The average Australian member of parliament claimed more than $150,000 of taxpayer funded entitlements in the first six months of this year.
Those payments were made to current and former members of parliament.
The Department of Finance, which pays for the entitlements, saved money when some third parties paid some parliamentarians' expenses.
In six months, the department forked out $754,125 for family travel entitlements for the nation's federal upper and lower houses.
The period was for money paid before June this year, including some entitlements during the last six months of 2013 that were paid after January 2014.
Those costs included taxis and private vehicle allowances, according to the Department of Finance website.
Former Australian Labor Party Senator Mark Bishop received the largest family travel allowance entitlement - $26,942 - between January and June 2014.
Of that family travel allowance, $22,482.28 was for travelling in the last six months of his parliamentary service.
Those were mostly for flights from Perth to eastern Australian cities and back, which can be expensive.
National Party Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce had the second largest family travel allowance claim of $21,434 for the six months ending June.
The SBS asked the minister's office why family travel entitlements were important, but received this statement:
"All Senators and Members are entitled to family reunion travel within Australia in accordance with Senators and Members’ Entitlements. Minister Joyce’s use of Family Reunion travel for the reporting period fully complied with the rules governing their use," a spokesperson for the minister said.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott had the largest claims to expenses, with $706,205 entitlements paid for.
Overseas travel was the Prime Minister’s greatest single expense.
Share
