A Liberal Minister Bought An $800,000 Investment Property While On A Taxpayer Funded Work Trip
Apparently the purchase was "not planned".
Young Australians might be living through a housing affordability crisis and facing the possibility of never owning a home, but it looks like Liberal party politicians are finding it easier than ever to build up their property portfolios.
The Herald-Sun is reporting that federal health minister, Sussan Ley, charged taxpayers for flights, accommodation and chauffeur services for a two-day trip to the Gold Coast where she ended up buying a $795,000 investment property.
Ley travelled to Brisbane to announce a new medical funding program but records show she later travelled to the Gold Coast and spent the night there, paid for using her taxpayer funded travel allowance. She confirmed to The Herald-Sun that she bought the property on that trip.
But here’s the kicker: according to Ley the purchase “was not planned nor anticipated.”
What.
If we take Ley at her word she travelled to Brisbane for a work event, decided to duck over to the Gold Coast for fun and on a whim dropped nearly $800,000 on a new apartment. Who does that?
According to Ley she travelled to the Gold Coast to meet with “stakeholders” but so far she’s refused to name who they were.
Dear #centrelink, could you please send @sussanley a debt recovery letter for all of her taxpayer funded travel rorts. https://t.co/7kfKpXNcUW
— Denise:C (@SpudBenBean) January 5, 2017
Ley earns a pretty lucrative salary of nearly $340,000 a year (excluding additional allowances) but it’s still pretty hard to believe she impulse bought an apartment.
All up Ley and her partner own three investment properties, in addition to their Albury home, according to her register of interests.
On average federal politicians own 2.4 properties each. One Coalition senator, Barry O’Sullivan, owns a whopping 41 properties.
These are the same politicians who have so far refused to crack down on negative gearing, making it easier for investors to buy more and more property while squeezing first homebuyers out of the market.
Hey politicians, here’s a free bit of advice: this is why everyone hates you.
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Feature image via Facebook