Federal MPs and senators have impressive property portfolios, owning or having an interest in almost two properties each on average.
Of our 151 MPs and 76 senators, 38 have property in the nation’s capital, Canberra, or in nearby Queanbeyan, for which they are entitled to claim a $299 a night travel allowance for parliamentary business.
A survey of the register of interests reveals MPs and senators own 237 houses or apartments, including their primary and Canberra residences, and have interests in 210 other properties including holiday homes, investment properties or agricultural land. These were often owned with spouses or partners.
On Sunday Guardian Australia revealed the range of diverse pecuniary interests, including rare metals, racehorses and cryptocurrency, owned by our elected leaders.
Among the biggest property owners in parliament are:
The shadow home affairs minister, Karen Andrews, who owns her residence in Clear Island Waters (Queensland) and six investment properties.
The leader of the house, Tony Burke, who has residences in Punchbowl (New South Wales) and Belconnen (ACT) and four investment properties.
The Labor MP Louise Miller-Frost, who owns her residence in Cumberland Park (South Australia) and four investment properties.
The Nationals MP Andrew Willcox, who owns his residence in Bowen and five investment properties in Brisbane and Townsville.
Under parliamentary expense rules, MPs and senators are able to claim $299 a night to stay in Canberra to attend official business including parliamentary sittings.
The allowance is payable regardless of whether MPs and senators stay in a property they own. In the last term of parliament, the allowance was worth $291 a night.
Government MPs with Canberra or Queanbeyan residences include Burke, the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, the Speaker, Milton Dick, the Pacific minister, Pat Conroy, the resources minister, Madeleine King, the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, and the Senate leader, Penny Wong.
On the Coalition side, the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, the shadow climate change minister, Ted O’Brien, the shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, and Senator Matt Canavan have a second residence in Canberra.
Some of parliament’s new faces are among its biggest property owners. The independent MP Sophie Scamps declared a family home in Avalon beach, farm in Wee Jasper and three investment properties.
The Labor MP Michelle Ananda-Rajah declared four properties as “residential/investment … joint holding with spouse”.
The Coalition MPs Gavin Pearce, Nola Marino and Colin Boyce declared interests in five or more properties each, although several of these were leases on agricultural land.
The Greens MPs Stephen Bates and Max Chandler-Mather, and senators Dorinda Cox, Jordon Steele-John and David Shoebridge were among the politicians to declare no property ownership. However, Shoebridge declared three “mortgages on investment properties held by spouse” in his “liabilities” section.
Bates, a former retail worker elected to the seat of Brisbane, told the ABC in May despite the “insane” base salary of $211,000 for MPs he intended to work at least three more shifts after his election to make rent.
The high population of renters in Bates’ and Chandler-Mather’s seats has been credited for their victory.
Chandler-Mather, the Greens housing spokesman, has called for a two-year rent freeze as the minor party courts people facing soaring rents.
Greens party-mates Nick McKim, Mehreen Faruqi and Elizabeth Watson-Brown were among those to declare ownership of multiple properties in addition to their primary residences.
