South Australian politicians’ big-ticket expenses revealed
South Australians have forked out more than half a million dollars for government MPs’ travel since last year’s election. Find out who are the biggest jetsetters.
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State Government ministers have racked up more than half a million dollars in overseas and domestic travel expenses since being elected in March last year, Sunday Mail analysis of expense claims show.
The Marshall Government’s international travel bill has reached $410,000 for ministers to take trips to places including Europe, China and the US.
Premier Steven Marshall had the biggest total travel bill, at about $244,000.
In the past year and a half, he made three trips to Europe, two to the US, and visited Hong Kong and Thailand. Mr Marshall, who is currently on an eight-day trade mission to China and South Korea, also visited China last year.
Treasurer Rob Lucas said Liberal ministers were spending about a quarter of the former Labor government’s ministerial travel bill.
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The Premier told the Sunday Mail the focus of his travel was to drive positive economic and jobs growth in SA by forging strong connections with key industry leaders.
“One example of an outcome of a trip has been securing SA’s largest ever film production, in Mortal Kombat, which will create more than 580 jobs and enhance our growing reputation as one of the most exciting centres of Australia’s creative industry,” he said of his January US visit.
The most expensive overseas trip was taken by Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone, who charged taxpayers $39,152 to go on an 11-day trade mission to Israel.
A spokesman for Mr Whetstone said Israel was a world leader in the adoption of agriculture technologies, which was identified as a key growth area for the state.
“The relationships formed during this trip will have ongoing benefits to South Australia,” he said.
As SA builds its might in space technologies, trips to the US have become increasingly popular in order to spruik capability and secure business ties within the industry.
But maintaining a relationship with China, a main US competitor, appears to also be important.
Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister David Ridgway made two of the four ministerial trips to China. Attorney-General Vickie Chapman and Mr Marshall also visited the country.
Regional trips throughout South Australia and going to Canberra to meet with federal colleagues made up the lion’s share of ministers’ $138,000 domestic travel bill.
The biggest total domestic travel bill was claimed by Mr Marshall ($97,378). That was followed by Mr Whetstone, who claimed $42,238.
A two-day regional drought trip in January to meet with farmers and tour their properties cost $12,029. A charter plane with an $11,055 price tag was used to ferry Mr Marshall from Adelaide to Cleve, Whyalla, Manna Hill and Pinnaroo.
Taxpayers were also charged more than $35,500 for trips to Canberra.
Mr Lucas said the State Government put an end to the “flagrant abuse of taxpayer-funded travel that had became a shocking hallmark of the former Labor government’s time in office”. “In the 18 months to December 2017, Labor ministers racked up nearly $2 million worth of international and domestic taxpayer-funded travel – we’ve spent a quarter of that.”
