EVERY so often a politician reveals just how out of touch they are on issues that preoccupy and impact the rest of us.

Take Barnaby Joyce’s recent comments on property prices.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has signalled he wants to make housing affordability top of the 2017 agenda, and as meaningless as that kind of politician talk is, there was his deputy, Barnaby Joyce, on ABC Radio last week not even pretending to empathise with the pain of first homebuyers.

“We believe that houses will always be incredibly expensive if you can see the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, just accept that,” Mr Joyce said.

“What people have got to realise is that houses are much cheaper in Tamworth, houses are much cheaper in Armidale, houses are much cheaper in Toowoomba.

“I did move out west so I can say this, if you’ve got the gumption in you and you decide to move to Charleville — you’re going to have a very affordable house.”

Mr Joyce was commenting on the annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, in which Sydney ranked second behind only Hong Kong in terms of unaffordability. Melbourne came in at number 10.

It comes a day after it was announced that Sydney’s median house price had hit $1.1 million, while Melbourne’s was at $795,447.

So suck it up, Sydneysiders. If you had enough gumption, enough dash and derring-do, you could solve the housing crisis yourself by moving to Tamworth, and commuting however many hours to your CBD job because you’re hardcore and Australian and you don’t need a harbour view.

The comments would be merely ridiculous from an out-of-touch industry head, but coming from such a senior member of Cabinet, they show a worrying ignorance of the concerns of a generation unable to buy a house in the city they live in.

Cities that have been made all the more expensive partly by Mr Joyce’s generation treating the property market like their own personal investment club.

Mr Joyce’s proposed solution for first homebuyers to move to the regions is a weak one on numerous fronts.

There is a very good reason that housing is so cheap outside of the capital cities. Employment opportunities are weak, transport infrastructure is often insufficient, and just try and run a business without the recurring problem of a mobile black spot.

Victoria, as an example, is home to numerous historical towns, many built during the Gold Rush and seemingly preserved, like an amber relic, in another century. These towns attract teahouses, treechangers and antique stores, and are invariably home to a decent pub that has burned down at least once.

They are many things — holiday spots, creative centres, well-established communities — but economic powerhouses they are not.

Even putting aside the considerable problem of finding a job in your industry, these regional towns often do not make great investments.

According to CoreLogic data, the average annual growth on a house in Tamworth is 1.83 per cent. Forced to sell your property in a sluggish year and you could easily be out of pocket.

Mr Joyce’s response to the housing affordability crisis — and it is just that, a crisis — attempts to shift the blame from politicians to homebuyers.

By peddling the tired lines that first homebuyers are too fussy, that they need to live in salubrious suburbs with smashed avo, and they don’t know how to save, is a denial of the government’s responsibility to help ensure a more level playing field for first homebuyers.

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison may have flown to the UK to seek affordable housing initiatives for inspiration, but who among us is seriously holding out for any great inspiration on this front?

There will simply be more soundbites about tackling the issue head on, making it a priority in coming years, all the while negative gearing — a significant contributor to steep property prices — remains untouched.

The great losers within this depressing scenario are those for whom property ownership is but a pipedream that will take a Lotto win or wealthy parents to achieve.

These first homebuyers don’t want to buy a harbour view (that dream died a long time ago), they simply want to live somewhere for longer than a year at a time. They want to unpack with a sense of permanency, build a space that reflects them, how they like to live and what they value. And they would like it to be in the city where they are currently employed and have established a life.

They don’t want to wait eight years to save up for a deposit, which, according to Bankwest, is roughly the time it will take to accrue enough money to buy a home at Sydney’s median price, and they’re sick of being outbid at auctions by wealthy investors.

These are legitimate and fundamentally reasonable desires.

Owning a home is not just about shelter, after all. It’s about putting down roots and a sense of belonging, which you can’t ever achieve through renting, no matter how kindly or understanding your landlord is.

It’s an innately human desire, and one that is clearly lost on Mr Joyce.

Johanna Leggatt is a freelance writer and editor from Melbourne. Follow her on Twitter @JohannaLeggatt