Real Estate
20 November, 2025
Stupid bedroom tax
AUSTRALIA’S so-called “spare bedroom tax” proposal is not a bold policy, it’s bureaucratic overreach dressed up as reform.
The idea that homeowners should be penalised for having an unused bedroom stinks of desperation and scapegoating, not sensible economics.
Let’s be clear: people worked hard, saved, sacrificed and paid off mortgages under the promise of home ownership being a reward for discipline and security.
Now, because governments failed to plan for housing supply, the same families are being targeted for simply living in the homes they earned. That isn’t policy, it’s punishment.
A grandmother who keeps a spare room for visiting children should not be forced into downsizing because Canberra can’t manage zoning, approvals and construction pipelines.
Nor should a single parent be taxed for keeping a bedroom that might one day be used again. Housing is about more than just square metres – it’s about lifestyle, family, and freedom of choice.
The answer lies in building more homes, cutting red tape, and unlocking land – not raiding living rooms.
- Troy McGuane is a director of Palm House Property
