians, have got into the market because of our 5 per cent deposit scheme. It's cutting years and years off the time that they would otherwise spend saving up for the deposit they have to do to get into the market in the first place.
 
BARR: Isn't that pushing up prices in that category though?
 
BUTLER: What it's doing is getting people into the market. Just think, you would otherwise have to spend more than a decade saving up your deposit. In the meantime, house prices are continuing to rise. You're paying rents, you're putting money into a bank. This is literally cutting a decade off the time that young people need to save for that deposit to get into the market in the first place. They're paying a much cheaper price than they would in a decade's time.
 
BARR: Okay, Jane, look, the problem didn't start, you know, five years ago. It's been a long time coming. But what would you do to get a better plan, to get more homes built?
 
SENATOR JANE HUME: Nat, Labor have failed to meet every single milestone that they've set themselves. In fact, they're building around 30,000 fewer houses every year than the Coalition government did in its nine years in office. They've let migration run out of control. That's, of course, putting pressure on houses. And, in fact, that 5 per cent deposit scheme, I think your viewers would be astounded to learn, is open to people that aren't Australian citizens. So that's putting even more pressure on our housing system. At the same time, they’re increasing regulations.
 
BARR: Is it?
 
HUME: Yes, it is. And the national, that is true.
 
BARR: Mark, is that right? Can we just cut in there, Mark? So you can put the 5 per cent down if you're not an Australian citizen?
 
BUTLER: To permanent residents. To permanent residents. So people who have been granted permanent residency on the pathway to citizenship have been here for many years. We've recognised, as the former government would have, our permanent residents in Australia who will be on a path to citizenship. That sort of red herring, frankly, doesn't do the Coalition any justice.
 
BARR: OK. Have you got a better plan to build houses, though, just specifically, Jane, just quickly?
 
HUME: Well, we'd start with the National Construction Code, which is now sitting at 2,000 pages.
 
BARR: I think it's on hold, though.
 
HUME: But it's 2,000 pages already. What's the point adding to it and then saying we're going to put it on hold? How about we remove some of those regulations? Wouldn't that be a good start, cutting some of the red tape that's standing in the way of building those homes?
 
And the first thing you've got to do is reduce the pressure on the housing market by reducing the migration program. That's putting pressure not just on housing but on healthcare and infrastructure as well. The government have failed to meet every single one of their threshold targets throughout the last four years, 1.2 million homes. We are no way near that. Something's got to give.
 
BARR: Okay, look, we're going to end on ANZAC Day. Of course, it's one of our most special days, probably our most important day tomorrow. Many Aussies are going to be commemorating the day at their local dawn services. Mark, what's your message to the country this ANZAC Day?
 
BUTLER: To set your alarm and pull on a jacket and try, if you possibly can, to get out to a service. The local service I've been going to for many years just gets bigger and bigger and bigger, reflecting how important this day is for us. My great-grandfather stepped onto the beaches at Gallipoli 111 years ago tomorrow. It's not just for the ANZACs, it's for every man and woman who served in Australia's uniform, particularly the 102,000 who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Get out if you can, pop your head into the local RSL club. Their volunteers are working so hard today to set up the service for tomorrow so that we can share in this really special day.
 
BARR: Yeah, that is a good message and obviously very important for your family, Mark. Jane, how about you?
 
HUME: I'll be heading to the Shrine tomorrow morning in one of what I think is the most moving services that we have in Australia. You know, Gallipoli occurred when Australia was only 13 years old. World War I, 417,000 Australians served; 62,000, one in three, lost their lives. That's an extraordinary number. And that moment when we are silent for one minute to commemorate the loss of those people that fought for what's important to Australians, for those Australian values, it's actually my kids that I picture in my head. The average age of those who died was 25. It's way too young to have lost a generation. War comes at an enormous price. Fighting for our freedoms and our values is important, but it comes at a cost.
 
BARR: Yep, and we are still there and they are still fighting and they are still sacrificing for us, aren't they. So that's what we will be doing tomorrow. Thank you both very much for your time. We'll see you next week