Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather has been confronted about why he does not own a home despite earning more than $233,660 a year.
The 32-year-old MP for Griffith, in inner-city Brisbane, was put on the spot at the National Press Club on Tuesday about why, despite being among the top three per cent of earners in Australia, he still does not own a home.
‘Out of curiosity, you’re a very highly paid senator, on a $220,000 plus salary, but you are a renter, why haven’t you purchased a home?’ asked Nick Bonyhady, a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Chandler-Mather, a lifelong renter, revealed how he had been giving up a proportion of his income to charity, and that he was priced out of a home in his electorate.
‘Look, honest answer, small family, we’re on a single income and I give up about $50,000 of my salary to run all the free meal programs in the electorate,’ he said.
‘Using that money we serve about 50,000 free meals, including our free weekly breakfast in state schools.
‘My view is when I got elected, I was elected by a lot of people who are low-income renters and it wasn’t right for me not to give up a big portion of my salary to people who are low income.
‘Because of giving up that money and being on a single income, and in an inner-city electorate with very, very high median house prices, it is difficult to buy a house there.
‘I want to be clear though, I’m not the one doing it tough, but I am answering your question.’
An MP on a base salary of $233,660 is among the top two per cent of income earners.
Inner Brisbane‘s median house price of $974,025 would require someone to earn $149,850 just to qualify for a mortgage with a 20 per cent deposit.
But in his Griffith electorate, an upmarket suburb like Bulimba on the Brisbane River has a very unaffordable mid-point house price of $2,068,461.
Someone would need to earn $318,225 – and be among the top 1 per cent of income earners – to even get a mortgage.
However, Mr Chandler-Mather would likely be able to buy a smaller unit within his electorate.
Earlier, Chandler-Mather became emotional as he spoke about how the housing crisis is impacting his generation after being accused of ‘letting down young voters’ by capitulating to Labor.
Mr Chandler-Mather was questioned by interviewer Sarah Ferguson on Monday night’s episode of ABC’s 7.30 Report about whether the Greens, by agreeing to pass two Labor housing bills, had failed the party’s base of younger voters.
‘Everyday we don’t solve the housing crisis I feel like I have let them down a little bit,’ an emotional Mr Chandler-Mather said.
‘My generation for the first time are probably going to be worse off than our parents. I feel that acutely.’
Mr Chandler-Mather’s voice wavered as revealed he had ‘friends who have been kicked out of their homes because they can’t afford the rent or have given up on ever being able to buy a home’.
‘And it hurts me a lot, actually, to see that. I find it really hard,’ he said.
The Greens delayed the Albanese government’s Help to Buy and Build-to-Rent bills for months, pushing for changes to property investor tax concessions and rent rise caps.
However, they ultimately supported the bills despite these demands not being met.
