Federal budget 2026 live updates: treasurer Jim Chalmers to present budget speech tonight – latest news

Treasurer says housing market ‘isn’t working’ and tax system around it is ‘out of whack’. Follow the latest updates

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‘Let’s build more houses … not start taxing them’, shadow finance minister says

Claire Chandler, the shadow minister for finance, spoke a moment ago.

You don’t make more of something by increasing taxes on it. Taxes are inherently a disincentive to create more of something.

If we need more houses in this country, let’s build more houses. Let’s not start taxing them.

It’s all of our housing programs, 5% deposit, the Housing Australia Future Fund, the partnership we’ve had with the states and territories, the announcement made … on the weekend or yet around enabling infrastructure, $2bn to do the kind of the back end of housing development, all the connections and all of that kind of thing that state and territory and local government struggle with.

I think there is a lot of understanding across the community about governments needing to respond to try and make housing more affordable.

This isn’t about generation versus generation.