Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Housing and Minister for the Status of Women and concerns changes to the GST and the sale of property announced in the budget and forecast to raise $620 million over the next four years. Minister, by how much will this new tax on residential land drive up the price of a house-and-land package for first home buyers?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Farrer for her question. The member for Farrer should know that this is a very modest measure that will affect a very small number of people and that the money will go directly to the states. Again, I find extraordinary the sudden interest of the opposition in the issue of housing affordability. In government, they did nothing for 12 years to progress housing affordability. I think people can draw their own conclusions about the sincerity of the opposition’s interest in this issue.