SA election 2018: Liberals’ Rob Lucas promises to ban ‘long boozy lunches’ charged to taxpayer if they win election

MINISTERS would be banned from putting “long boozy lunches” on the taxpayer credit card, and forced to foot any alcohol bills themselves, under a cost-cutting Liberal pledge.

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MINISTERS would be banned from putting “long boozy lunches” on the taxpayer credit card, and forced to foot any alcohol bills themselves, under a Liberal cost-cutting pledge.

Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas said he would enforce a “strict new policy” on ministerial expenses as well as introduce a crackdown on political lobbyists.

Under current rules, ministers have discretionary expenses credit cards on which they can pay for hospitality.

Premier Jay Weatherill changed transparency rules and required all ministerial and departmental chief executives to make their bills public.

However, the bills often show just the expense amount and venue without details.

Mr Lucas said the rules must go further to stamp out “obscene” waste.

Opposition treasury spokesman Rob Lucas said he would enforce a “strict new policy” on ministerial expenses. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“Ministers spending taxpayers’ money on alcohol for themselves, their staff, public servants and guests will end under a Marshall Liberal government,” Mr Lucas told The Advertiser.

“Similar restrictions will also apply to ministerial staff spending taxpayers’ money on alcohol. We’ve had the obscene situation where Labor ministers and their staff indulged in expensive bottles of wine during cosy dinners that have nothing to do with government business.”

Mr Lucas pointed to the ­example of Tourism Minister Leon Bignell, criticised in 2015 for charging $100 for a bottle of Argentinian wine while visiting Glasgow in Scotland.

At the time, Mr Bignell said it was market research and claimed: “The thing we do not get a lot of in SA is Argentinian wine. If our opponent is Argentina, I want to try their wine.”

Mr Lucas also promised to stop people being both lobbyists and senior members of ­political parties.

“A person can be an official of a political party or a lobbyist, but not both,” Mr Lucas said.

Mr Lucas said that the Liberals would introduce a widespread transparency agenda if they were elected that also included rapid responses to questions in Parliament, giving the Independent Commission Against Corruption open hearings and access to Cabinet documents as well as regular public disclosure of government advertising costs and protection for journalists and their sources.