Hockey's housing solution insulting: Labor

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has chastised the treasurer for insulting families with a simplistic response to Australia's housing affordability problem.

Joe Hockey told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday the starting point for a first home buyer is to get "a good job that pays good money", then you can go to the bank and borrow money that's "readily affordable".

"How are Australians supposed to find the good jobs that pay more when unemployment is at its highest levels in more than a decade under his government?" Mr Shorten told AAP.