Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a significant rollback of travel entitlements for the families of Australian parliamentarians, following a review by the independent expenses watchdog.
New Rules for Family Travel
The changes, which the government has recommended to the Remuneration Tribunal, will see a substantial tightening of the rules governing how politicians can claim for their spouses and family members to travel at public expense. The most notable shift is that all such travel must now be in economy class, rather than business class.
Under the current system, MPs can claim for up to nine business class flights for a spouse to travel to Canberra, and three for travel elsewhere in Australia. For senior office holders like ministers, the rules are even more generous, allowing unlimited travel for spouses to accompany them to events.
Closing Loopholes and Curbing Costs
The new framework seeks to close these loopholes. Parliamentarians will now only be able to claim for partners to travel between their home and Canberra, or within their electorate or state. The entitlement for travel to other locations across Australia will be scrapped.
For senior ministers, the rules will be stricter. Spouses will only be eligible for travel if they are formally invited in an official capacity and the event is directly connected to the minister's portfolio responsibilities. "That is, if you're environment minister, connected to the environment," Albanese explained.
Triggered by Expense Controversies
The move comes after several ministers, including Michelle Rowland, Anika Wells, and Don Farrell, faced scrutiny for claiming thousands of dollars for family travel to events like the Australian Open and major football finals. Albanese confirmed he received advice from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) on the weekend of 13 December and has acted upon it.
"I do not have the power at a stroke of a pen, to change entitlements. The tribunal has the power, and we have written to the remuneration tribunal," the Prime Minister stated. He added that he had asked the tribunal to ensure parents with young children are not disadvantaged by the changes.
In a related development, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland confirmed on Tuesday that she has repaid around $10,000 after IPEA advised that a portion of a $22,000 family reunion trip to Western Australia in July 2023 was outside the guidelines.
The Remuneration Tribunal is expected to consider the proposed changes at its next meeting in January.
