The four bedroom Northcote home is described as having "spectacular city views" and an "abundance of period charm" on a "colossal" 900 square metre block of land, and is in Mr Feeney's inner city electorate of Batman. Labor MP David Feeney said the US has unnerved its allies. Credit:Brendan Esposito But Mr Feeney lives in the Greens-held seat of Melbourne, in an exclusive East Melbourne apartment that he jointly owns with his wife and which was purchased for $2.875 million in 2010. The Right faction powerbroker, and key ally of Labor leader Bill Shorten, is under mounting pressure to hang on to his seat and is locked in a fierce fight with Greens candidate Alex Bhathal. And the Greens believe Batman represents their best chance to claim a second lower house seat at July's federal election.

Earlier this week, Mr Feeney told Fairfax Media that he did not live in his seat because: "My wife and I bought a house in Northcote in 2013 after I won Batman for Labor but it is being renovated. So we're not living in it at the moment but that will be our family home". The undeclared Northcote home co-owned by Mr Feeney, which is leased out to tenants. Credit:Penny Stephens A subsequent examination of his parliamentary Register of Members interests by Fairfax Media revealed Mr Feeney and his wife have declared ownership of the East Melbourne property. The pair have also declared ownership of an investment property in the Melbourne suburb of Seddon purchased for $380,000 back in 2004. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten congratulates David Feeney after he joined the Labor Party caucus in 2013. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Mr Feeney has not declared the $2.31 million Northcote property, purchased on December 24, 2013, more than two years after the parliamentary deadline. The rules around what MPs must declare are quite strict and require that all property, shares and gifts worth more than $300 be reported within 28 days. Although Mr Feeney updated his register twice in 2015, on neither occasion did he declare the Northcote house. When Fairfax Media visited the property on Tuesday neighbours said they were aware of the MP's renovation plans but there was no sign of work under way. The Darebin City Council website revealed a building permit application was submitted on August 12, 2015 - nearly two years after the 2013 election and the purchase of the property, but no commencement date is listed for the building of the new dwelling. When contacted about the omission on Tuesday, Mr Feeney initially said he believed the property was declared on his register before conceding it was not and promising "that is something I will look in to straight away".

The property was listed for $700 a week rent on Domain.com.au as recently as January 2016 and Mr Feeney confirmed that tenants were on a lease that ran until July and after that, "I think we are proposing to move to month to month". Asked why he had told Fairfax Media the Northcote property was being renovated when no work had commenced, Mr Feeney said: "it's our intention to renovate, we are tendering with builders" and that architects plans had been completed. Mr Feeney said his Seddon property was negatively geared but "I don't know about Northcote". "It is a matter of public knowledge that my wife and I purchased a home in Northcote in 2013. This has been reported in the media. There has been no conflict of interest in my wife and I having our home in Northcote," he said. Contacted by Fairfax Media after the story broke, Greens deputy leader Scott Ludlam was reluctant to comment as he said he was checking his property portfolio to see if he had also "forgotten about a $2.3 million property he owned".

"This improves Alex Bhathal's chances of winning the seat, this is a remarkable act of carelessness. How do you forget a $2.3 million property?" And Liberal frontbencher Alex Hawke said Mr Feeney "clearly had to answer questions about these issues". "Everyone understands the requirement in relation to disclosing their property," he said. "It is odd that he can't recall if he is negatively geared or positively geared, given you have to declare this on your tax return." Under parliamentary rules, MPs must update their register of interests, including property holdings, within 28 days and if an MP fails to do this they could be found "guilty of a serious contempt of the House of Representatives and shall be dealt with by the House accordingly".

In practice, that means Mr Feeney could be referred to the House Privileges committee and censured. The last MP to be censured in this way was disgraced former Labor MP Craig Thomson. with Chris Vedelago ​Follow us on Twitter Follow James Massola and Fergus Hunter on Facebook