MPs charge taxpayers to attend Tony Abbott’s farewell bash

by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 23, 2020 | Dubious Travel Claims, QED

Dubious Travel Claims | QED

Going out in style - at taxpayers expense

MPs charge taxpayers to attend Tony Abbott’s farewell bash

November 2019

Peter Dutton, Eric Abetz and Kevin Andrews billed taxpayers thousands of dollars for an overnight trip to Sydney to attend a lavish NSW Liberal Party farewell bash for Tony Abbott, according to The New Daily.

The trio collectively billed taxpayers more than $6000 on flights, cars and hotels before flying back to their home states the following day.

A member of Mr Andrews’ family also flew from Melbourne to accompany him in Sydney, with the $1218 cost of flights claimed against the MP’s travel allowances.

A spokesperson for Mr Andrews confirmed the MP was in Sydney on the day of Abbott’s dinner, and said Andrews was in Sydney to attend an Aged Care Royal Commission consultation with the Prime Minister — though the commission’s website does not list any official meetings being held that day, according to The New Daily.

Neither Dutton nor Abetz responded to multiple requests for comment from The New Daily about the purpose of their trips to Sydney on the day of Mr Abbott’s gathering.

A fourth Liberal politician, ACT Senator Zed Seselja, also reportedly took an overnight trip to Sydney on the day of the dinner and claimed more than $1200 in flights and government cars, but refused to even confirm he attended the dinner.

The event also reportedly doubled as a Liberal Party fundraiser, with guests charged $175 a head and Liberal Party members $130.

What's a rort?

Conflicts of Interest

Redirecting funding to pet hobbies; offering jobs to the boys without a proper tender process; secretly bankrolling candidates in elections; taking up private sector jobs in apparent breach of parliament’s code of ethics, the list goes on.

Deceptive Conduct

Claiming that greenhouse gas emissions have gone down when the facts clearly show otherwise; breaking the law on responding to FoI requests; reneging on promised legislation; claiming credit for legislation that doesn’t exist; accepting donations that breach rules. You get the drift of what behaviour this category captures.

Election Rorts

In the months before the last election, the Government spent hundreds of millions of dollars of Australian taxpayers’ money on grants for sports, community safety, rural development programs and more. Many of these grants were disproportionally awarded to marginal seats, with limited oversight and even less accountability.

Dubious Travel Claims

Ministerial business that just happens to coincide with a grand final or a concert; electorate business that must be conducted in prime tourist locations, or at the same time as party fundraisers. All above board, maybe, but does it really pass the pub test? Or does it just reinforce the fact that politicians take the public for mugs?

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MPs charge taxpayers to attend Tony Abbott’s farewell bash

MPs charge taxpayers to attend Tony Abbott’s farewell bash

What's a rort?

Conflicts of Interest

Deceptive Conduct

Election Rorts

Dubious Travel Claims

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