Daniel Wills: Time may show Knoll followed the rules, but today he failed the pub test on expenses
Stephan Knoll says that transparency of public money is sacred, but won’t say how much of it he gives mum and dad to crash at their place while he’s in town. And that’s not going to fly with the rest of us.
Opinion
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- Stephan Knoll paid parents board and billed the taxpayer
- State Liberal MPs repay $80,000 in travel claims
If it weren’t so serious, it would be fall-down funny. Transport Minister Stephan Knoll says that transparency of public money is sacred, but won’t say how much he gives mum and dad.
Mr Knoll has now given back almost $30,000 to the taxpayer, saying that there is a lack of clarity around the rules for when a country MP can claim a travel allowance.
Changed rules in 2018 said they not only had to travel, but to spend money doing so.
Mr Knoll’s spin has been to try and get out in front of the controversy, and hide in plain sight. Records dating back 10 years were to be released in parliament on Tuesday.
On Monday, Mr Knoll wrote to officials offering a refund.
Mr Knoll, once a rising star in the party and considered a possible future treasurer or leader, is facing a huge threat to his position that comes from two fronts.
One live issue is whether he played by the rules.
There is widespread confusion about what an MP has to do to claim the $234 per night payment. They need to “incur an actual expense”, according to the rules.
Can they buy a bag or chips or a packet of mints on the way into Adelaide, and claim the whole chunk of cash? Can they buy a mate a six pack to sleep on his couch?
Do they actually have to spend the full allowance amount to get reimbursed?
Who knows? Not Stephan Knoll, not Premier Steven Marshall.
The Remuneration Tribunal and Auditor-General have been asked to clarify.
But the more essential question is whether the public, from whom Mr Knoll took this money before giving it back, think that he has met the standard they demand.
In a ridiculous radio interview and equally frustrating press conference on Wednesday, Mr Knoll said he had a range of expenses that justified him getting the money.
He wouldn’t say what they were, but he insisted transparency was essential.
“I incur a range of expenses in relation to when I stay in Adelaide,” Mr Knoll said.
“The money is not the issue here. What is the issue is the fact that I need to make sure that I’ve done everything I can to assure the public as well as myself that I’ve put this issue beyond doubt. This is a proactive step that I have taken.”
His father Franz Knoll was even more proactive, confirming to The Advertiser that his son pays him board while in Adelaide. We don’t know how much, or if it’s even close to the $30,000 that Knoll Junior claimed before then giving it back.
The public has absolutely no tolerance for this kind of stuff. Especially when ministers make $350,000 a year, which is the kind of money average voters can only dream of.
There is speculation now in the Liberal Party that Mr Knoll will struggle to survive this and hold his spot in the Cabinet.
Whether he’s done the right thing by the letter of the law is unclear, but refusing to detail what his expenses were won’t pass the court of public opinion.
