Fearing a major backlash from voters, reform of the entitlement system has fast become a priority for the federal government in 2017.
But that hasn't stopped discussion of the issue, as new details emerge of certain expenses claims.
It's been revealed that last year Julie Bishop charged taxpayers close to $3,000 to attend a polo event on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula as a guest of Peroni and Jeep.
Further revelations have shown that three others, including Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, claimed thousands of dollars for a trip to the AFL grand final in 2013
Liberal Democratic Senator David Leyonhjelm has told Channel 7 politicians need to be mindful of who gets the bill for their expenses.
"If you're incurring expenses specifically as a result of being a politician, and you wouldn't incur those expenses if you were just a private citizen, and you weren't a politician, I think that's almost the dividing line. We do need to be very conscious of the fact that it's not our money we're spending."
Further damaging details have emerged about Health Minister Sussan Ley, who stood aside on Monday following pressure over her travel to the Gold Coast and a property purchase during a taxpayer-funded visit.
It's been revealed she charged taxpayers more than $13,000 to pilot her own private charter planes along busy capital city routes, rather than using cheaper commercial options.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Simon Birmingham has defended himself against reports he made indefensible claims.
He now says he only claimed a taxi fare in Sydney on December 31st, 2015, and that was for a work meeting.
And several government ministers reportedly claimed flights, car costs, travel allowance, or all three, to attend an event hosted by the Prime Minister at Kirribilli House in Sydney on that New Year's Eve.
An inquiry after the so-called 'Choppergate' expenses scandal that cost Bronwyn Bishop the Speaker's job was completed last year.
It made 36 recommendations, including better defining the term "parliamentary business", and tightening eligibility for business-class trips for politicians' family members.
Acting Special Minister of State Kelly O'Dwyer says this federal government is finally acting where previous governments didn't.
"The parliamentary expense system needs to change. There are many governments before that have ducked this issue. The Turnbull government is dealing with it."
However, politicians from across the political spectrum are admitting that these latest episodes expose flaws in their profession.
Indepedent M-P Andrew Wilkie says the present rules aren't strong enough.
"Parliamentarians are surrounded by a very weak regulatory framewrok when it comes to the expenditure of allowances, and that allows wrongdoing by some MPs."
And many are aware of how such scandals affect the way all politicians are perceived by the public.
Senator Nick Xenophon has told the A-B-C such failure to meet what people think is reasonable and fair (the "pub test") contributes to people's disengagement with politics.
"This is why so many Australians hate so many politicians- because they don't seem to be subject to what is commonly known as the pub test."
Some have even suggested a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption be set up to deal with this kind of behaviour.
The government is promising major change within the first half of this year.
As for Sussan Ley, her fate will be sealed much sooner.
The investigations into her travel and expenses will likely be completed by the end of this week.
