‘Like you’re selling a used car’: O’Neil slammed

Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has been likened to a salesperson following a social media post promoting the home guarantee scheme.

Ms O’Neil took to X on Monday to encourage young Australians to apply for the home guarantee scheme, which allows people to purchase a home with a deposit of 5 per cent.

“Buying a house is one of the biggest things you’re going to do in your life and the Albanese government wants to be there for you when it matters,” Ms O’Neil said in a video posted to X.

“We want more Australians to have the option of moving from renting to home buying and the home guarantee scheme is one of the main ways that we’re helping out at the moment.

“Did you know that a third of all first-home buyers over the last year got into the market with the support of the Albanese government in this way?”

Ms O’Neil said more than 117,000 Australians had used the scheme to purchase a home over the last two years, with the government hoping to “help more”.

“There are still places available for this year, so here’s what you need to know,” Ms O’Neil said.

“You need a deposit of 5 per cent or even less if you’re a single parent or a guardian. The way it works is that the government will help guarantee the rest of your deposit so you don’t have to face that massive expense of paying lenders mortgage insurance.

“You need to check that the property that you want to purchase is eligible for this program and the best places to get better information are to go to the housing Australia website or talk to your bank because our government partners with the banks in order to make this scheme possible.

“Make sure you tell your friends there are still places available in the scheme this year for those of you who are looking at the market at the moment and thinking now’s the moment to jump in”
However, people were quick to flock to the comments to slam Ms O’Neil over the video.

“Your job isn’t to be a saleswoman involving pyramid schemes. What do you even do?” one person commented.

“So put young people into massive debt instead of dealing with the true issue: That the housing market is so massively over inflated due to wealthy people buying up all the houses!” another wrote.

“Why do your videos all feel like you’re selling a used car?” another added.

Others said the scheme could be helpful.

“This is great, but at 70 I am afraid the thought of buying my own house is now way beyond me and my wife, unless we win lotto, but it will help the young ones along,” one person commented.

The video was posted before Ms O’Neil appeared on ABC’s Q+A on Monday night.

Finance journalist Alan Kohler was a panellist, discussing the housing crisis with Ms O’Neil, opposition social services spokesman Michael Sukkar and Gratton Institute chief executive Aruna Sathanapally.

A young man named Samuel asked if the “Australian dream of owning a house with a backyard in a city (is) over for all of my generation”, with Kohler simply replying: “It might be.

“The backyard has become really expensive, particularly close to the city.

“I think we’re in the situation now where if you want a backyard, you’re going to have to move a fair way away from the city.”

Ms O’Neil noted that Kohler made a “good point” but emphasised the government was “trying to do everything (they) can” for young people.

“Maybe if you want more space, you’re going to have to move further away from the city, but what we really need is lots of options for young people like yourself,” Ms O’Neil said.

“And right now you don’t have enough, our government is trying to do everything we can to create more.”