Treasurer Joe Hockey has been labelled as being out of touch after he suggested struggling would-be first-home buyers "get a good job that pays well".
Mr Hockey stirred a hornets' nest on Tuesday after denying Sydney housing was unaffordable.
He advised first-home buyers trying to get on the property ladder to "get a good job that pays good money".
Australian Council of Social Service chief Cassandra Goldie says the treasurer's comments are out of touch with the reality of everyday families and individuals.
"Not everyone has the luxury of simply switching to a better paying job," she said.
"The reality is there are nearly 800,000 people who can't get a job right now."
Independent senator Nick Xenophon labelled the comments "incredibly inane".
"I wasn't aware that Joe Hockey was getting media advice from Kim Kardashian," he told Sky News.
The opposition has compared it with Mr Hockey's outburst 12 months ago when he was ridiculed for saying that poor people don't drive cars, when trying to sell a budget proposal to re-index fuel excise.