Meet the Labor backbencher and Liberal MP who own SEVEN homes each – as Anthony Albanese comes under fire for buying a clifftop mansion

A Labor backbencher and the Liberal former home secretary both own seven homes in Australia, it has been revealed.

The revelations about the size of politicians’ real estate portfolios come amid a firestorm surrounding Anthony Albanese following his purchase of a $4.3 million waterfront mansion.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Dr. Michelle Ananda-Rajah, the federal MP for Higgins, in Melbourne’s south-east, has seven properties listed under her or her husband’s name on a public register where politicians must declare all real estate, shares, trusts and donations.

She and her husband own four homes in Victoria, in the suburbs of Porepunkah, Canterbury, North Melbourne and North Carlton.

The couple also share two properties in Brisbane and one in Beaumaris, Tasmania.

Brisbane’s North Carlton homes and properties are listed under her husband’s name.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP and former Home Secretary Karen Andrews also has an impressive property portfolio.

Dr. Michelle Ananda-Rajah will be seen with Anthony Albanese in May 2022

Mrs Andrews, the MP for McPherson in the Gold Coast, who is retiring at the next election, and her husband Chris jointly own seven homes.

The couple have five properties in Queensland: Mudgeeraba, Palm Beach, two in Clear Island Waters and one in Ayr.

They also own homes in Deniliquin, New South Wales and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

Politicians are required to register their assets in the 47th Parliament’s Register of Members’ Interests, which is accessible to the public.

According to the registry, Dr. Ananda-Rajah and Mrs. Andrews currently own the most.

The current Home Secretary, Tony Burke, owns six properties.

It comes after the Prime Minister faced backlash when news broke that he had secured a five-bedroom clifftop property in Copacabana on the NSW central coast.

The home offers ocean views and cathedral-style ceilings from almost every room.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP and former Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews (left with staffer Valeria Cheglov) also has an impressive real estate portfolio

The move sparked debate on social media, with some Australians pointing out that the Prime Minister bought his luxury homes during a severe housing shortage, with rents soaring and high interest rates hurting many mortgage holders.

“Nice to know he’s just a regular fighter,” someone joked.

“Labor politicians are simply too rich and distant to understand the daily struggles of real Australians,” said another.

The Prime Minister was asked by a Sky News reporter if he thought the purchase was a “good look” during Australia’s cost of living.

At an announcement on Tuesday in Logan, south Brisbane, on measures to tackle the housing shortage, Mr Albanese said buying a home with a spouse-to-be was very much in line with the experiences of ordinary Australians.

The Prime Minister recently purchased a $4.3 million home on the Central Coast, where he will live with his fiancée Jodie Haydon.

The house is located right on top of the cliff on a plot of land of 790 m² and is within walking distance of the beach

‘Jodie and I are getting married. Jodie is a Coastie. She is a proud Coastie – there are three generations of Haydons there on the Coast and when your relationship changes, your life changes and you make decisions,” he replied.

“But what I’m focused on is making sure everyone can have a roof over their head. I am focused on increasing investment in social and social housing.”

The reporter pointed out that Mr Albanese’s sprawling home overlooking the ocean was “very different” from the modest new marital home.

‘As Prime Minister I am much better off… as Prime Minister I earn a good income. I understand that I was lucky,” Mr Albanese said.

‘I also know what it’s like to struggle. My mother lived all her 65 years in the only public housing (apartment) in which she was born.

“I know what it’s like and that’s why I want to help all Australians into a home, whether it’s public housing, private rental housing, or homeownership.”

The Prime Minister is the proud new owner of the five-person home in Copacabana, on the NSW central coast