Victoria’s new Premier has taken a swipe at the Liberal Party for appointing a man with 17 properties as the new shadow minister for cost of living.
David Southwick says he doesn’t think his property portfolio is “relevant” to his ability to act in the best interest of Victorians in his role as cost of living shadow minister.
The Caulfield MP’s new role was announced on Monday as part of Opposition Leader John Pesutto’s new look shadow cabinet.
Mr Southwick’s properties came to light through a register of interests disclosure to parliament, which shows, as of February 2023, he has interest in 17 properties, either personally or as part of a trust.
During her first Question Time as the Victorian Premier on Tuesday, Jacinta Allan made a cheeky reference to Mr Southwick’s vast property portfolio, sparking uproar from the Opposition.
Ms Allan was being grilled on the Vacant Residential Land Tax that was announced by Treasurer Tim Pallas yesterday, which will see the homeowners hit with a financial penalty if their properties are left unoccupied for more than six months.
The new tax, which will apply from 2025, has been met with outrage and was one of the major topics the new Premier was asked to address yesterday.
During Question Time, Ms Allan said that the government has to do everything it can to make sure that these vacant properties are made available for people to live in.
“Vacant properties is an issue. Some people have two or three properties,” she said.
“Some people have nine or 10 properties. Some people have 17.”
The room quickly erupted with shouts, resulting in the Opposition referring the Speaker to a previous ruling that reportedly states that members must not make “nasty attacks on other members” when answering a question.
This was quickly shut down by the Speaker, who said: “The premier did not refer to any member of this house in her response.”
Mr Southwick’s property portfolio was recently raised in a press conference, with a journalist asking what lived experience he brings to the job.
In his response, Mr Southwick said the focus needs to be on “people who work hard” and ensuring they are rewarded.
“I don’t turn away from the fact that I had a life before politics. My focus here is ensuring that every single Victorian is represented and I will fight for every single Victorian, like I always have,” he said.
“That’s my focus at the moment. Victorians are paying the highest prices, whether it be their energy bills, whether it be, in terms of property taxes.”
Mr Southwick later told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that he was “taken back” by the question, adding that he thought people would be focused on the cost of living so he was surprised when someone “wanted to ask about how many properties I own”.
“I really didn’t think that was relevant,” he said.
When pressed further about the properties, the MP conceded that he does “have a few” but claimed most of those were managed in trust for his extended family.
While he was “proud” of the properties, he added that they weren’t all his and that his father and family had contributed “to a number of those”.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have somebody that’s had previous life in running a number of small businesses before going into politics,” Mr Southwick said, adding he felt very lucky to have had the opportunities to do that.
“But I think at the same time, I provide real experience as somebody that actually, at times, had to even put wages of my staff on credit cards to actually keep the businesses afloat.”
Mitchell then asked if the MP had “ever done hungry”, to which he replied: “Absolutely I have.”
He added that he focused on working hard and was lucky to be able to buy his first home in his 20s, something that is “so far away” for many young people at the moment.
“I think we need less career politicians and more politicians with real life experience that actually know what it’s like to make a dollar, but also the struggles and tribulations along the way.