Independent senator Nick Xenophon has called for greater scrutiny of politicians' travel allowances, saying if taxpayers are helping MPs or their families pay off mortgages then they are entitled to greater transparency.
News Corp Australia reported last year that Treasurer Joe Hockey had legally claimed more than $100,000 in parliamentary allowances to rent a house in a prestige Canberra suburb from his wife.
"If an MP is using their allowance to pay off a home for themselves or for their spouse, I don't think it's unfair to require transparency," Senator Xenophon told ABC TV on Wednesday.
He said details of any such arrangement should be made publicly available, "and when the house or flat is eventually sold, then I think it's fair enough to find out whether that MP or their spouse made a capital gain or not".
Mr Hockey has been under pressure this week after he suggested would-be homeowners "get a good job that pays good money", and denied that Sydney's housing market was unaffordable.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten seized on the comments, labelling them a "brain snap" that showed Mr Hockey was out-of-touch.
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