Anthony Albanese buys $4.3 million 'clifftop perfection' property
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has purchased a $4.3 million property described by its selling agents as “clifftop perfection” in the NSW Central Coast, defying stubbornly high property prices and elevated interest rates to buy at a discount from its last sale.
Property records show that the four-bedroom, three-bathroom, and three-carport property in Copacabana was sold in September, giving the prime minister a potential post-politics residence in an exclusive pocket of the Central Coast popular among Sydney holidaymakers.
The “premiere location to enjoy sun, whale watching or spectacular sunsets year-round”, as the property’s listing reads, is close to the family of Albanese’s fiancee Jodie Haydon.
2GB presenter Ben Fordham, who first reported the story, said on air it went for $4.3 million, less than the $4.65 million its previous owners bought it for in 2021 at the height of the COVID-driven boom in sea change properties.
Albanese said on Tuesday that he acknowledged the property was different to many family homes, but said he understood Australians were struggling due to his upbringing.
“Of course, I am much better off as prime minister, I earn a good income, I understand that,” he said at a press conference in Queensland. “I also know what it is like to struggle. My mum lived in the one public housing [home] that she was born in for all of her 65 years.
“I know what it is like, which is why I want to help all Australians into a home. Whether it be public homes or private rentals, or home ownership.”
In a statement from the prime minister’s office, a spokeswoman said Albanese and Haydon had been planning to buy a home on the Central Coast for some time.
“The prime minister and Jodie are getting married next year and are planning to buy a home together on the Central Coast where Jodie grew up and three generations of her family live,” the spokeswoman said. “When the process is complete it will be declared on the parliamentary register.”
The register still includes Albanese’s Dulwich Hill investment property in inner west Sydney, which is for sale for $1.85 million after the prime minister’s last-minute decision to pull the house from auction last week.
The home has timber-lined “cathedral ceilings” above open-plan living spaces that open up to ocean views. Albanese will be able to see the sea are accessible from the master bedroom, which features a walk-through ensuite.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton did not criticise Albanese for buying a new home, but told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday morning that many Australians were struggling after having 12 interest rate increases.
“It’s a matter for the prime minister, but I wish he and Jodie well, and they’re obviously planning for the next stage of life, post politics and I wish them well in that, the prime minister can answer questions in relation to it otherwise,” he said.
“But the homeowners in Australia that I’m worried about at the moment are people who can’t afford their mortgages.”
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Albanese’s new property, which he is yet to settle on, also has a north-facing entertaining deck, a large downstairs guest room with a bathroom, a low-maintenance garden of tropical, native and salt-tolerant species and a double garage with internal access and off-street parking with a turning bay.
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