(Image: Private Media)Housing is one of the biggest issues facing Australians right now, and politicians say they’re listening. Home ownership has been in decline for decades, and has fallen significantly for groups such as younger households and those on lower incomes. Solutions offered by the parties have focused on figuring out ways to help people pour more money into the housing market rather than addressing what’s making housing more expensive.
It’s hard not to notice that Parliament looks very different from the electorate when it comes to home ownership. In 2021, two-thirds of households were inhabited by their owners. In the 47th Parliament, there are 510 properties owned by 227 federal members of Parliament (MPs). That’s an average of 2.25 properties per MP.
