Upper House President’s claim for taxpayer-funded allowance to be referred to police
SA Police will be asked to step in and investigate the legitimacy of Upper House President Terry Stephens’ claim to the Country Members’ Allowance, which is worth up to $31,590 a year.
SA News
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Police have been asked to investigate the legitimacy of Upper House President Terry Stephens’ claim to a taxpayer-funded allowance after questions were raised over his eligibility.
The Opposition says this morning it referred concerns over Mr Stephens’ entitlement to the Country Members’ Allowance to the SA Police anti-corruption branch.
The senior Liberal MP has been under increasing pressure to justify his Country Members’ Allowance after an ABC report on Sunday questioned whether he was entitled to claim the money.
The report stated Mr Stephen publicly claimed to live in Victor Harbor but spent a significant amount of time at his Norwood property.
Mr Stephens and Lower House Speaker Vincent Tarzia on Monday released the 2018/19 and 2019/2020 claims of all MPs who have claimed the allowance and it showed Mr Stephens had received $60,534 during that time through the scheme.
However, Labor is now calling for Mr Stephens to stand aside pending the outcome of the mooted police investigation.
It also plans to move a resolution in State Parliament today requiring the full release of all claim forms and declarations relating to the Country Members’ Allowance over the past decade.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman Kyam Maher said the public had a “right to full transparency when it comes to their money”.
“Terry Stephens cannot remain as Upper House president while there are unanswered questions about this matter – He must stand aside pending a full investigation,” he said.
“The public must have confidence in the Parliament and its parliamentarians.”
Mr Stephens has been contacted for comment.
Under parliamentary rules, country members are eligible to receive a taxpayer-funded allowance for travelling to and from Adelaide for parliamentary and other official duties if the member’s usual place of residence and at least part of their electorate is more than 75km by road from the GPO.
Those who meet this requirement are able to claim $234 for each night they stay in the city, up to a maximum of $31,590 per year.
Information on who receives these payments and how much they have claimed is not publicly available.
On Monday morning, the Opposition called on Premier Steven Marshall to instruct Mr Stephens to immediately release the details of Mr Stephens’ and all regional MPs’ allowances.
That afternoon, Mr Stephens issued a statement on the matter, and both he and Lower House Speaker Vincent Tarzia released the details of country MP allowance claims for the past two years.