Anthony Albanese seeks advice from watchdog on travel perks for politicians

A growing list of MPs and senators are facing scrutiny over use of parliamentary travel perks.

A man in focus in a dark suit and glasses standing behind a woman with short auburn hair in the foreground

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has called for Anika Wells' (right) resignation, amid controversy surrounding use of travel claims. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

The prime minister has sought advice from the parliamentary expenses watchdog on the rules for taxpayer-funded perks, as a second federal minister refers themselves to the body over their travel.

Anthony Albanese said he asked the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) about a potential review of what travel arrangements are afforded to MPs and senators.

The use of parliamentary entitlements is under scrutiny following revelations about Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells claiming expenses for major sporting events for herself and her husband.

A growing list of MPs and senators have also been in the spotlight for their use of travel perks.
Albanese said he would take on recommendations from the expenses watchdog.

"I've said to IPEA, please give us some advice, and we'll take that on board when that advice is received," he told reporters on Friday.

"It's important that as parliamentarians we're not sort of deciding things for ourselves, because that would bring obvious criticism."

Wells has referred her travel expenses to the watchdog for review, and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has also asked the body to look over her travel.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has offered bipartisan support to reform travel perks for politicians.

Ley said she had written to Albanese requesting a meeting about changes to parliamentary travel entitlements and the ministerial code of conduct.

"We stand ready in a bipartisan sense, I'm working through summer. I can sit down with the prime minister any time and go through measures that he would like to propose implementing, to restore that public trust in the system," she told Sky News on Friday.
"What I want to see is that public trust restored and public confidence in the system, and that's clearly gone right off the rails under Prime Minister Albanese."

The prime minister has not said whether he will take up the offer of talks.

Ley also called for Wells to resign as minister over her use of parliamentary entitlements.

Politicians are allowed to claim travel expenses if their official duties are the "dominant purpose" of the trip, and are also entitled to fly family to Canberra and other locations around Australia for family reunions.

Ley said Wells' conduct and use of travel entitlements was "scandalous".
"The whole country is reeling from all of the information that they've received about what she has done. She has not shown an ounce of contrition. She has not stepped up and said sorry," she said.

"If (the prime minister) can't stand there and tell the Australian people that this minister has not breached the code of conduct, then she should resign."

The parliamentary expenses watchdog was set up following controversy over Ley during her time as health minister, when she used taxpayer funds to travel to the Gold Coast to buy a property.

It led to Ley's resignation as minister and MPs and senators being required to report their expenses on a monthly basis.
"I made a mistake, I put my hand up, apologised to the Australian people, I held myself accountable to the ministerial code of conduct. Anika Wells has done none of those three things," Ley said.

Health Minister Mark Butler said travel entitlements needed to be reasonable and "used in a sensible way".

"These rules are important. These jobs place enormous pressure on our families, particularly on our partners who do so much of family work while we're away for as much as 150 or 200 days a year," he told Seven's Sunrise program.


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Source: AAP



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