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Anthony Albanese’s salary increase — now topping $620,000 amid a severe cost-of-living crisis — exposes a growing divide between Canberra and everyday Aussies. It also presents our PM with a challenge to lead with integrity.

Anthony Albanese is fond of reminding Australians that he was raised in public housing by a single mum on a disability pension.

But after pocketing a tidy $15,000 pay rise this week — lifting his salary to $622,050 — that well-worn line is starting to sound less like a tale of humble beginnings and more like a tone-deaf humblebrag.

Our glorious leader’s 2.4% wage boost — following a previous pay rise of 3.5% last July — was approved by the government’s Remuneration Tribunal and applies to all federal politicians.

Elite gatekeepers have been quick to point out that the earnings uptick in Canberra is justified given that it simply tracks inflation. But when public officials have seen their pay increase by almost 19% since 2016 — even as Aussies struggle to put a roof over their heads and food on the table — those arguments ring hollow.

As recently noted here at The Daily Declaration, the Australian economy is in dire straits, with families facing some of the worst cost-of-living (or as I prefer to call them, cost-of-government) pressures in living memory. Here’s a quick overview:

• The national debt now exceeds $1 trillion
• GDP per capita has shrunk in 8 of the last 10 quarters
• Productivity has dropped by 5% under Albanese
• Real incomes have fallen 8% in three years — the worst decline in the OECD
• Median house prices are 9 times average income nationally; 13 times in Sydney (in the 1970s, house prices were just 3–4 times the average income)
• Australia’s housing affordability is the worst among developed nations

Albo’s Salary Surges as Housing Access Plummets

Those last two points are worth a little further analysis.

According to a recent Sky News report, Australia is experiencing a major housing shortfall, with the Labor government’s mass immigration plans “outpacing new home construction and shrinking the housing supply by more than 1000 homes every week”.

At current rates, Australia is on track to build just 938,000 new homes by June 2029 — falling 260,000 short of the government’s own 1.2 million target. In 2024 alone, only 166,000 homes were built while 446,000 net overseas migrants arrived, creating a shortfall of around 12,400 dwellings in a single year.

Meanwhile, rental vacancy rates hover around a record-low 1.3% — putting adequate shelter out of reach for a growing number of Australians.

And while Labor is eager to keep the focus on supply, the real issue here is demand — which in Australia’s case is driven almost entirely by excessive immigration rates.

As the chart below — adapted from the Financial Times — makes clear, Australia builds more homes per capita than almost any other country on earth.

In other words, this isn’t a supply failure. It’s a demand crisis, knowingly driven by record-breaking immigration that’s far outpacing our ability to keep up.

Just ask Morgan Cox. After his rent jumped $180 a week, he confronted the government directly on ABC’s Q+A, went viral, and later camped outside the PM’s house to spotlight the forgotten Aussies who are being crushed by soaring housing costs under Albo’s failed leadership.

Can a Salary Buy Integrity?

Anthony Albanese’s net worth is estimated to be around $14 million, placing him within the top 1% of Australian households.

Does he really need an additional $622,050 this year — and every year after that — on top of the $250,000 or so post-parliament pension he’s already set to receive?

If Mr Albanese had amassed his wealth and benefits through hard work and success in business, I’d applaud him. But since his career has been in politics, it’s apparent that Australians have funded almost every dollar in his coffers.

Now, he enjoys nearly the highest renumeration of any head of state in the world. Certainly, among the top 15 economies by GDP, Mr Albanese’s salary package is the largest, surpassing leaders like the US President and the UK Prime Minister.

Clearly, reforms are needed. But cutting federal salaries isn’t straightforward — it would require new laws passed by both houses of Parliament (good luck, since they all benefit), and any major changes could trigger a lengthy and difficult constitutional referendum.

So, here’s a shortcut — my direct appeal to our Prime Minister, who is a professing Catholic.

Mr Albanese, true leadership calls for sacrifice over self-interest. As Matthew 20:26 teaches, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

A leader who neglects the vulnerable fails the very people he is meant to serve — and Christ’s warning is clear: “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matthew 25:45).

Integrity in leadership means sharing the burden, not enjoying political privilege. Luke 12:48 says it well: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” When politicians pocket pay rises while everyday Australians tighten their belts, it’s more than a disconnect — it’s a stark moral failure. Real leaders stand with the people, not above them.

Prime Minister, I appeal to you to show your faith through your actions — not just words.

Every year, President Donald Trump donates his entire salary to a worthy cause. What’s stopping you from doing the same?