Outrage over $7 million cost of prime minister, Aussies label Albanese ‘out of touch’

Australians have lashed Anthony Albanese after new analysis revealed his role costs taxpayers nearly $7 million a year, accusing him of being out of touch and living large at public expense.

Readers have unleashed a wave of criticism following revelations that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese costs taxpayers nearly $7 million a year, branding him “out of touch” and questioning his connection to the average Australian.

The scathing reaction comes in the wake of new analysis from the Institute of Public Affairs, which calculated the total annual cost of Mr Albanese’s office — including his salary, international travel, staff expenses and maintenance of official residences — at $6,865,902.

The highest cost of the annual spend on funding the PM comes from a raft of expenses logged with the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, with Mr Albanese’s average quarterly parliamentary expenses recorded in the register is $929,695, or $3,718,780 annualised.

Those expenses cover everything ranging from car travel, overseas travel for the PM and his staff, family travel expenses, and telephone bills.

More than 500 Daily Telegraph readers reacted to the news, with the majority being negative, criticising the Prime Minister’s spending habits and leadership credentials.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been slammed by Daily Telegraph readers.

One reader was labelled Albanese a “champagne socialist” and accused him of embracing the perks of office while ordinary Australians face growing cost-of-living pressures.

“At the rate he is spending, we will be lucky to have anything left at the end of his term but trillions of debt, we need to cancel his government credit card,” a reader commented.

Anthony Albanese has been labelled “out of touch”. (Picture: Getty Images)

“Born to rule champagne socialist like the rest of the Labor leaders,” another said.

According to the report, Albanese’s salary has increased to $620,000 following a recent bump, while the cost of maintaining The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House in Sydney stands at $2.5 million.

While Albanese comes from a working-class background, some readers say he is now out of touch with the realities faced by today’s working-class Australians.

“I cannot think of one single thing this man has done or achieved to help the plight of the average Australian voter,” another reader said.

542 readers have commented so far. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Another commenter suggested the Prime Minister’s management would never be tolerated in the private sector.

“If his government performance was conducted in private enterprise, he would have been sacked years ago,” a Telegraph reader said.

However, some readers thought the criticism was unfounded.

“The comment writers are carrying on as if the current PM is the only PM who has ever been responsible for these expenses, every PM and politician we’ve ever had has made full use of the many perks available to them,” a reader said.

“Regardless of your side of politics it cost money to keep the PMs, Compare our GDP against $7m and it’s a drop in the bucket,” another said.

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Originally published as Outrage over $7 million cost of prime minister, Aussies label Albanese ‘out of touch’