Just a few days after Health Minister Sussan Ley resigned it has been revealed Finance Minister Mathias Cormann billed taxpayers more than $23,000 for weekend trips to the beach resort town of Broome with his wife over five years.
Between 2010 and 2014 West Australian senator, Cormann, and his wife made five taxpayer-funded trips to Broome on weekends for electorate business.
A three-day trip in July 2014 cost taxpayers $6696, including $5662 on flights.
Senator Cormann also claimed $820 in travel allowance and $214 in car costs.
A previous trip from Friday to Sunday at the start of July 2013 cost taxpayers $4563, and a similar trip in May 2012 cost $4831.
The total cost of the five trips was $23,088.
However a spokeswoman for Cormann jumped to the defence of the Finance Minister, claiming all of his expenses on the trips to Broome were completely legitimate and always appropriately declared.
"Senator Cormann's job as a senator for Western Australia necessarily involves travel across his very large electorate to attend functions and meet with constituents, business and community stakeholders," the spokeswoman told Fairfax Media.
"Inevitably, much of the travel and attendance at functions and events in the electorate, whether in Perth or across regional WA, occurs Fridays to Sundays, when Senator Cormann has returned back to his home state from interstate parliamentary work commitments."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced he will overhaul the parliamentary entitlements system by establishing a new independent body to oversee MPs' expense claims.
