'Thanks for rubbing Bernard Salt in my wounds': Outrage at demographer for mocking young people who complain about house prices then post selfies from Bali holidays

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Demographer and columnist Bernard Salt has stirred up fresh controversy among young Australians, saying they should save their money for a house instead of holidaying in Bali and posting the photos on social media.

Salt's column, titled 'Till the money runs out' had the tagline - 'What's more important, living within your means or taking selfies from a Bali swimming pool?' and was featured in The Weekend Australian magazine on Saturday.

The author has been in the spotlight recently for another infamous column, where he berated millennials for complaining about housing affordability.

Demographer and columnist Bernard Salt (pictured) has stirred up fresh controversy among young Australians, saying they should save their money for a house instead of holidaying in Bali and posting the photos on social media

Salt's column featured the tagline - 'What's more important, living within your means or taking selfies from a Bali swimming pool?' Pictured is a couple in Rimba Jimbaran in South Kuta, Bali

Salt said the reason young people can't afford to buy houses, is they are too busy brunching on the weekends, spending $22 on smashed avocado on toast. 

In his latest column he referred to people as belonging to two different groups - money mortals and money magicians.

According to Salt, money mortals are people that know how to save, while money magicians are 'exciting people who can do remarkable things with money: they can make it appear, they can make it stretch, and they are very good at making it disappear'.  

His column said: 'The idea of budgeting is this: you pay everything that has to be paid first, and then you make your lifestyle fit around whatever you have left. But that’s not all. Some money mortals do something else to ensure the survival of their species. Does anyone know what that is? Anyone? That’s right, they save.'

One person on Twitter said they hadn't gone on holidays to Bali since before Facebook and Instagram existed

Another person joked they would take time out from their reckless spending to send their Bali holiday photographs to Bernard Salt

This person joked that Bernard Salt would keep coming up with different reasons why millennials couldn't afford houses

'But then do you know what happens, boys and girls? A week after money magicians complain about being broke, they post on social media photographs of themselves in a pool in Bali! 

'And at this precise moment the money mortals have a spiritual awakening and realise they belong to a different tribe, because such a transformation of circumstances is not possible in the real world. And therein lies the magic of the money magicians. They can do what money mortals cannot.' 

Salt wrote 'money magicians' often complain about having no money. He said: 'A week after money magicians complain about being broke, they post on social media photographs of themselves in a pool in Bali!' Pictured is a view from Nusa Penida Island, south of Bali

The reactions weren't overly positive on social media, with one person tweeting: 'My last trip to Bali was before Facebook and Instagram, yet I still can't afford a house. Thanks for rubbing Bernard Salt into my wounds.'

Another person commented: 'Taking time out from my pathological profligacy to send along my Bali photos to Bernard Salt.'

Someone else said: 'Next week from Bernard Salt: If only young people didn't have to pay so much for rent, they'd be able to afford a house.'

One person pointed out that Bernard Salt had ignored the data about how much money Generation Y actually saves

A Bali news Twitter site even got involve  in the debate, saying that Salt's suggestion to give up holidays in Bali was 'controversial'

A Balinese news Twitter account Bali Today even weighed into the debate, labelling Salt's column as 'controversial' for suggesting people should stop holidaying on the Indonesian island.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show Indonesia is among the top ten most visited countries by Australian residents.

In the year ending June 2016, short-term Australian resident departures to Indonesia had the largest increase over the past ten years, with a percentage change of 416.1 per cent.