Register of Members Interests reveals how many properties owned by each state MP
Homeownership may be out of reach for many South Aussies but multiple politicians have amassed multimillion-dollar portfolios. How many houses does your local MP own?
Nearly 60 per cent of state parliament’s MPs have declared multiple property portfolios, with a quarter owning three or more homes – while tens of thousands of their constituents struggle to afford a house.
Each year, MPs are required to submit their “interests in land” – along with those of their spouse – into a parliamentary register.
And while 25 MPs have declared an interest in just one property – four in no properties – many have amassed impressive multimillion-dollar portfolios.
The Liberals’ may be on shaky ground coming into next year’s election, but what they lack in lower house seats, they make up for in property ownership – boasting a powerful showing on the list of parliamentary landlords.
Currently, 14 of the 16 Liberal MPs have declared an interest in two or more properties.
Liberals lead the homeownership race
The Liberals take out three of the top five spots when ranking MPs by the total number of properties owned – with Stephen Patterson leading the way with six properties.
The member for Morphett has a residence in Glenelg, two houses in Elizabeth, one in East Melbourne and commercial properties in the CBD and Balhannah.
Liberal MLC Dennis Hood also ranks highly, with four properties.
His portfolio includes a beachfront unit within the Holdfast Promenade complex, overlooking the ocean, valued at about $2.1m.
He also owns a property at Glenelg, along with properties in North Adelaide and Hamilton Island, in Queensland’s Whitsundays.
Labor chasing on the property ladder
Not to be outdone by the Liberals, Labor has also put up strong numbers on the property ladder, with 20 of its MPs declaring an interest in more than one property.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven sits at the No. 2 spot overall, racking up an impressive five properties.
Based in the South-East coastal town of Port MacDonnell, Ms Scriven’s property portfolio is valued at about $2.3m, with rentals in Largs North, Pennington, Woodville North and Taperoo.
Former opposition leader Vincent Tarzia has also ranked highly on the list, with interests in four properties – in the CBD, Campbelltown, Magill and Normanville.
That’s more than Premier Peter Malinauskas who has listed only two properties – one in swanky Hyde Park and another in Bowden.
SA politicians who own interstate and overseas properties
Cressida O’Hanlon, the member for Dunstan, has notched up a trifecta, with properties in Norwood, Queensland and even France.
Other members with overseas properties include Frank Pangallo – whose wife has a property in Greece – and Greens MP Robert Simms, whose partner has a property in Argentina.
Showing its sense of inclusivity the independent MPs are also well represented when it comes to accumulating large property portfolios.
Independent MLC Jing Lee has properties in the CBD, Hillcrest, Valley View and one in Queensland.
MPs with big spreads of properties
Meanwhile, independent MP for the South-East seat of MacKillop, Nick McBride, was born into one of the state’s largest landholding families – which controls around 1.4m hectares of farmland in South Australia and Victoria.
As well as his Conmurra property 40km outside of Kingston SE, Mr McBride has declared property in Robe, Naracoorte and Beulah Park.
The member for Morialta, John Gardner, will leave politics at the next state election with a tidy four properties to his name – in Athelstone, Parkside, Prospect and a 50 per cent share in a Normanville property.
Former treasurer Stephen Mullighan will also finish up at the next election, boasting a multimillion-dollar property portfolio with his Woodville house valued at about $2m, a residential property in Prospect, and his wife’s Toorak Gardens unit valued at $700,000.
Former Treasurer Stephen Mullighan will also finish up at the next election boasting a multimillion dollar property portfolio with his Woodville house valued at around $2m, a residential property in Prospect, and his wife’s Toorak Gardens unit valued at around $700,000.
Treasure’s property trove
While not the largest portfolio in terms of quantity, Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis has also managed to amass a multimillion-dollar portfolio, with three properties in Adelaide’s western suburbs.
His Torrensville and Cowandilla houses are each valued at about $1.4m, while his West Croydon property is conservatively valued at around $700,000.
The rest of SA’s MP property portfolios
The MPs who have listed interests in two properties – in most cases a main residence and an investment property or holiday home include:
Labor: Zoe Bettison, Nick Champion, Susan Close, Nat Cook, Alex Dighton, Ian Hunter, Kyam Maher, Reggie Martin, Chris Picton, Jayne Stinson and Joe Szakacs.
Liberal: Tim Whetstone, Heidi Girolamo, Ben Hood, David Pisoni and Penny Pratt.
Others: Robert Simms (Greens), Connie Bonaros (SA Best), Fraser Ellis (independent) and Geoff Brock (independent).
The register does not list any properties for independents Sarah Game and Tammy Franks and Labor’s Russell Wortley, Mira El Dannawi and Justin Hanson.
There’s no suggestion the MPs have breached any parliamentary rules in relation to their property portfolios.
As politicians offer up policies to combat the housing affordability crisis – from changes to stamp duty, downsizing, rent capping and increasing housing supply – perhaps the best hope for everyday South Australians wanting to own their own home, is simply to become an MP.
*Property values were sourced from individual valuation records at Land Services SA.
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