Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is getting rinsed online for joking in parliament yesterday that he’s “very pleased to be back in public housing”, referring to his taxpayer-funded 40-room Canberra mansion with a tennis court and swimming pool.
Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather probed the PM during question time on Monday afternoon about Australia’s rental crisis, lack of affordable housing and whether his status as a landlord was influencing his decision to not support the Greens’ proposed two-year rent freeze.
Albanese replied: “I am very pleased that I am back in public housing, it has to be said. A lot better than my first public house.”
Today I asked the PM about the housing crisis and he joked about the Lodge being public housing. He didn’t mention renters. Once. And didn’t once acknowledge the terrible conditions many actual public housing tenants live in. We need action on the housing crisis. Not stupid jokes pic.twitter.com/FABjlWri2l
— Max Chandler-Mather (@MChandlerMather) September 5, 2022
Chandler-Mater later tweeted that Australia needed real action on the housing crisis, “not stupid jokes.”
It’s at least the *sixth* time Albanese’s publicly joked that his *two* official residences, the Lodge and Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney, were ‘public housing’ and better than the public housing he famously grew up in.
Most recently he told B105 radio on August 18 “I’ve moved back into public housing, it’s a lot better than my last public housing where I grew up”, and rung the joke out again just last week on Sky News.
But it didn’t land this time — possibly because it came the same day the government said it would not be raising JobSeeker payments nor would it be extending paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks. It’s also shocking timing amid a lot of public scrutiny over the government’s stage three tax cuts set to come into effect in July 2024 which would mostly benefit Australians, including Albo, earning above $180,000 a year.
Journalists, members of the public and even fellow politicians tweeted their reactions to Albanese’s joke on Tuesday morning, expressing dismay that the PM thought it was in good taste considering how much Australians are suffering under the current exorbitant cost of living.
Yeah all us homeless people – we all want public housing same as The Lodge thanks Anthony Albanese. So when are you requisitioning the 1Million empty land-banked investment homes in Australia? @AlboMP #HousingCrisis #HomelessnessCrisis pic.twitter.com/gOd6QVLPlC
— Sarah Climate🦜🐨🌳🐬💚🌏BLM⛴AS👣DANCE🪘🎀 (@clearticulation) September 5, 2022
Pretty tone deaf joke from Australia’s PM (referencing being in the prime ministerial lodge) when there are vastly inadequate stocks of public housing and millions are suffering from high housing costs https://t.co/gy9yFtLPAg
— Max Walden (@maxwalden_) September 5, 2022
Greens Senator Janet Rice tweeted simply: “Wowwwww” and sis, we are all feeling that.
Wowwwww https://t.co/jkaU3Ljf8k
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) September 5, 2022
Greens leader Adam Bandt also called the joke a “swing and a miss”.
“The housing crisis isn’t a joke, and under Labor’s plan the wait list for public housing will only get longer,” he posted on social media.
“We need action that ensures everyone has access to a safe and affordable home.”
PM Albanese just said he’s living in “public housing” to deflect from MCM’s question about a rent freeze to ease cost of living for the poor & working class…
This mf lives in two fkn MANSIONS lmao, shut the hell up clown
— Str*wth 🏳️⚧️ (@StrewthQueen) September 5, 2022
Pretty galling to hear Anthony Albanese refer to his current living arrangement (at The Lodge, a mansion in Canberra) as “being back in public housing”
— will kelly (@_wkelly_) September 5, 2022
Albanese has also previously faced backlash for his overused public housing and poverty rhetoric during his election campaign and following his win.
“It says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mum who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown, can stand before you tonight as Australia’s prime minister,” he said in his election victory speech.
But for years Albanese has shown no interest in making the lives of people like his mother better, which antipoverty advocates say is hypocritical and cruel.
Monday’s joke is just another slap in the face to the three million Australians who actually rely on public housing to survive.
