Travel expenses saga takes flight as PM defends rules
Politicians and their families can keep their noses in the generous trough as the Prime Minister rejects calls to rein in travel privileges amid growing anger over MPs’ spending.
The opposition has indicated it would be open to reducing travel rights after Communications Minister Anika Wells was criticized for charging taxpayers nearly $100,000 for flights to the United Nations.
With more politicians dragged into the mounting spending furore, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said she was happy to change the rules but called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to investigate whether Ms Wells had breached the ministerial code of conduct.
“He needs to step aside while this review takes place,” Ms Ley told 2GB radio on Thursday.
Mr Albanese ignored questions about whether travel benefits were too generous but did not close the door on reforms to the system.
“We recognize that issues exist and taxpayers have the right to expect value for money,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“That’s important… that I don’t influence this from above.”
While the independent Parliamentary Expenditure Authority is responsible for enforcing travel rules, politicians have the final say on how the body operates.
Ms. Wells believed she complied with the regulations but referred her travel expenses to the agency for investigation.
Politicians are allowed to claim travel expenses if their official duties are the “primary purpose” of the trip.
This means they can participate in other non-political activities as long as their parliamentary duties are the main focus of their travel.
National frontrunner Bridget McKenzie and Labor Minister Don Farrell are the latest politicians to have their travel claims examined.
Senator McKenzie appears to have billed taxpayers for travel to the Super Netball grand final on August 3, 2024.
According to his interest records, he was presented with two match tickets and a celebratory dinner.
On the final day, Senator McKenzie requested a flight from Melbourne to Adelaide worth $1,102.15.
It flew back to Melbourne the next day and cost another $225.80.
He billed hundreds of dollars for the chauffeur-driven COMCAR trip and requested a $156.07 overnight parking bill.
Senator McKenzie has not held a sports-related portfolio since 2019.
The avid netball fan argued that she was invited to sporting events because of her role as the opposition’s infrastructure spokesperson.
She told Nine’s Today programme: “I wasn’t invited because I’m Bridget McKenzie from Wodonga or because I’m a precious person. It’s because I’m the shadow minister for infrastructure and we deal with things like stadiums.”
The senator’s office said he attended meetings and community events in Bendigo the day before the final and was at Sheepvention in the Victorian town of Hamilton the next day, but did not give details of other official business around the match date.
Senator Farrell has come under fire for billing taxpayers more than $90,000 for family reunion trips since Labor took office in 2022.
The business minister’s travel claims included a trip to Uluru, a visit to Sydney where he attended an opera and Melbourne while a theater premiere was taking place.
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