Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg has again entered the political fray over super, re-litigating the argument that the retirement savings scheme should be used to help people buy a home — but has stopped short of announcing any policies.

Bragg will give a speech later today where he is expected to float ideas about how super could be used to boost home ownership ahead of retirement. While some of his colleagues support the discussion, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor stressed that no policy decisions had been made.

Senator Bragg said the Coalition had canvassed multiple options, including using super as collateral for a loan or withdrawing a lump sum for a house deposit.

“You could keep the money in the system, and it could operate as a collateral or an offset,” Bragg told ABC News Radio. “You could take it out to pay off a mortgage or to pull together a first home loan.” But he also remarked he was not advocating for any particular solutions for now, ahead of a speech he will give at the Financial Services Council later today.

The Coalition’s policy at the last two elections was to allow people to withdraw $50,000 from their super to put towards a house deposit. Opposition leader Angus Taylor said that was no longer the Coalition’s stance, and refused to engage with Bragg’s idea.

The head of a food charity Feeding Friends in far-west New South Wales has been left frustrated after being told there was no council land available to build a homeless camp.

The organization had asked Broken Hill City Council for a block of council land or an unused building to establish a base for homelessness services, including a food outlet, laundry facilities and a transitional camp. While the council voted to investigate whether any land was available, Mayor Tom Kennedy made it clear there was not.

After five years serving hot meals to those experiencing homelessness in Broken Hill, Feeding Friends president Don Barron said demand for its services were growing amid the cost-of-living crisis, and was very disappointed that land wasn’t available for this cause.

Prior to the meeting to discuss the request, some locals raised concerns over the encampment’s impact on neighbouring residents and businesses. Derwent Coshott, a senior lecturer in law at Sydney University, said legally establishing a transitional campsite would require planning approvals; But he also said there was another pathway through a policy of non-enforcement, referring to the state government’s protocol for homeless people in public places, and that that organization could ask the council to not enforce the law against them. The risk is that none of this means that the law might not be enforced against them later on.

Dr Coshott also said the issue has raised broader questions about regulating homelessness in NSW, which is there is no real proper legal framework to address homelessness in these circumstances.

Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man, James Ashby, is enjoying generous benefits as a result of his role working for One Nation, with documents showing that a company linked to the party built a $56,000 shed on his central Queensland property.

Ashby, formerly Hanson’s chief of staff and now the party’s national director, also drives a new Ford Ranger that was “personally” gifted to One Nation by Hancock Agriculture’s chief executive, Adam Giles, in April. Hanson said the vehicle would help the party’s campaign efforts and “provides us the presence we need in the lead-up to the next federal election”.

Sources say Ashby is earning a lucrative salary in his new high-profile role. He also has regular access to the $2m Cirrus plane gifted to the party by Giles’ employer and Australia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.

In May Hanson asked the Department of Finance for permission to establish a second electorate office in Yeppoon, further fuelling suggestions that Ashby was preparing a tilt at federal parliament. When asked if he would run at the next election, Ashby declines the possibility.