Until recently, I was a landlord. And I support Labor’s proposed changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax.

A decade ago, I booked consultations with every type of Australian bank. Even though I had $70,000 (my entire life’s savings) and a permanent full-time job, like many others at the time, I couldn’t secure a loan. The lender was clear: with this deposit, I would be lucky to afford anything in Sydney. The lender suggested I ask my parents, as though everyone can just ask their parents for an easy $30,000 top up to their deposit.

The messages were clear: my dreams to be an owner-occupier weren’t going to happen, I was too broke. My only real option? An investment loan. The interest rates would be higher, I’d still need to sign up for lenders’ mortgage insurance and pay even more money to the bank, but I’d get a foot on to the housing ladder.

I bought a one-bedroom apartment that needed work and rented it out while I rented somewhere cheaper. I was part of a growing trend of Australians who become “rent-vestors” – people who own property but can’t necessarily afford to live in it.

In political debates, we talk about negative gearing as........

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