Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A question to the Prime Minister: why is Labor refusing to phase out the big tax handouts for property investors, including the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing, that benefit wealthy property investors like you yourself and the 75 per cent of Labor politicians who own an investment property?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. The member for Griffith will cease interjecting. I just remind him not to reflect on members. Order! The Prime Minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Griffith for his question and look forward to his discussion in his party room with property developers in the Senate who are currently having proposals to carve through koala habitats. So that's fine.

Our position with regard to housing is that the key to addressing housing shortage is supply. That's our position. That is why we have the Housing Australia Future Fund, which was opposed by those opposite, all the way through, and was opposed by the crossbenchers for a considerable period of time as well.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Deakin will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But, eventually, they voted for it and allowed it through.

But of course there is a bill before the Senate now, the help to buy bill, that is about putting people into homeownership, and that is a shared equity scheme—something that the Greens political party said, at the last election, was their policy. They actually went to an election saying it was their policy. But instead of that, of course, they are now opposing that move as well.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Griffith asked a question, and the Prime Minister is giving reasons as to why—

But I'll hear from him. This is going to be difficult—my point is: it's going to be difficult for you to make a point of order on relevance because of the way the question was phrased. You asked the question, 'Why is the government refusing to do something?' The government is answering and the Prime Minister is answering why that is. So I'll listen to you carefully—

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sure.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but I will ask you to reflect on what I've just suggested.

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With respect, Deputy Speaker, it's on relevance.

Honourable members interjecting—

I would say it's—

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order!

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A lot of worried property investors, huh?

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order! Members on my right. Order. I'd just remind the member that 'Speaker' is addressing him at the moment.

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Deputy Speaker.

Honourable members interjecting—

Sorry—'Speaker'. It's on relevance.

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order.

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If I may—

Honourable members interjecting—

Thanks, Speaker—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order!

Honourable members interjecting—

Everyone gets two chances. Order! The member for Griffith can state his point of order.

Max Chandler-Mather (Griffith, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Speaker.

Honourable members interjecting—

Yes, a lot of worried property investors, huh?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Alright. Resume your seat. No, it doesn't work that way. You can't use and abuse a standing order like that. The Prime Minister, in continuation.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks very much, Mr Speaker. I think that said more about the member for Griffith than anyone in this chamber.

When it comes to the position, of course, the member for Griffith has said that there isn't a housing supply problem in this country. Just last month, he said there were:

… a million vacant properties on the night of the census … I just want to be very clear, we have enough homes for people to live in.

Apparently, there is no problem with housing supply in this country, according to the position of those opposite.

Then, of course, we had the mishmash thought-bubble of a policy, announced just a week ago, that didn't actually take anything positive forward. Of course, the Greens party's 2002 election platform says this: 'This is why the Greens will establish a shared-equity ownership scheme'—the one they're not voting for in the Senate. But they do have a policy, because they have said, or the member for Griffith has, that you shouldn't have to win a lottery to have a secure home, but then, on the same website, he says, under 'An example of the Greens vision for housing in Brisbane': '2000 homes available to any Brisbane resident and assigned by lottery'.

You can't take them seriously until they come up with a serious policy. You can't take them seriously unless they actually vote for what they said, at the last election, was their own policy. It's there in the Senate—the help to buy scheme. They should vote for it and get out of the way of good policy, which is what this housing minister and this government is proposing. (Time expired)