Paterson said the “politically convenient” amendment “blew apart any excuses the prime minister might have had about how it was difficult to make changes to this framework.
Loading
“If he’s not fixing it, if he’s waiting for advice, it’s because he doesn’t want to fix it. And therefore, I think he has to take responsibility for every cent of expenditure from his ministers,” he said.
Coalition criticism of the government on the issue has largely been left to Paterson. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who offered to hash out bipartisan travel perks reform with Albanese on Friday, was forced to resign as a minister in 2017 after buying a Gold Coast property on a taxpayer-funded trip.
Independent senator David Pocock said too many politicians have taken advantage of a system set up to make parliament more family-friendly.
“We need a change in the rules to bring more integrity into how parliamentary expenses are claimed, not loosen them further as the government did ahead of the last election,” he said.
“From the spike in staff travel costs during the election, to using ministry meetings as a cover for billing the taxpayer to travel to fundraisers, it’s evident the rules as they stand are being abused and need tightening.”
Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who hasn’t made a single family travel claim since IPEA’s digital records begin in 2021, told reporters in Sydney on Saturday that the claims were a “personal choice”.
Asked about Farrell’s amendments, Bowen said they were “a clarification of the rules to make them simpler.
“There was no change to what is allowed or not allowed,” he said. “Those changes, in a normal way, were made so that people are surer when they’re booking their travel as to whether it was covered.”
