By DANI ROTHWELL AND KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
WHILE Bronwyn Bishop has been in the firing line for her travel expenses, local politicians are proving more frugal, with one even preferring to drive to Canberra rather than fly.
Books, carwashes, accident excess and Melways are all being claimed as entitlements, a Pakenham Gazette investigation can reveal.
Seven local politicians collectively spent $1,269,173 from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2014.
* Jason Wood is the Member for La Trobe and a member of three parliamentary committees.
* Russell Broadbent is the Member for McMillan and a member of nine parliamentary committees.
* Alan Griffin is the Member for Bruce, deputy chair of the joint standing committee on electoral matters and member of the joint standing committee on foreign affairs.
* Greg Hunt is the Member for Flinders and the Minister for the Environment
* Anthony Byrne is the Member for Holt, Deputy Chair of the Statutory Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and a member of one parliamentary committee.
* Clare O’Neil is the Member for Hotham and a member of the standing committees on Agriculture and for Tax and Revenue.
* Mark Dreyfus is the Member for Isaacs, Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for the Arts and a member of three parliamentary committees.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood’s only claimed flight expenses were Sydney to Darwin and back.
“I drive up and back from Canberra in my own car and I prefer that to flying, as I have found it only adds two hours to my journey from where I live and I use the drive to call constituents, colleagues and national media which I would not otherwise do in a hire car to the airport,” he said.
“The drive to Canberra is substantially cheaper than catching a hire car from home to the airport, then taking a flight, and pick-up from Canberra airport.”
Mr Wood only subscribes to The Australian and Herald Sun – the fewest publications of all seven politicians.
McMillan MP Russell Broadbent has the lowest of the seven politicians’ entitlement claims on $94,353, but he did claim four car washes in August 2014 totalling $29.83.
“As a taxpayer funded motor vehicle, it is expected to be kept clean and in good repair at all times,” he said.
“I must have been on a lot of dirt roads in August.”
Mr Broadbent subscribes to over 10 publications, the most of the seven politicians.
Holt MP Anthony Byrne spent $30,407 on a distribution in July 2014.
Of the seven politicians, the next highest amount on a distribution is $18,708 for Hotham MP Clare O’Neil in July 2014.
A spokesperson for Mr Byrne said that each parliamentary office was given a fixed yearly budget to enable parliamentarians to communicate with their constituents.
“In July 2014 Anthony Byrne MP undertook an electorate wide survey and mail-out via Australia Post to all 55,000 households in the electorate of Holt to seek their views on issues of importance to them and any actions that could be taken to assist them with federal matters,” they said.
“We had a response rate of 10 per cent, which was one of the highest survey response rates for federal MPs in the country.”
Hotham MP Clare O’Neil’s subscriptions to publications include titles such as “This Changes Everything: Capitalism Vs. The Climate”, “Average is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation” and “The Precariat”.
As of publication, her office did not respond to explain these purchases and claims.
Other questions the Pakenham Gazette asked included queries about the distributions in July and October which cost $18,708 and $10,914 respectively, seeking clarification on $1,500 of accident excess claimed, and an explanation for a $25 infringement notice in July which was not claimed but recorded.
Bruce MP Alan Griffin took a three-month trip to America from September to December in 2014 and it cost $54,627.
Mr Griffin travelled in the capacity of a parliamentary representative to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The cost of accommodation and meals of this trip was $49,433. Speaking from overseas this week, Mr Griffin said the costs were out of his hands.
“I couldn’t give you a breakdown in costs, I don’t have that. The accommodation was booked by the Department of Foreign Affairs, so I had no role in that,” he said.
“The accommodation was very nice, there is no question about that.”
At the same time as this trip, fuel was claimed on a private plated vehicle in Australia.
“The car was used by a member of staff and by a family member, which is perfectly within my entitlement.”
Between 20 and 22 August, Mr Griffin racked up $380 in seven Cabcharges during a trip to Sydney for hearings of the joint standing committee on foreign affairs.
He again defended the charges as reasonable costs for transportation between the airport, the hotel, restaurants and the hearing.
Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus had a high office facilities claim in comparison to the other politicians, on $127,504, where the next highest is $76,490 for Hotham MP Clare O’Neil.
A spokesperson for Mr Dreyfus said that Mr Dreyfus had since moved into an office in Mordialloc and the department was now paying roughly half the rent.
“Mr Dreyfus’ office facilities expenses are higher than other MPs in the south-east primarily because the rent for his electorate office at Parkmore Shopping Centre was so high (it was comparable to renting a CBD office),” they said.
“The lease at the Parkmore Shopping Centre was entered into by the Department of Parliamentary Services some years before Mr Dreyfus became the Member for Isaacs in November 2007.”
He also had three Comcar charges and two Cabcharge costs, all on 28 July 2014.
The spokesperson said that due to the late notice of a Comcar booking, a taxi was organised instead.
Despite this, because the booking was made through Comcar, a $40 cost is still charged.
Another Cabcharge is explained due to the taxi company double-charging Mr Dreyfus, which has since been reclaimed.
