Cabinet Minister’s Stunning Defence of Colleagues’ Lavish Trips: “They’re Very Comfortable with Their Actions”
- Taxpayers fork out $128,685 for ministers’ family holidays, including a luxury New York trip and a Western Australia getaway
- Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Communication Minister Anika Wells refer themselves for audit amid scrutiny over parliamentary entitlements
- Opposition leader Sledgehammers Minister Wells, claiming she’s shown “no contrition” over her $107,000 NYC jaunt
Cabinet Minister Chris Bowen has sparked outrage after defending his colleagues’ lavish use of a family travel expense privilege, saying they’re “very comfortable” with their actions. The controversial perk has come under fire after it emerged that taxpayers had shelled out a staggering $1.1 million last financial year.
At the centre of the storm are Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and Communication Minister Anika Wells, who have referred themselves to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority over their use of the entitlement. Ms Wells faced intense scrutiny after it was revealed she had flown her family to New York and major sporting events, clocking up a whopping $107,000 bill. Meanwhile, Ms Rowland’s trip to Western Australia with her family cost taxpayers $21,685.
Despite the fallout, Mr Bowen insisted that the ministers’ decision to refer themselves for audit was a sign of their integrity. “I think when you have two ministers referring themselves, that shows they are very comfortable in full scrutiny and in saying, look, please have a look at this,” he said.
But Opposition Leader Sussan Ley was quick to lacerate Minister Wells, saying she had shown “no contrition” over her extravagant spending. “She has not stepped up and said sorry, or she understands what struggling Australians are going through,” Ms Ley fumed. “I made a mistake [over a similar scandal almost a decade ago]. I put my hand up, I apologised to the Australian people, and I held myself accountable to the ministerial code of conduct. She has not shown an ounce of contrition.”
The Prime Minister has sought advice from the independent watchdog on whether parliamentary entitlement rules should change amid the saga. Ms Ley has also offered to meet with Mr Albanese to develop reforms to parliamentary expense guidelines. But as the controversy continues to rage, one thing is clear: the public’s patience is wearing thin.