Ella Haddad slams Michael Ferguson for owning Airbnb

Labor has cried foul over Liberal MP Michael Ferguson’s co-ownership of a Swansea Airbnb, which charges $2033 for one week’s stay. LATEST >>

Labor has cried foul over Liberal MP Michael Ferguson’s co-ownership of a Swansea Airbnb, which charges $2033 for one week’s stay.

It comes after Mr Ferguson rejected a proposal by Labor’s Ella Haddad to put a lid on new whole-house Airbnbs as a way to tamp down on Tasmania’s housing crisis.

Ms Haddad said it was a “serious conflict of interest” for Mr Ferguson to leap to the defence of Airbnb owners while himself being an Airbnb co-owner.

Michael Ferguson.

“Was Mr Ferguson’s immediate rejection of this sensible approach to helping alleviate the housing crisis based on advice he received or was it based on his own self interests?” Ms Haddad said.

“As the co-owner of a short stay property, Mr Ferguson has to tell Tasmanians if he is failing to act to fix the housing crisis he is presiding over because he has a significant interest in the sector.”

The Airbnb in question is a whole-house short-stay which only accepts guests for four nights at a minimum.

A four-night stay in the three-bedroom house will cost visitors $1478, whereas a sevennight stay will cost guests $2033.

A government spokesman said all cabinet members already disclosed their interests, which are all on the public record on the government’s website.

Michael Ferguson’s Swansea Airbnb. Picture: Airbnb's website

The spokesman said their members were supportive of the sharing economy, and that Labor had no business telling other people what to do with their own properties.

“This is nothing short of a grubby smear from a party with no alternative plans for Tasmanians,” the spokesman said.

“All our members have declared their property ownerships in accordance with legislative requirements so for Ms Haddad to try and take advantage of that for political gain is disgraceful. This false claim is recycled from three years ago when Rebecca White tried the same stunt in parliament.

“Furthermore, it doesn’t make sense for Ms Haddad to call owning a shack a conflict of interest. Labor’s calls for a pause on new permits would not lead to family shacks being made available as long term rentals and would do nothing to add to the stock of available housing.”

The government’s Register of Members’ Interests shows that Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff also owns a holiday rental property in Bridport.