The federal treasurer was asked about Christopher Pyne's 2009 trip, which has come under scrutiny during an ongoing row over parliamentarian's entitlements, while addressing reporters in Sydney on Saturday.
There is a review of travel expenses underway, he responded. "This week we have seen terrific economic data, retail sales were double market expectations for the June quarter," Mr Hockey quickly added, later acknowledging MPs have to be precious with taxpayer dollars.
His comments come after it was revealed the education minister spent $5000 of taxpayers' money flying himself, his wife and two of his children to Sydney for a Christmas-New Year holiday in 2009.
Department of Finance documents show each flight from Adelaide and back cost $1200 and he claimed two nights travelling allowance of $238.
During the period Mr Pyne also spent $711 on Comcars. But his office told The Australian on Saturday the then shadow education minister held a planning day with the opposition leader
Tony Abbott while in Sydney. "Neither Mr Pyne nor his family have ever seen the New Year's
Eve Sydney fireworks," it said.
Mr Pyne's travel has been questioned during an ongoing row over parliamentarian's entitlements.
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke is also in the spotlight after claiming business class travel for his family to Uluru in 2012.
The then environment minister also spent $16,000 using one of the prime minister's jets for three days in 2010, including for so called "ghost flights" when no one was on board.
Mr Burke had the RAAF Challenger travel empty to pick him up from Hobart, before taking him to Newcastle, Dubbo and then back to Sydney for a series of meetings, News Corp report.
It then returned empty to its base in Canberra, but Mr Burke's office said he had no option but to travel on the government jet because his meetings did not align with commercial flights.
Liberal MP Mal Brough has taken it upon himself to publish his travel expenses on his website.
The former minister refused to judge any of his colleagues for their expenses on Saturday.
"I just want the people that have the opportunity to elect me to make that judgment call for themselves, with the facts about what myself and my family do," he told Seven Network.
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