Australia’s major political parties are continuing to debate each other over housing affordability.
 
The ABC Online reported that Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he wanted housing to be affordable, but at the same time he hoped prices would keep increasing at a modest rate.
 
Labour jumped on the comment, but the Coalition responded by accusing Opposition Leader Bill Shorten of “wanting the value of homes to fall.”
 
"He wants that asset that they have invested their heart and soul on to be worthless," Abbott was quoted as saying.
 
In an official statement, Shorten denied the suggestion, saying it was a “patently absurd assertion”.
 
Shorten said: "Tony Abbott's Treasury secretary has said there is unequivocally a housing bubble in Sydney and parts of Melbourne. If that's what the Treasury secretary is saying, is the Prime Minister even listening?”
 
Meanwhile, Labor senator Sam Dastyari sees a contradicting scenario.
 
"You have the secretary of the Treasury say … that there's a bubble. At the same time you have the Prime Minister say the exact opposite, that he wants to see prices keep increasing.”
 

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