‘Air-Miles Anika’: minister under fire for flight costs
Tess Ikonomou |
The communications minister has defended her travel expenses as questions mount over her decision to bill taxpayers for a trip that reportedly included a party for a Labor friend.
After facing criticism from the opposition for the $100,000 cost of flying herself and three staff to New York to spruik Australia’s social media age restrictions, new details have emerged about a trip Anika Wells took in June.
Ms Wells claimed $2683.68 for return flights from Brisbane to Adelaide.
During the visit to South Australia, Ms Wells met with a number of officials and visited a school, according to her diary which was obtained by the Australian Financial Review under Freedom of Information laws.
But she also reportedly attended a birthday party for a friend who was previously an adviser to Julia Gillard, prompting questions over whether she should’ve billed taxpayers for the trip.
Ms Wells also claimed hundreds of dollars in transport, meal and accommodation expenses during the trip, but did not claim for the Saturday night when the party took place.
A government spokesman said the communications minister’s travel was “within the guidelines”, but did not any provide further details.
Ministers are allowed to attend personal events on taxpayer-funded trips, but only if the dominant purpose of the the travel is to carry out official duties.
Liberal frontbencher James McGrath said the communications minister was “taking the cake”.
“This minister is taking the taxpayers of Australia for an absolute ride while she sips on a spritz,” he said in a statement.
“We first saw Airbus Albo and now we have Air-Miles Anika.”
The revelations follow a week of combative parliamentary hearings in which Ms Wells’ flights to New York, a website design cost blowout and a Chinese Navy flotilla kept officials on their toes.
The last week of Senate estimates has wrapped up for the year after bringing fresh insights into the machinations of government departments and ministerial offices.
The head of the Bureau of Meteorology was grilled over his agency’s cost overrun, after the original $4.1 million price of the website’s revamp skyrocketed to an eye-watering $96 million.
Bureau chief executive Stuart Minchin conceded the agency did not roll out the changes properly and it came at a massive cost, but said the website wouldn’t be returned to its old format because it failed to meet the needs of people with visual impairments.
Meanwhile, Chief of the Australian Defence Force David Johnston said he was confident the military could track a Chinese navy flotilla located in the Philippine Sea.
There are concerns the task group, made up of four ships, could sail south towards Australia.
Adml Johnston said Australia would rely on its partners such as the US to help monitor the flotilla, which had been observed by a RAAF plane on Tuesday.
AAP
