A Victorian government minister has charged the state nearly $17,000 to fly to regional Victoria on two privately chartered planes.
Freedom of Information documents show Steve Herbert chartered a private jet to fly from Essendon to Mildura on April 1 for $8200, and then another from Moorabbin to Wodonga, Shepparton and Mildura on June 18 that cost $8500, the Diamond Valley Leader reports.
In a statement, the minister for training and skills says he has "travelled more than 15,000km across Victoria since coming to office, working closely with our TAFEs and local communities to fix the Liberals' mess".
FoI documents also show former education minister Martin Dixon billed Victorian taxpayers over $10,000 for charter flights he took in the lead up to the last state election in 2014.
Regional Express, Virgin and Qantas offer flights daily from Melbourne to Mildura at a cost of around $400 for a round trip.
