Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister rule out increasing the cost of renting for Australians by applying a 15 per cent GST to rent? How would a 15 per cent GST on rent affect young Australians saving for their first home?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to respond. I find it quite amazing that the member for Sydney would be raising questions about rental affordability, given her remarkable stewardship of the National Rental Affordability Scheme that seemed to only provide very high tax incentives for reasonably wealthy investors and foreign students. And now she wants to come into this place and lecture those on this side of the House about housing affordability!

On this side of the House we take—and the assistant minister takes and the Assistant Treasurer also takes—the issue of housing affordability very, very seriously. This side of the House is engaging with the states and territories to ensure that we can address one of the most significant issues when it comes to housing affordability, and that is the sclerotic nature of the planning and zoning processes that are put in place by state and territory governments. As Treasurer, I am sitting down with the other treasurers to look at ways, through competition reforms, that we can ensure that there is a much better system to address the supply issues which are the major drivers of housing affordability—

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney has asked her question.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

problems in this country—but not only that. What we are doing on this side of the House is engaging with the states and territories to deal with the chronic problems with social housing provision in this country—something those on that side of the House might want to listen to, because what they should know is that we spend some $11 billion. That is exactly what they were spending when they were in government, with National Affordable Housing Agreements which produced no reform when it came to housing delivery at the state level when they were in government. This side of the House takes housing affordability seriously—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will resume his seat. Has the Treasurer concluded his answer? The Treasurer has concluded his answer.