Simon Kennedy Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition
2:30 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. To get ahead, the Prime Minister bought a property in his 20s. He claimed the CGT discount. He negatively geared his way to a $4.3 million property in Copacabana. Now, today the Australian reports 20 out of 23 of the Labor cabinet own more than two properties they can continue to negatively gear. Why are younger Australians being denied the very same opportunities the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues continue to benefit from?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Members:
Honourable members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! It's a pretty broad question to be asking in that responsibility, but it follows on from yesterday.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
2:31 pm
Now, I wonder why the member for Cook, rather than my opposite, asked that question? I wonder why a question about properties or wealth or inheritance or trusts wasn't asked by this bloke? But they get the new kid, the member for Cook, to ask the question. I wonder why that's the case! Yesterday, when a similar question was asked, I said to the Leader of the Opposition—we have had discussions as well about people's families being raised in this place. I had that discussion, as I've had it with other leaders, and he said, 'Oh, well, it wasn't me. He wanted to ask the question.'
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Hon. Members:
Honourable members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
The Manager of Opposition Business, on a point of order?
Dan Tehan Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
I'd like the Prime Minister to come to the dispatch box and withdraw what he said about the member just before.
Tony Pasin Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting for Fisheries and Forestry
Withdraw it! Withdraw it!
Milton Dick Speaker
The member for Barker will have to leave the chamber, after that outburst.
The member for Barker then left the chamber.
We will deal with this matter. The manager has raised a point of order. If the Prime Minister has said an unparliamentary term, I'll ask him to assist the House and withdraw.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
I withdraw.
Dan Tehan Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction
Speaker, this is really important—
Honourable members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
No—
Resume your seat. Your question was to the member. You didn't specify who it was.
Okay, well, I didn't hear what the Prime Minister said, because of the noise. Can I ask everyone—I don't know who everyone's pointing to. Listen, we are going to settle this House. Everybody is going to lift their standards. The Prime Minister was asked to withdraw—he has done so—just as I have done to members on my left and my right. I didn't hear the remark. I don't want the remark repeated. But I remind all members to keep their language—
An honourable member interjecting—
Order!—to make sure that we follow the standing orders. The Prime Minister, in continuation.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
The premise of the question was completely wrong as well, because what I did was buy a house—
A government member: And lived in it.
in Marrickville, and lived in it. And what I've done now is: because, as I have publicly declared, I got married last November, Jodie and I—I note that she is removed from the equation—have chosen to buy a home for ourselves, for down the track. That is what has happened—all declared.
Opposition members interjecting—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
And, for those opposite—
Darren Chester Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs
You're taking that chance away from them.
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The member for Gippsland is now warned. If he interjects one more time, he won't be here.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
The house I bought first was in Beauchamp Street, Marrickville—the same house that, it ended up, my former wife and I raised our son in, in Beauchamp Street, Marrickville. I bought that house, and we lived in it and then we sold it. It was our family home. The family home is sacrosanct to me and to everyone else. And that's why we want more people to own a family home—that is what we want people to do. And it is absolutely extraordinary, and it shows their failure to actually have any legitimate criticism of our policy, that they chose to go down this road.
Honourable members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
When the House comes to order, we'll hear from the honourable member for Calwell.