More than half the politicians in federal parliament have disclosed owning investment properties or multiple homes, with at least 50 receiving rental income as landlords.
The property portfolios of some of the nation’s most powerful parliamentarians have been revealed – including holiday homes, beach shacks, second houses interstate and overseas real estate – as the federal government considers ways to fix Australia’s housing shortage.
Guardian Australia analysis of the parliamentary register of interests finds 130 out of 226 federal MPs and senators have disclosed multiple properties, investment properties, or both.
At least 91 have disclosed properties they have listed as investment, rental or “landlord”.
Some 124 politicians – 55% of the parliament – have declared owning multiple properties.
Another six have declared just a single property, which they list as an investment, disclosing no ownership of residential property.
Michelle Ananda-Rajah, the Labor MP turned senator for Victoria, has the highest number, with six properties all listed as “residential/investment”; including three in her native Melbourne, one each in Brisbane and Beaumaris in coastal Tasmania, and another in rural Victoria’s Porepunkah.
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Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, also has six properties listed: two residential homes in Sydney and Canberra, as well as four investments, with three in Tasmania and another in Victoria’s Port Phillip.
Rising star Labor assistant minister Andrew Charlton has listed a portfolio of five “residential investment” properties, including homes in well-heeled Sydney suburbs including Bellevue Hill, Woollahra and the northern beaches.
Anthony Albanese, who lives at the prime minister’s residence The Lodge in Canberra, has listed two investment properties. His Central Coast cliffside home is declared as an investment – which he notes is “joint with spouse”, fiancee Jodie Haydon – and another property at Marrickville is listed as “former home/investment”.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has declared four properties: a residential and two investment homes in Albury, and another investment property on the Gold Coast. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, declared two private residences, one in Canberra and another in Queensland, as well as his own investment on the Gold Coast.
Guardian Australia’s analysis includes only properties declared by the parliamentarian themselves, not their partners or children. Many politicians note further extensive real estate holdings from their spouses; the Liberal MP Ben Small, for instance, notes two residential properties in his own name, and another five in total held by his partner.
Michelle Rowland, the attorney general, has listed two “residential investment” properties at Potts Point and Caves Beach. Additionally she declared that a trust, in which she owns a share, operates “real property investments in Glenwood, Randwick and Kingston”.
The Labor senator Deborah O’Neill has listed five of her own, with one home at Copacabana on the New South Wales central coast – the same suburb as Albanese’s beachside home – and four investment properties spread across Queensland, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
Labor’s housing minister, Clare O’Neil, has listed one residential property only; her shadow counterpart, Liberal senator Andrew Bragg, has also only listed a single residential home, as has the Greens leader, Larissa Waters.
The Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi has listed two homes at Beaconsfield, in Sydney’s inner south, one residential and one investment, as well as rental income derived from that property.
Her fellow Greens senator Nick McKim, from Tasmania, declared four properties, including a home in Hobart, a shack and agricultural land at Nubeena, and a residential property in New Norfolk he notes is “tenanted to family member”.
The independent MP Allegra Spender declared three properties: a home in Darling Point, a holiday house at Great Mackerel Beach, and a property in Woollahra listed as an “estate asset”.
Sophie Scamps has listed a family home and a separate investment property in Avalon Beach, a hobby farm in Tasmania, and a “bush block – no house” at Wee Jasper outside Canberra.
Dozens of politicians are landlords, having also declared receiving rental income or income from their investments, including federal ministers Burke, Charlton, Tim Ayres, Kristy McBain and Catherine King; Liberals including Dan Tehan, Bridget McKenzie, Sarah Henderson and Michaelia Cash; and crossbenchers such as Faruqi, Zali Steggall and Andrew Gee.
Other MPs have listed overseas property. The Labor MP Steve Georganas listed three properties, including a “block of unconstructed residential land (inheritance)” in Greece. He also declared ownership of “a small block of farm land (olive groves) in Greece”.
The Labor minister Tanya Plibersek listed four properties, including residential homes in Sydney and Canberra, an investment in Sydney and a second investment in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
As of Tuesday, the maverick Queensland MP Bob Katter is the only lower house member not to have lodged his register of interests.
This story was amended on 3 September 2025 to reduce figures by one, owing to data duplication.
