The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, used a taxpayer-funded private jet to travel to a News Corp event in Tamworth, claiming $23,000 in travel expenses to speak at the summit where he criticised the government’s response to the cost-of-living crisis.
Despite multiple flight connections daily between Canberra and Tamworth, it is understood Dutton had a pre-existing commitment, meaning no commercial flight could get him to the Daily Telegraph’s annual “bush summit” in August 2023 in time.
The latest round of political expenses, published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (Ipea), reveal politicians’ spending for the June-September 2023 quarter.
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The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was again the top spender, with $911,708 in expenses reported during that quarter, led by $646,970 in employee travel and $161,259 in international travel. Dutton was not far behind, with a total $809,587 in spending during that quarter, including $381,374 in employee travel, $96,597 in office expenses and $78,330 in office administration.
Albanese’s spending for that period included claims for trips to India, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, New Zealand and Indonesia, for meetings including the Asean, east Asia, G7, G20, and Nato summits.
Dutton also claimed $199,694 on “unscheduled commercial transport” – a category which often includes charter jet travel and long taxi fares, as opposed to “scheduled commercial travel” which includes standard commercial air fares.
The opposition leader’s spending on unscheduled commercial transport was by far the highest reported by Ipea in that quarter. The next highest was the Nationals leader, David Littleproud, who claimed $44,339.
Dutton’s claims reported in the June-September 2023 quarter included travel to remote regions Laverton, Leonora and Nhulunbuy in February and May 2023, visits related to Indigenous affairs and the voice referendum.
He reported three flights – from Perth to Laverton, then on to Leonora, and finishing in Adelaide – over 20 and 21 February, reported at $32,606 for each leg. A Nhulunbuy to Archerfield flight on 18 May – where Dutton attended the memorial service for Indigenous leader Yunupingu – was reported at $45,970.
A Canberra to Tamworth flight, on 11 August, was claimed at $23,300.
Dutton appeared at the Daily Telegraph’s bush summit, an annual event focusing on regional and rural issues, on 11 August.
“Mr Dutton did travel on a chartered aircraft from Canberra to Tamworth only, under his entitlement as leader of the opposition,” a spokesperson for Dutton’s office said in a statement.
Dutton also claimed a commercial flight from Tamworth to Sydney later that day, and then on to his home city of Brisbane, indicating the charter flight was taken only one-way.
Qantas operates several commercial flights a day from Canberra to Tamworth, connecting through Sydney. Virgin also operates flights to Tamworth from Canberra, via Brisbane.
It is understood Dutton had a pre-existing commitment in Canberra which meant no commercial flight could take him to Tamworth in time for his appearance at the bush summit.
Albanese also appeared at the summit but the prime minister’s flights – on a government-funded VIP jet – do not appear in the Ipea reports. The details of more than $25m in those flights for Australian ministers and dignitaries are kept secret, with the government citing national security advice for no longer publishing those flight logs.
A Guardian Australia analysis of data between 2021 and 2023 for what are known as special purpose flights data shows the total cost for using the defence aircrafts has risen to $26.6m over the period, including $10.3m in 2023 alone. In 2023, Albanese spent more than 750 hours in the air at a cost of nearly $4.1m.
Albanese’s appearance at the bush summit was met by protest groups critical of the government’s renewable energy policies and an alleged lack of community consultation.
Speaking on stage at the bush summit, in front of a large screen noting the event was sponsored by Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, Dutton said cost of living was among his main priorities.
Asked about what he saw his role as opposition leader, Dutton listed “holding the government to account” on issues like cost of living. He also criticised the government’s energy policies as “incredibly expensive” and claimed regional and rural Australians were being treated as “second-class citizens”.
In a 2GB interview, conducted on his way to the airport to travel to Tamworth, Dutton claimed the government was “not concentrating on trying to help families and pensioners and self-funded retirees on the issue of cost of living”.