Does Australia have a cost of living problem or a spending problem?

For the last few years, we’ve heard the same phrase hit the headlines.

Everyday expenses are hurting the hip pockets of Australians more than ever, and the reasons for why are out of our control. 

But one mortgage broker isn’t buying it

“I don’t believe that there’s a cost-of-living crisis, I think that there is a spending crisis,” Damian Medici said on his Instagram page. 

“We don’t know how to control our money, and we blow money up the wall.” 

Medici’s message is simple: “The problem is you. You’re spending too much money. That’s the reality, no one’s going to save you.” 

But after seeing the inside of dozens of bank accounts, Medici is doubling down. 

“What I see in my job every day is not a cost of living crisis, it’s people not knowing how to spend their money and spending it on things that don’t really fulfil them or they waste it,” he said.

So, is Medici right or wrong?

10 News+ investigates.