Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Wong, representing the Prime Minister. Senator, over the next decade, Labor plans to hand out $176 billion in tax concessions to property speculators through negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. These pour fuel on the fire of Australia's housing crisis, contributing to massive price rises that have locked millions of Australian renters out of homeownership and made it easier for an investor to buy their ninth or 90th property than it is for someone trying to buy their first home. Minister, do you accept that these tax breaks push up house prices and massively disadvantage renters trying to get in to the property market? Why won't Labor negotiate with the Greens to curtail these tax handouts so more people can afford a home, rather than taking a bulldozer approach on your Help to Buy Bill, legislation which will only make matters worse?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. I'm calm, but I haven't had much sleep, so! Senator McKim, you know what our housing policy is and you have spent days working with Senator Birmingham, working with the coalition, to prevent more houses being made available to low- and middle-income Australians. So I understand—

I beg your pardon? I beg your pardon?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Watt?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, I'd ask that Senator Henderson withdraw the remarks that she just made across the chamber. She knows very well what she just said.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just a moment, Senator Wong. I would just urge all senators to be mindful: (1) it's your responsibility to control your behaviour in this place; it is your responsibility to control what you say and what you don't say. I'm asking you to be mindful of that. We should not have to be seeking withdrawals for comments that are unparliamentary. Minister Wong, please continue.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I was saying was: Senator McKim, you and your party have spent days in this place ensuring that we could not even bring the legislation to a vote. And you know why you didn't want it to come to a vote? Because you were embarrassed. You are embarrassed. We went through all the shenanigans in this place, including what we saw the other day, because you wanted to avoid a vote, because you are embarrassed, because you know you were voting against 40,000 houses for low-and middle-income Australians. Now you ask a question about your demands and some attempt to try and tell people, 'Actually, we didn't vote with Mr Dutton and the coalition to ensure Labor couldn't deliver 40,000 houses to low-and middle-income Australians.'

You interject on me because you don't like the truth. The truth is: you have been working with them to prevent us implementing our policy, and now you come in here and you bleat about the fact that we haven't adopted your policies! I mean, really! The fact is: you're working with the coalition to stop houses being built. That is the truth. And you should be ashamed.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are very proud of trying to stop you making the housing crisis worse, Senator. But earlier this year—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order. Senator McKim, resume your seat.

Senator Watt, you may not have noticed, but I've actually been waiting for you to stop. Senator McKim, please continue.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you were happy to revise your stage 3 tax cuts because circumstances had changed. The housing crisis has got massively worse since Labor came to power. Why won't you negotiate with the Greens to help fix this massive societal calamity?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take what Senator McKim said about being proud. Are you proud of delaying more houses for low- and middle-income Australians? Are you proud of voting with Mr Dutton and the coalition, who only want those who have—only some people—to have the benefit of homeownership? Are you proud of the spokesperson for the Greens, who is against 3,000 social and affordable houses in his electorate? Are you proud of that? Are you proud of all the ways in which the Greens come in here, after having opposed social housing and affordable housing in their own electorates, and vote with Peter Dutton to prevent us delivering more social and affordable housing? Are you proud of all that, Senator McKim?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, second supplementary?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, we're very proud of Mr Chandler-Mather running rings around the Prime Minister, I'll tell you that. Senator, is your government seriously so committed to handing over $176 billion in tax concessions to property speculators to disadvantage renters that you would actually go to a double-dissolution election to defend those obscene tax handouts?

Government Senators:

Government senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator McKim, you have finished your question. Minister Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, first, Senator, we're going to give you another opportunity. We will reintroduce this bill, a version 2, and we will give the Senate another opportunity, just as we did on the HAFF, the housing affordability fund, which you also delayed. We will give you another opportunity to vote for it.

But what I would say to you is your interjection about Mr Chandler-Mather really shows what you're all about, doesn't it? It's all about the politics. It's all about his profile. It's all about him building his brand. We're about building houses. You're about building your brand; we're about building houses. Do you know what's really fascinating? It's that this person, the member for Griffith, who's happy to stand on a stage with pictures of the Prime Minister— (Time expired)