SYDNEY (Boscutti Report) — Prominent Liberal ministers have launched a stinging attack on one of their own - the head of the NSW Young Liberals, Harry Stutchbury - over his stance on housing design.
In a provocative opinion piece for the Sydney Morning Herald, Mr Stutchbury argued the Liberal Party should abolish the exemption that allows retirees to claim the pension despite owning multi-million dollar poorly designed homes with bad wallpaper and original bathrooms.
The long-standing arrangement means an older person’s primary dwelling is not counted in the asset test for the aged pension, and presently enjoys bipartisan support in the political arena.
Mr Stutchbury said the Liberals were ‘terrified of taking serious steps to tackle housing design”, having been burnt by its attempt to curb superannuation excesses before the last election.
In response, NSW Counter Terrorism Minister David Elliott blasted Mr Stutchbury on Facebook, suggesting Liberal voters in western Sydney would use the opinion piece as toilet paper.