Taxpayers forked out more than $3 million on charter flights for federal politicians touting for votes during the eight-week 2016 election campaign.
Dozens of MPs and senators, including the prime minister and opposition leader, requested planes for themselves, staffers, advisers and other politicians between May 8 and July 3.
The schedule of special purpose flights, passengers and costs - totalling $3.016 million - were detailed in a Department of Defence document tabled in parliament on Wednesday.
The most expensive trip went to deputy Nationals leader Fiona Nash, who billed taxpayers $84,000 to get four people, including herself, from Darwin to Kempsey on NSW's mid-north coast then onto the Gold Coast in one day.
Then-minister Matt Canavan charged $63,200 to cart himself and two others from Kununurra, in far northern Western Australia, to his home base of Rockhampton in Queensland.
Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek spent $76,000 on a return flight from Sydney to Perth for six people two days before the election.
However, it's likely the bill for that flight was covered by the Labor Party, as it came after the party's campaign launch.
The rules say taxpayers will pay for flights during election periods up to the time the parties formally launch their campaign, which in 2016 was on June 19 for Labor and June 26 - a week out from polling day - for the Liberals.
The total flight costs include the price of the planes travelling between the destination and their home air force base - sometimes empty.
Malcolm Turnbull flew just over 50 times, with wife Lucy joining him a quarter of the time, according to the schedule.
Labor leader Bill Shorten took about 60 individual flights - more than a third with his wife Chloe.
Priciest flights during the election
- $84,000 - Fiona Nash and three passengers
June 1: Darwin-Kempsey-Gold Coast (to/from Canberra base)
- $76,000 - Tanya Plibersek and five passengers
June 30: Sydney-Perth-Sydney (from Canberra base)
- $63,200 - Matt Canavan and two passengers
June 13: Kununurra-Rockhampton (from Brisbane base)
- $52,000 - Barnaby Joyce and eight passengers
May 26/27: Canberra-Rockhampton-Mackay-Gold Coast-Tamworth
- $50,639 - Kim Carr and two passengers
June 16/17: Brisbane-Townsville-Perth-Canberra (from Canberra base)
- $49.600 - Brendan O'Connor and two passengers
June 3: Melbourne-Gladstone-Melbourne (from Richmond base)
