The Turnbull Government is finishing the year as it started, hopelessly divided on key policies like negative gearing.

Today the split between Malcom Turnbull, Scott Morrison and their backbench widened further with John Alexander openly challenging the Government’s position on negative gearing.

Under the current arrangements, Mr Alexander says first home buyers have as much chance against investors in the market as they would in a game of tennis against Roger Federer.   

When specifically asked about Labor’s negative gearing policy, Mr Alexander said:

“Everything needs to be looked at.  I thought that negative gearing had to be one of the aspects that we looked at.”

And when describing the imbalance in the Liberal policy which favours investors over first home buyers, he said:

“If you were to play Roger Federer once you would lose, certainly, and if you played him a thousand times you would lose a thousand times, and that’s what it’s like for a home buyer to go against an investor.”

• Breakfast with Sarah Macdonald – 702 ABC Sydney, 22 December 2016

Labor’s negative gearing policy will make it easier for first home buyers, boost construction jobs, and help address the mess the Turnbull Government has made of the Budget.

Malcolm Turnbull’s own backbench can see sense, as can the NSW Liberal Government, and even Scott Morrison knows there are excesses with negative gearing but would rather play politics instead of pursuing sensible reform. 

The only policy the Liberals have on housing affordability is to get rich parents.

It’s time for the Turnbull Government to adopt Labor’s policy on negative gearing and capital gains and dump their $50 billion tax cut for big business– doing that will improve the Budget bottom line by more than $80 billion and lock in Australia’s AAA credit rating.