Taxpayers spend more than $20k on Queensland trips for Industry Minister and family

TAXPAYERS have spent more than $20,000 on a dozen trips to Queensland holiday resorts taken by federal Minister Greg Hunt and his family over more than a decade.

TAXPAYERS have spent more than $20,000 on a dozen trips to Queensland holiday resorts taken by Industry Minister Greg Hunt and his family over more than a decade.

Mr Hunt is the latest minister to face scrutiny in a growing Canberra-wide expenses scandal that has seen embattled health minister Sussan Ley stood aside.

Labor frontbencher Michelle Rowland has also been forced to defend a $7000 bill she racked up in September 2015, flying herself and two family members business class to Perth to speak at a campaign event for a West Australian Labor candidate.

LABOR MP MICHELLE ROWLAND’S FLYING VISIT WITH FAMILY

Taxpayers have spent more than $20,000 on a dozen trips to Queensland holiday resorts taken by Industry Minister Greg Hunt and his family. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

A Herald Sun probe of Mr Hunt’s travel claims over the 15 years he has been in federal parliament reveals he has visited Queensland holiday resorts on a dozen occasions.

For three years running between 2004 and 2006 he travelled with his family to Noosa in late November, each time staying there between three and seven nights.

Mr Hunt did not visit in 2007 — the federal election was in November — but returned to Noosa with family members for five nights in 2008.

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Pre-2008 travel records do not list the cost of flights, but the total cost for the 20 nights of accommodation the Hunt family charged to taxpayers to stay in Noosa between 2004 and 2008 was $5214.

The total visible cost of his and his family’s travel to Sunshine State holiday areas is more than $20,000.

A spokesman for the minister said that Mr Hunt had based himself at a single location and “used this as a base for multiple electorate or portfolio visits, events or meetings over a number of days”.

His office gave an example of one trip in 2004 when Mr Hunt met colleagues, environmental groups and councillors, and visited a nursery.

Over the course of his parliamentary career Mr Hunt has also been a frequent visitor, with his family, to the private resort of Hayman Island, in the Whitsundays, on each occasion to attend the Australian Davos Connection forum.

Mr Hunt has visited Hayman Island six times for the ADC Forum from 2003-16, at a cost of at least $12,000.

Greg Hunt has visited Hayman Island six times for the ADC Forum from 2003-16, at a cost of at least $12,000.

On four of those trips Mr Hunt was accompanied by family members. His four-night trip in August 2012 cost taxpayers almost $5000 for him and three of his family.

Michael Roux, the founding chairman of the ADC Forum, defended Mr Hunt’s attendance, saying it was a very tight program.

“As minister he is very familiar with the World Economic Forum from dealings with it over many years and the benefits that come from those networks, policy developments, and partnerships,” he said.

“Participants work very hard. We encourage them to bring their partners and family because they give up a weekend to work very hard from 7.30 in the morning until 10.30 at night,” Mr Roux said.

Mr Hunt spokesman said: “All trips to Hayman were to attend the annual ADC Forum for speaking engagements, panel events and meetings.

“A key focus of the conference has been environment, energy and climate change.

“In addition, the Davos Connection has been closely associated with the World Economic Forum.

“In that context, Mr Hunt has been invited to speak and present at the conference having been named as a ‘Global Leader for Tomorrow’ by the World Economic Forum and also having previously held a senior role with the World Economic Forum.”

Mr Hunt is not the first federal MP to have come under fire for taking his family on interstate trips.

Last year, Labor frontbencher Tony Burke defended his decision to charge taxpayers more than $12,000 for a four-day trip to Uluru in 2012 with his family.

Current rules entitle family members to accompany MHRs and senators on some trips due to the “non-family-friendly” nature of the role.

An annual family travel budget is calculated on the basis of nine business-class return trips to Canberra for a spouse or partner, and three business-class return trips for each dependent child.

Family members can also accompany politicians on three interstate business-class return trips each year.

A recent committee review of the entitlements system recommended maintaining all family reunion travel “to facilitate family life but not constitute an indulgence”.

But it recommended axing business-class travel for MPs’ children, saying “dependent children should generally travel economy class”.

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Originally published as Taxpayers spend more than $20k on Queensland trips for Industry Minister and family