Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that a government he leads will not make any changes to the tax treatment of residential rental properties?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for Hume for his question and his dodgy little prop that he thinks is really clever, which he's waving around in the desperate hope that somebody will notice him up there in the press gallery. There are no photographers up there, Gus. As always, you've made a mess of it.

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

The Treasurer will pause.

The member for Grey—no; we're not having any props. The member for Herbert's been trying it on, and the member for Hume. Whatever you're holding up—I can't see it, but it's your iPad.

I don't know why you would hold an iPad that way, so just concentrate on the answer.

And the member for Barker is definitely not helping his cause. Order! The Treasurer is going to continue with his answer.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. He can't organise a responsible economic policy and he can't organise a photographer to take a photo of his dodgy little prop. What hope do they have over there when this bloke is the key economic spokesperson for their party?

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

The Treasurer will return to the question.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the Prime Minister made clear yesterday, when he was asked a very similar question, our focus, when it comes to housing, is elsewhere. Our focus is on $32 billion of new investment, including $6 billion in the last budget, to the great credit of the housing minister, who fought for and secured a really substantial boost to housing in the budget. So our focus, when it comes to housing supply, is in new funding in the budget. When it comes to tax reform, once again, our focus is elsewhere. Our focus in tax reform is multinational tax arrangements, so I shout out the assistant minister for introducing the legislation this week to help ensure that multinationals pay their fair share. I know that this is a longstanding commitment from the assistant minister. I pay tribute to him for his work. Our focus when it comes to tax reform is not on the question that we were asked a moment ago. Our focus is on multinationals. Our focus is on build to rent, which you voted against. Our focus is on the PRRT that—

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

The Treasurer will pause. The Leader of the Opposition on his point of order.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like yesterday, this is a very tight question. Will the Prime Minister guarantee that a government he leads will not make any changes to tax treatment of residential rental properties? The Treasurer has done everything to avoid answering this question, but it is telling that he won't answer it, that the Prime Minister refuses to even make one comment—

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

Resume your seat. You're making a point on relevance. It's okay. Order! I just require you not to make additional statements as part of the question, alright? We're going to deal with this point of order, and then I'll call the Leader of the House.

You'll get the call straightaway.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, on that basis, I ask that you direct the minister to be relevant to the question, and that is a pretty reasonable request to make.

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

It is a reasonable request, so I will ask the Treasurer to make sure—and I will listen carefully to make sure—he is being relevant. He did specifically say 'the question I was asked about', and his answer was, 'Our focus is not on that; it's on other issues.' I can appreciate the leader, under the standing orders, would like a yes or no—a 'rule in' or 'rule out'. But, as we have gone down this road many times, the Treasurer will need to phrase his answer to make sure he is being—

Opposition members interjecting—

Order! The Treasurer will need to make sure his answer is directly relevant, and my ruling is to ensure that he is directly relevant, that he must be on the topic and that he's got to ensure that he is addressing the question.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have addressed and am addressing the question when I say that our focus in tax reform and in housing reform is not on the issues that the shadow minister has asked us about.

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Order! Members on my left! The member for Hume is warned. He's had a great go this week, so he's not going to be interjecting. I'm not having any of it on the last day, okay?