Former minister Stuart Robert flew to Port Moresby in 2012 in Clive Palmer's private jet and dined with politicians as the mining magnate was seeking to curry favour with the Papua New Guinea government over a gas deal.
The travel is not noted in any Finance Department entitlements reports posted online, but is on Mr Robert's parliamentary pecuniary interest register for the period as a gift from Mr Palmer's company Mineralogy.
Mr Robert was a shadow minister in the coalition opposition in 2012, but in 2013 became a minister in the Abbott government.
The Queensland MP quit the ministry last week as an investigation found he breached ministerial standards on a 2014 trip to China with friend and Liberal donor Paul Marks, who was sealing a mining deal.
Mr Palmer in 2012 was a frequent traveller to PNG as he considered offers from companies such as ExxonMobil to secure rights to explore his gas deposits in PNG.
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PNG-based oil and gas company Chinampa Exploration, a subsidiary of Mr Palmer's Mineralogy, had offshore exploration licences at the northern end of the Gulf of Papua.
Chinampa had also been in discussions with the PNG government on the project.
Mr Palmer was also involved in fundraising for PNG's United Resources Party at the time.
A spokesman for Mr Robert told AAP he had travelled to Port Moresby on May 17, 2012, and returned in the very early hours of May 18.
"The purpose of the trip was to meet with Mr Clive Palmer," the spokesman said.
Mr Robert did not attend any other meetings with Mr Palmer, but he was at a dinner attended by "a large number of people including PNG members of parliament", the spokesman said.
"All appropriate declarations regarding this visit have been made," the spokesman said.
Mr Palmer told AAP his recollection of the trip was Mr Robert wanted to talk about the mining magnate's plan to run as a Liberal National Party candidate in the Brisbane seat of Lilley at the 2013 election.
The only opportunity for the chat was for Mr Robert to get on the plane to PNG, Mr Palmer said.
Three months later, Mr Palmer - who had been a long-time donor to the LNP and previously involved in the Nationals - dropped his plan for LNP preselection saying he could not support coalition policies.
He then quit the LNP and set up and bankrolled his own Palmer United Party, winning the seat of Fairfax and three Senate seats.
