Taxpayers splash nearly $65k on trip involving Minister Nick Champion and opposition MP Tim Whetstone – but details remain secret

Taxpayers splashed nearly $65,000 on another trip that involved both a minister and an opposition MP.

Taxpayers splashed nearly $65,000 to send a group including Trade Minister Nick Champion and opposition MP Tim Whetstone to India – but exactly how the money was spent remains secret after the government refused to release any details.

The pair were joined by a staffer and several public servants during a six-day trade mission to Bengaluru and Mumbai in November 2023.

It was one of two trips Mr Champion took with opposition MPs last year – a move that has been slammed by One Nation MLC Sarah Game as an attempt to avoid scrutiny.

Total travel expenses were $10,898 each for Mr Champion and his staffer, $11,039 for Mr Whetstone, $10,581 for Department for Trade and Investment (DTI) chief executive David Reynolds and $20,733 for three other public servants – some who attended only part of the trip.

Trade Minister Nick Champion and opposition MP Tim Whetstone visited India as part of a delegation trip in November 2023. Picture: Supplied

Despite rules that require disclosure within three months of travel, DTI did not declare the cost of Mr Reynolds’ trip until this week. A department spokesman attributed the delay to “an administrative error”.

Mr Champion and the department refused to provide receipts from the trip or a breakdown of what the $64,149 total cost was spent on.

Ms Game said those details should be made available to the taxpayers who paid the bill.

“When we see politicians spending taxpayers’ money and not wanting to account for it, it reeks of arrogance and a failure to understand their fundamental role in being accountable,” she said.

“I want to bring an end to both major parties believing that if they go on an expensive jolly together, they can avoid scrutiny.”

Trade Minister Nick Champion and opposition MP Tim Whetstone visited India as part of a delegation trip in November 2023. Picture: Supplied

Mr Champion, who said he met all disclosure requirements, said the trip marked the first time since 2017 that a SA Trade Minister had visited India.

“India is a global superpower with a population of more than 1.4bn, so it was important to demonstrate South Australia’s stable trading market with a bipartisan approach,” he said.

“Already we have seen positive results for SA since November, with Zoho establishing its new Australian headquarters in Adelaide after discussions in Bengaluru.”

Mr Whetstone pointed out his attendance was worth less than a fifth of the total trip cost, and said taxpayers should be assured the trip was “no folly”.

It was revealed last week taxpayers were charged more than $160,000 to send a group including Mr Champion and opposition MP Michelle Lensink on a May 2023 study tour that visited London, Paris and Milan.