2GB presenter Ben Fordham has let go of Anthony Albanese as an emergency meeting on the cost of living will cost taxpayers almost half a million dollars.
The Prime Minister has called on almost a hundred MPs and Senators to travel to Canberra next Wednesday for the one-off ‘talkfest’, which is scheduled a fortnight before the first parliamentary meeting of 2024.
According to NewsCorp, it will cost an estimated $468,818 for all Labor politicians based outside the ACT to travel with staff and stay overnight in Canberra for the meeting.
An excited Fordham branded the ‘conservative’ estimate as outrageous as millions of Aussies struggle with rising living costs.
“This doesn’t pass the pub test,” he said. “That’s almost half of the million dollars of your money going down the drain this Wednesday.
‘We are investing a lot of money to make this possible. The flights, the cars, the accommodation and the travel expenses.’
Taxpayers will foot the bill for the Prime Minister’s emergency meeting to tackle the cost of living crisis, including rising petrol costs
It is understood Labor politicians will discuss ways to ease the financial pressure on Australian families at Wednesday’s meeting.
“We have economists and business leaders calling for practical measures to alleviate the cost of living, such as lowering fuel taxes,” Fordham continued.
‘The Prime Minister could have this tax scrapped in the second week of February when Parliament returns, but there are no signs of that.
‘We have pensioners begging for a freeze on council rates; Energy bills are still rising, even though the Prime Minister promised they would fall.
‘And what does Albanian do? He plans outside the sitting week, which means extra costs to get everyone to the capital.’
There are growing pleas from struggling Australians for the government to tackle the rising cost of living
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came under heavy scrutiny during Wednesday’s emergency meeting
Fordham further claimed that the Prime Minister may have lost not only his mojo but also ‘his marbles’.
‘Once he would have prevented this; his instincts would have told him this wouldn’t pass the pub test,” he said.
‘Nowadays he doesn’t recognize the hypocrisy. He’s spending half a million dollars of someone else’s money to talk about the cost of living.”
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma was also drawn into the saga on Monday when he branded the caucus a costly “stunt”.
“This government has had 18 months to address these issues, and the Albanians are deciding in the final days of the summer to bring all Labor MPs back to Canberra at significant expense,” Senator Sharma told Sky News.
‘I hope something substantial comes out of it rather than a headline and a media opportunity.
Ben Fordham described the $468,818 cost to taxpayers for the one-off meeting as outrageous