Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for McMahon from moving the following motion forthwith—

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) ordinary Australians are being locked out of the housing market, with only one in seven homes in Australia now purchased by first home buyers;

(b) the national housing affordability crisis has worsened over the last year with house prices increasing by 16 per cent in Sydney and 12 per cent in Melbourne;

(c) the Prime Minister has worsened the housing affordability crisis by:

(i) failing to appoint a Minister for Housing;

(ii) abolishing the National Housing Supply Council;

(iii) shutting down the National Rental Affordability Scheme;

(iv) cutting funding for homelessness services; and

(v) refusing to reform Australia’s generous tax concessions that favour property investors over first home buyers; and

(d) today is the one-year anniversary of Labor’s plan to improve housing affordability by reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax – reforms which have been criticised by the Government despite the fact the Treasurer has previously argued there were “excesses” in negative gearing; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to act on housing affordability by adopting Labor’s plan to reform negative gearing and capital gains tax.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent the member for McMahon from moving the following motion forthwith:

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Member for McMahon from moving the following motion forthwith—

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) ordinary Australians are being locked out of the housing market, with only one in seven homes in Australia now purchased by first home buyers;

(b) the national housing affordability crisis has worsened over the last year with house prices increasing by 16 per cent in Sydney and 12 per cent in Melbourne;

(c) the Prime Minister has worsened the housing affordability crisis by:

(i) failing to appoint a Minister for Housing;

(ii) abolishing the National Housing Supply Council;

(iii) shutting down the National Rental Affordability Scheme;

(iv) cutting funding for homelessness services; and

(v) refusing to reform Australia’s generous tax concessions that favour property investors over first home buyers; and

(d) today is the one-year anniversary of Labor’s plan to improve housing affordability by reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax – reforms which have been criticised by the Government despite the fact the Treasurer has previously argued there were “excesses” in negative gearing; and

(2) therefore, calls on the Prime Minister to act on housing affordability by adopting Labor’s plan to reform negative gearing and capital gains tax.

It has been 12 months since Labor took the decision to reform negative gearing and capital gains tax and we have seen 12 months of paralysis from the government on housing affordability. We have had twelve months of policy paralysis from the government of Australia on the issue of housing affordability, as right around Australia young people wonder when the government will stand up for them. When will their government give them a level playing field when it comes to the great Australian dream?

The answer is: not on their watch! Not while this Prime Minister is in his chair, because this Prime Minister's plan is to get rich parents if you want to get into the housing market. And the Deputy Prime Minister's plan is to move to the bush. That is the entire extent of the vision we get from this government—

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