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Australian PM's Sydney residence listed in rental website

Xinhua, September 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australian accommodation website Stayz.com.au has cheekily listed Kirribilli House, the prime minister's official Sydney residence, as a luxurious getaway destination "fit for a king or PM," local media reported on Friday.

"The owner is a busy individual who resides elsewhere in Sydney, " the advertisement read. "Furthermore he is not looking for monetary compensation for staying, therefore only a moderate cleaning fee applies."

The rental website told News Corp it was confident the historic house can fetch upwards of 1,800 Australian dollars (1263 U.S. dollars) per night, if Turnbull decided to earn some extra cash.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is Australia's second richest parliamentarian -- behind billionaire Clive Palmer -- with an estimated worth of up to 200 million Australian dollars (140.4 million U.S. dollars) from a lucrative career as a lawyer and investment banker.

Following the departure of former PM Tony Abbott, Turnbull said he planned to live at his own harbor side mansion in Sydney's Eastern suburbs -- approximately three to four times the size of Kirribilli House -- with its own impressive harbor views, much to the pleasure of his neighbors.

"I've been boasting I've got a prime minister in my street," Turnbull's neighbor Bernice Belnick told Fairfax Media. "I'm happy for him to stay."

Sydney is a city where your address defines your social standing.

Turnbull however has said Kirribilli House will be used of official functions, but he and wife Lucy will "be sleeping at home. "

"It's very valuable, it's a great location to use for charities and for opportunities to support good causes. So we'll certainly be doing that," Turnbull said.

Though the website has no authority to sell the property as a holiday rental, the advert showed no compunction in boasting its " impressive" features, including a 12-person Jacuzzi, Australia's fastest wi-fi and dedicated security personnel.

"If Malcolm isn't going to use it, the Australian people should be able to go and stay there for a while," Stayz marketing director David Dunstan told local media. Endi