Question that left Dutton stunned on campaign trail with son Harry

Peter Dutton was floored by a reporter’s straightforward question as son Harry joined the Opposition leader on the campaign trail.

OPINION

It’s been a relatively uninspiring federal election campaign thus far.

So much so that the most exciting thing to happen has been Peter Dutton’s son, Harry, joining him on the campaign trail.

The 20-year-old apprentice chippy fronted a press conference with his father on Monday, saying he was “saving like mad”, as was his sister, to buy his first home but the dream seemed out of reach.

It made Harry the talk of the campaign – and headlines across various publications questioned why the multi-millionaire Mr Dutton wouldn’t just tip in the money to buy his son a house, as though that’s just the done thing.

He was asked by one reporter at that press conference: “Why won’t you support him a bit and give him a bit of help with getting his house?”

Mr Dutton dodged the question before clarifying the next day that he probably would help with a deposit in the future.

But the point, surely, should be that he shouldn’t have to do that.

I find it extraordinary that we’ve reached a point in political discourse where a politician’s son says young people ought to be able to buy a house under their own steam and then the media somehow tries to discredit that point because his dad has money.

The left, it would seem, have suddenly become fans of intergenerational wealth.

Harry Dutton joined Peter Dutton as they visited a housing construction site to talk about the Liberal housing policy. Picture: Richard Dobson/Newswire

The opposition leader shouldn’t have to pony up the cash for his son to buy a home but that is increasingly the only way for young people to enter the market.

I was lucky enough to buy my first home just before my 21st birthday.

That was in Adelaide, just before the market shot up during Covid. Prices were a fair bit cheaper than they are now – and much cheaper than Sydney and Melbourne.

I started as a cadet journalist at 17, lived with my parents and saved half my wages to buy a two-bed unit.

I figured the faster I was in the market the better I’d do and I’d rather be paying off my own mortgage than someone else’s.

All eyes were on the father-son duo. Picture: Richard Dobson/Newswire

My parents did not, and have never, given me any monetary assistance.

But I could not do the same today in that sort of timeframe.

You’d be laughed at if you even considered the idea in Sydney.

I am sympathetic to the idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps but that only goes so far.

House values are now 16.5 times the average annual income compared to nine times at the turn of the century. The affordability ratio was better again 25 years before that.

So while it is true to say that it’s always been hard to buy your first home, the reality is that it’s about twice as hard as it was 25 years ago – and that’s before you take into account the rising taxes and bills that come with owning property.

Peter Dutton's children Tom, Rebecca and Harry. Picture: 60 Minutes

A household in Sydney needs to be raking in nearly $300,000 a year to service a loan on the median house price without falling into mortgage stress.

Data released this week by Canstar found a family of four in Sydney needs to spend $105,000 a year just to keep themselves fed and in a house.

So it’s all good and well to sneer that Mr Dutton should be buying his son a home – but what about those who don’t have the benefit of parental wealth?

Home ownership used to be something to strive for and look forward to. Now it’s something people hope they might be able to do one day if they happen to come into a lot of money.

That is not the basis on which to build happy people, families, communities – or a cohesive and prosperous country.

At what point did we just accept that the bank of mum and dad was the way to go?

Originally published as Question that left Dutton stunned on campaign trail with son Harry