1 month ago
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is nether occurrence aft buying a multi-million-dollar cliff-top location amid a nationalist lodging crisis.
Albanese made the acquisition months retired from an predetermination successful which the outgo of surviving and lodging are cardinal issues.
The determination has sparked backlash from crossed the governmental disagreement - with his opponents calling it "tone deaf" and immoderate wrong his ain enactment anonymously telling section media it near them "gobsmacked".
Albanese defended his decision, saying helium "knows what it is similar to struggle" but bought the luxury spot to beryllium adjacent to his fiancee Jodie Haydon's household connected the New South Wales Central Coast.
Property records amusement the four-bedroom, three-bathroom, and three-carport spot successful Copacabana - which has panoramic views - was sold for A$4.3m ($2.9m, £2.2m) past month, but the acquisition is yet to settle.
At a property league astir lodging connected the time quality of his caller location broke, Albanese said helium was alert that helium was "better off" than galore Australians owed to his income but that helium could inactive empathise with their struggle.
"My mum lived successful the 1 nationalist lodging [home] that she was calved successful for each of her 65 years," helium told reporters.
“I cognize what it is like, which is wherefore I privation to assistance each Australians into a home.”
Albanese's Labor enactment has created a A$10b concern money for societal and affordable housing. It has struggled to get different lodging initiatives done parliament though, owed successful portion to a deficiency of enactment from the Australian Greens enactment and immoderate independents, who privation the authorities to nutrient much ambitious argumentation proposals.
Research suggests Australian cities fertile among the worst successful the satellite for lodging affordability, with Sydney trailing lone Hong Kong, according to the 2024 Demographia International Housing Affordability survey.
About 2 thirds of Australian households ain a home, but, according to parliamentary disclosures, astir 95% of sitting national politicians ain astatine slightest 1 residential property. About a 3rd ain 3 oregon more.
While immoderate of his colleagues person backed Albanese, respective person breached fertile to criticise his determination anonymously arsenic being retired of measurement with the public.
“I can’t deliberation of a greater enactment of self-sabotage successful my life,” 1 Labor MP told the Sydney Morning Herald - who redacted their sanction "so they could talk freely".
"If you’re a Labor MP up against a Green astatine the adjacent election, bully luck," they added.
Greens lodging spokesperson Max Chandler-Mather said Albanese’s acquisition highlights the request for betterment to lucrative taxation incentives for spot investors and greater renter protections.
"Labor and the Liberals person created a lodging strategy wherever a spot capitalist tin bargain a A$4.3m beachfront home, portion millions can't adjacent find an affordable rental, fto unsocial bargain a location of their own," Chandler-Mather wrote connected X.
Liberal Senator Jane Hume said "everybody has a close to a idiosyncratic life" but questioned "the timing" of the purchase: "This is code deaf during a lodging crisis," she told Channel 7's Sunrise programme.
However Opposition Leader and chap Liberal Peter Dutton declined to criticise Albanese but noted that galore Australians were struggling with their ain mortgages.
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