A protester has pitched a tent outside of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s home on the NSW Central Coast to draw attention to the national housing crisis.
Morgan Cox says he was forced to move out of Sydney with his family due to soaring rent costs.
The father of a one-year-old now lives in Gosford, which is about half an hour from the $4.3 million clifftop mansion the prime minister purchased late last year and has rented out.
Cox gained national attention on ABC’s Q&A program in March when he told the panel his rent in Sydney had increased by $180 a week, which equated to almost $10,000 a year and was unaffordable for his family despite working two jobs.
“I tried to find a cheaper place and there just aren’t any,” he told the studio audience.
“What little is available, there’s dozens of people lined up.”
Cox fears that rental prices will continue to rise and tenants will be “in a world of pain” without urgent reform.
He told 2GB this morning he wanted to stage a protest on behalf of everyone affected by the rental crisis.
“I’m just trying to send a message to the government that they really need to listen to us,” he said.
”If rents really go up anymore, we’re going to be in a world of pain.”
Among the solutions, he suggested Australia follows Canada’s lead to reduce immigration to address the housing supply numbers.
“I’d like them to manage immigration to a level we can sustain that’s not forcing people out of homes,” he said.
“I’m not against immigration, my partner is an immigrant but that’d be a great one.
“That’d give us some breathing room to talk about other things.”
He also suggested tax reform and greater investment by universities into student housing.
Cox said he would welcome a conversation with any politician to discuss solutions to the problem.
“I’m really hoping politicians of any stripe will reach out to me,” he said.
“I don’t particularly favour one or the other, I just want them to listen to us, I want us to be heard.”
