Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has continued to shirk responsibility for the ongoing parliamentary expenses saga, which has seen MPs come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following revelations of Communications Minister Anika Wells’ use of parliamentary travel entitlements.
In a testy press conference in Canberra yesterday, when asked about a finance minister’s regulation allowing unlimited spousal travel perks for senior MPs, Albanese said: “I’m not the finance minister. I haven’t changed the rule.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley opened the door to a bipartisan overhaul of family travel perks yesterday as she and her senior shadow ministers said they were open to changes, but the prime minister is holding firm in the face of calls to pare back entitlements.
Albanese was grilled about revelations that Special Minister of State Don Farrell, and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, charged 136 and 78 spouse flights, respectively, to the taxpayer since 2022.
Albanese distanced himself by repeatedly raising Ley’s misuse of travel expenses in 2017 and noted multiple times that the finance minister oversaw expenses, even though Farrell is the minister with most responsibility over the entitlements scheme.
“I don’t influence that from the top,” Albanese said.
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