Ben Small (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Housing. With the government failing to deliver on its commitment to build 1.2 million new homes, new taxes on the family home were raised at the government's three-day talkfest. Will the minister rule out slugging Australians with new taxes on their spare bedrooms?

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know what bizarre fantasy land those opposite have been living in. What on earth are they talking about? I heard that these questions were getting asked in the other place today, and I thought, 'God, the shadow housing minister hasn't had his Weet-Bix for breakfast this morning.' I don't know what he's going on about. The fact that we've got people in the House of Representatives asking ridiculous questions like this—get a clue, guys! Let me talk to you about our government's tax policies. They're absolutely clear.

Ben Small (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just rule it out!

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

Member for Forrest, it's not going to happen that way. You've asked the question. It's not then a free-for-all after that. You are going to show respect to the minister while she is on her feet—Order!—just as you were shown respect when you asked the question.

The Manager of Opposition Business is also not helping this situation. Just cool it.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our tax policies are absolutely clear. We stand for lower taxes—lower taxes that we've delivered to the Australian people and lower taxes that were opposed by those opposite. Not only did they go to an election saying they did not want lower taxes for every Australian taxpayer; they said that they would come into the parliament and legislate for higher taxes for every Australian taxpayer. Let me come to the matter of housing taxation.

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

The minister is answering your question, Member for Forrest. Resume your seat.

Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Housing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me come to the question of housing taxation. What a day to ask about housing taxation when our party has lowered taxes on new build-to-rent locations and you are in the Senate today trying to raise taxes on new housing in our country! I wish I could say that I was surprised by the unbelievable incompetence. I do not know what the opposition are doing on housing this term or any other. But what I would remind the House is that the very last people that Australians should listen to when it comes to housing policy are those who sit opposite. Remember that, for almost a decade, they sat on this treasury bench and did nothing about a housing crisis which was building before their very eyes. They then spent three years being housing hypocrites, complaining about things going wrong in housing and then coming into the parliament and voting against measures that would fix the problem. Here they are now, asking ridiculous and nonsensical questions about policies that don't even exist. Get a clue, people.