Anthony Albanese ducks responsibility for uncapped spousal travel allowances

The opposition stepped up their criticism of Labour’s handling of the Wells saga on Thursday. Treasury spokesman James Paterson said the prime minister had “failed the leadership test” and argued he was “full of excuses”.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Albanese should investigate whether Wells had breached ministerial standards, which would be a dismissal offence. Ley told radio station 2GB that he was “always open to looking at the rules” regarding MPs’ spending.

The current parliamentary powers plan was introduced by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, an overhaul spurred in part by Ley using taxpayer funds to travel to the Gold Coast to buy a property. The move required legal change, while Ley resigned from the front row and paid back his flight costs.

Top politicians with unlimited spousal travel allowances have billed taxpayers more than $660,000 since the beginning of the Albanian government.

Dozens of office holders exempt from rules restricting family travel include government ministers, the Senate president, the House speaker, the opposition leader and their aides, allowing them to fly their spouses around the country with no cost caps.

“There are special travel requirements for spouses of senior office holders, particularly given the official and semi-official roles performed by spouses, and senior office holders are often required to spend significant amounts of time away from home,” an explanatory document of the regulation says.

Travel for spouses of senior office holders, including de facto partners, is “unlimited in terms of the total expenses that can be claimed each year,” the document states.

Spouses can travel for family reunions, represent their partner in an official capacity, and attend meetings to which they are invited as the spouse of a senior official (for example, if they are invited to speak at an event because they are the partner of a member of parliament).

Partners of senior office holders also have an unlimited private car allowance.

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Commerce Secretary Don Farrell claimed the most spending on family travel by any eligible politician since the 2022 election and has come under scrutiny for charging taxpayers more than $116,000 for family transport.

Minister for Resources and Northern Territory Madeleine King had the second highest compensation claim at $76,692.

The person who spent the most among foreign ministries was Australian Minister of Veterans Affairs Matt Keogh, with $47,619. The cap exemption also includes Senate President Sue Lines, who requested $46,886. Both Keogh and Lines are from Western Australia, which will increase the cost of any trip.

High-ranking office holders have demanded $666,504 from taxpayers for family travel since the Albanian government took office in May 2022.

The Prime Minister was questioned repeatedly over his spending statements on Thursday, following the introduction of a social media ban on young people on Wednesday.

“With all these costs and taxpayers learning what’s involved, do you think it’s time? [the rules] “There needs to be reform and maybe look at what is actually involved?” B105 Brisbane radio hosts asked Albanese.

Albanese said he understood the debate, before repeating his claim that family travel rights allowed for a more diverse parliament “not made up of guys my age”.

Albanese has spent $75,321 on family travel rights since becoming prime minister.

The Independent Parliamentary Expenditures Authority enforces spending rules, but parliament can change the law governing this authority.

Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam said on Thursday parliamentary spending rules needed to be reviewed to clarify what spending was eligible.

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Duniam told Sky News: “I think it’s an issue worth talking about sensibly. How can it be reformed, improved and ensure that such a resource is not misused, particularly some of the egregious cases that we’ve seen by a number of government ministers?”

Greens senator Nick McKim said spending taxpayers’ money on entitlements should match society’s expectations because Australians pay MPs’ salaries.

“I think it’s time for us to take a look at all these so-called powers and make sure they are being delivered and used across the political spectrum in line with the expectations of the Australian people,” McKim said. Today.

Her Senate colleague Hanson-Young refused to answer questions about her lobbyist husband’s trip and canceled her regular appearance on Sky on Thursday.

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