Ben Fordham exposes major problem with Anthony Albanese's cost of living caucus

 PM called for emergency caucus meetingEstimated to cost Aussies at least $468,0002GB host furious about cost of one-off meetingREAD MORE: Sunrise host calls out Anthony Albanese over Australia Day

2GB host Ben Fordham has unleashed on Anthony Albanese as an emergency caucus meeting on the cost of living crisis is set to cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars.

The Prime Minister has summoned almost 100 MPs and senators to travel to Canberra this Wednesday for the one-off ‘talkfest’, scheduled a fortnight before the first parliamentary sitting for 2024.

It’s estimated to cost $468,818 for all Labor politicians based outside the ACT to travel with staff and stay overnight in Canberra for the meeting, according to NewsCorp.

A fired-up Fordham branded the ‘conservative’ estimate as outrageous as millions of Aussies struggle with soaring living costs.

‘This doesn’t pass the pub test,’ he said. ‘That’s almost half of million dollars of your money that’s going down the gurgler this Wednesday.

‘We’re blowing a heap of money to make this happen. The flights, the cars, the accommodation and travel allowances.’

Taxpayers will foot the bill for the Prime Minister’s emergency caucus meeting to address the cost of living crisis, including rising petrol costs

It’s understood the Labor politicians will discuss ways to ease financial pressures on Australian families at Wednesday’s meeting.

‘We have economists and business leaders calling for practical cost of living relief measures such as cutting the fuel excise,’ Fordham continued.

‘The prime minister could have this tax scrapped by the second week of February when parliament returns- but there’s no sign of that happening.

‘We have pensioners begging for a freeze on council rates; we have power bills still climbing even though the prime minister promised they would go down.

‘And what does Albanese do? He schedules outside a sitting week, which means additional costs for getting everyone to the nation’s capital.’

There are growing pleas from struggling Aussies for the the government to address soaring cost of living expenses

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come under heavy scrutiny for Wednesday’s emergency caucus meeting

Fordham went on to claim the prime minister may have not only lost his mojo but also ‘his marbles’.

‘Once upon a time he would have stopped this from happening- his instinct would have told him that this isn’t going to pass the pub test,’ he said.

‘These days he doesn’t recognise the hypocrisy. He’s spending half a million bucks of someone else’s money to talk about the cost of living.’

Liberal Senator Dave Sharma also weighed into the saga on Monday when he branded the caucus as a costly ‘stunt’.

‘This government has had 18 months to deal with these issues, and Albanese decides in the dying days of summer to pull all Labor MPs back to Canberra at significant expense,’ Senator Sharma told Sky News

‘I hope something substantial comes out of it rather than a headline and a media opportunity.

Ben Fordham described the $468,818 cost to ratepayers for the one-off meeting as outrageous