Weddings, operas, anything goes for Bronwyn Bishop’s expenses

by Elizabeth Minter | Aug 4, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED

Deceptive Conduct | Liberal Party | QED

Bronwyn Bishop

Weddings, operas, anything goes for Bronwyn Bishop’s expenses

June 2006

As Speaker, Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop claimed $600 for return flights from Sydney to Albury to attend the wedding in Wangaratta of her parliamentary colleague Sophie Mirabella.

While George Brandis, Tony Abbott, Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce repaid taxpayers for claiming travel expenses to attend weddings – Mrs Bishop never repaid the money, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The newspaper reported that documents released under freedom of information laws show Mrs Bishop told bureaucrats the trip constituted government business.

An expense document written in her own hand lists only “committee chair business” when asked the purpose of flights. But her spokesman refused to answer questions about what that business was or whether Mrs Bishop had any engagements on the trip. “We’ve got no further comment,” he said.

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?

Weddings, operas, anything goes for Bronwyn Bishop’s expenses

Weddings, operas, anything goes for Bronwyn Bishop’s expenses

What's a rort?

Conflicts of Interest

Deceptive Conduct

Election Rorts

Dubious Travel Claims

Thank you!

Thank you!

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