2025-08-25
The major parties have just passed legislation that will allow the Government to spend an unknown amount of public funds on building housing for US troops and foreign defence contractors in Australia as part of AUKUS.
After the Liberals and Labor teamed up during the last sitting period to deny any public inquiry into the Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025, the Bill has today
been rammed through the Senate.
This Bill will allow the Defence Housing Authority to build homes for foreign military personnel in Australia. It is expected that these powers will be used to build housing for the nearly 1,000 US troops to be stationed in Western Australia as part of the AUKUS submarine base in Fremantle.
Shockingly, this legislation was passed without a financial impact statement, providing another blank check to the US military and Donald Trump as part of AUKUS. Through questioning of the Government, we do know that the funding will come from secret “Cost-Sharing Principles for AUKUS”, which the Albanese Government refuses to make public.
The Greens sought to amend this Bill to exclude foreign militaries from getting public housing in Australia, but the war parties voted this down.
Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Defence, said: “The Greens have for years been campaigning for more public housing. The Albanese Government has attacked these calls, labelling public housing as unrealistic. Turns out it wasn’t.
“Today we learned if you want to live in public housing built by Labor you'd better join the US military and get Donald Trump on your side.
“AUKUS is draining public funding into the pockets of the US military and foreign arms companies.
“This Bill will not just allow for the Albanese Government to build houses for US troops but also for foreign arms companies and contractors. That means public housing for contractors from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Elbit Systems, Rafael and others.
“It is a sick joke that Labor will be taking money from critical social programs, including funding to build houses for Australians in desperate need, and instead spend it on housing US troops in Fremantle.
“The first major housing bill that this government passes will be about paying tribute to Donald Trump and the US military. That's a disturbing message about the priorities of this government.”
Senator Barbara Pocock, Greens spokesperson for Housing said: “We are in the middle of a national housing crisis, including a severe lack of public housing stock. The Government has deemed US troops and defence contractors more worthy of public housing than people in Australia who desperately need a roof over their heads.
“Over 170,000 Australian households are on public housing waitlists. Homelessness in this country is the ‘worst in living memory’ according to advocacy groups and homelessness shelters. And what is this Government doing? Rushing through a bill that would allow for hundreds of new homes to be built without delay… but for US troops and defence contractors.
“Instead of spending money on housing for other country’s militaries, why not invest in housing for our essential workers - such as teachers, carers and nurses?
“Labor’s message here is clear: if you are an American soldier, the government will build you a home. If you are an Australian worker, fend for yourself. The fact that this is the Government’s priority beggars belief. So much for no one left behind. This contradiction exposes the rot in Labor’s housing priorities.
“Housing is a human right. The Greens call on Labor to take the housing crisis seriously by delivering public housing for Australians.”