Could our treasurer be any more out of touch with the average Australian? Fresh after insulting first homeowners about their choice of job and subsequent lack of ability to secure a home-loan in Australia’s spiralling house market, new reports show Joe Hockey claims more in travel expenses that he expects a job-seekers to live on.

And it doesn’t stop there: the “reimbursed” taxpayer dollars go to Mr Hockey’s wife as rent!

News Limited newspapers this morning are reporting that Mr Hockey has claimed an average of $1000 each month since 1998, despite the fact he always stays at a house owned by his wife.

In total, the Treasurer has paid $184,000 towards a home that cost his wife $320,000. It was an astute purchase, which has risen in value to $2 million. No wonder Joe Hockey thinks the property market is a doddle.

“The house was a piece of Hockey mercantile genius,” former Liberal MP Ross Cameron told biographer Madonna King.

And perhaps what he meant by advising first home-owners to get a well-paid job was to get one in which your travel expenses were paid, no questions asked?

Travel allowance rules state, Mr Hockey is allowed to claim $271 per night when he stays in Canberra. This allowance covers the cost of accommodation regardless of whether he stays in a hotel (the QT looks nice at $160 per night, Mr Hockey) his own property or a friend’s home.

When asked if his $271 poer night travel allowance had helped pay off the mortgage, Mr Hockey told Q&A: “I don’t know, I pay rent”.

“You are living away from home and employers pay that,” he said.“I think I was away 185 days last year and you try and have the same bed and you try and have the same place to leave a shirt”.

Mr Hockey’s $1000 per month in allowances is roughly the equivalent of the Newstart allowance for jobseekers and 30 per cent of a single person’s pension.

We think this is further evidence that Joe Hockey is out of touch with how real Australian’s live. Tell us what you think.

Does our treasurer need a good dose of reality?