Dave Hughes says the Labor budget is an ‘absolute disgrace’ in passionate live TV spray

Comedian Dave Hughes has blown a gasket on live TV, accusing the current government of attacking regular Aussies.

Hughes went viral this week after blasting the government’s changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing, arguing the reforms had already taken a heavy toll on property values.

“Guys, they lied to Australia and you cannot do that,” Hughes told Channel Nine’s Today Show.

“This has cost the whole country so much money already, the housing market has tanked, they’ve cost every Australian who owns a home probably 15 per cent of their housing value, you can’t lie about that Jim and Albo, you can’t do that.”

The comedian labelled the government’s handling of the economy an “absolute disgrace” and warned the broader economy would suffer as a result.

“The people in charge of our country are idiots, they treat our money like they found it in a sack by the river and they’ve gotta spend it before someone finds out,” he said.

Comedian Dave Hughes has joined the growing backlash against the Albanese Government’s controversial housing tax reforms, accusing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers of misleading Australians.

“The Federal Government is $1 trillion in debt, I get on planes and I walk past them and they are all in business class because they couldn’t care less about being $1 trillion in debt … it’s not their money … what do they care?”

Despite online speculation linking him to One Nation, Hughes said he was not aligned with any political party and simply wanted governments to use their heads.

“It actually affects everyone because hardworking people have to earn that money and you take half off them and blow it on absolute rubbish, it’s annoying,” he said.

“We are sick of them stealing our money and for first homebuyers, I heard Albo on the radio yesterday and he said they don’t have to be citizens to take advantage of the first homebuyers scheme, because some countries don’t allow dual citizenship, so basically there are over 50,000 people bidding against Australians at auctions, who don’t want to give up citizenship of their home country and he has given them our money to buy houses in Australia.

“I am happy for you to stay here, or if you want to go home you can go home, but you are not getting our money to buy houses here … that’s insane.”

The comments came after Anthony Albanese defended abandoning an election commitment and pushing ahead with changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing. Picture: Mike Bowers/AFP

The comments came after Anthony Albanese defended abandoning an election commitment and pushing ahead with changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing.

Speaking at Sky News’ Economic Outlook event in Sydney, the Prime Minister acknowledged the government had shifted its position.

“The election campaign, we had an ambitious agenda. We put that forward,” he said.

“And then we’ve changed our position.”

Albanese argued the reforms were necessary to address housing affordability and warned governments could not afford to stand still while younger Australians struggled to enter the property market.

He also linked the decision to the broader rise of populist politics across Western democracies.

“What’s not ideal is to see the rise of populism, whether of the left or the right, and opportunism without answers,” he said.

“Whether it be One Nation, and the increasing blurring of the lines between the Liberal Party and One Nation, and the Greens political party on the other extreme.”