Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being slammed by broadcasters over the ditch after he served an eviction notice to a long-standing tenant in one of his properties.
Albanese explained the reason for kicking out 45-year-old Jim Flanagan from his home, was due to "changing circumstances" and his upcoming wedding to longtime-girlfriend Jodie Haydon, which is set to take place between May and August.
He has accused Flanagan of not cooperating with his real estate agent to resolve the issue, before the renter made a public plea for mercy.
Albanese also claimed Flanagan was offered a cut-price deal that was "half" of the current market value for the three-bedroom townhouse in Sydney's Dulwich Hill, and he isn’t prepared to let him stay on longer.
It is believed Albanese dropped the property's rent to $680 during COVID-19, despite rent in the area for similar apartments being $800 a week.
The Australian Prime Minister told ABC Radio National on Thursday the tenant has been "well looked after for a long period of time".
"But I am entitled to make decisions in my personal life including selling a property that I own because I wish to move on in my personal life in a different direction. The property was bought when my personal circumstances were different."
Albanese bought the investment rental property in 2015 for AU$1.175 million, and it is now estimated to be worth between AU$1.9 and AU$2.2 million, according to CoreLogic.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday Flanagan, who is a Labor Party voter, learned of his eviction from his real estate agent.
But now, he has issued a cry for help, publicly asking Albanese to rethink his decision of kicking him out.
"This will kill me, it's a crippling blow right now," Flanagan said.
"I have mixed emotions in calling this out. I voted for Albo at the last election and am broadly a supporter of his policies."
While he understands the Australian Prime Minister has every right to evict him, he explained the matter "doesn't sit well" with him, given the cost-of-living crisis at the moment.
