Redland mayoral candidate Andrew Laming loses federal court case and ordered to repay $10k in travel expenses

Former federal MP Andrew Laming has defended a $10,000 trip to Tasmania, after a Federal Court finding the travel was not for parliamentary purposes and ordering he repay the money.

Redland mayoral candidate Andrew Laming, third from left, on the hustings as pre-polling opened on Monday.

Former federal MP and current Redland mayoral candidate Andrew Laming has lost a Federal Court judicial review and has been ordered to reimburse the Federal Government $10,360.05 for travel expenses logged on a trip to Tasmania in 2019.

Federal Court Judge Sarah Derrington handed down findings of the judicial review on Monday, concluding Dr Laming’s appeal lacked evidence to prove the dominant purpose of his trip from Brisbane to Hobart was for parliamentary business.

“Dr Laming’s complaint boils down to one about the weight of evidence and the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority’s consequent conclusion as to dominant purpose,” Justice Derrington said.

“The latter is a matter at the discretion of the IPEA. The prospects of Dr Laming establishing that the Ruling has not been made within the proper exercise of the power are poor.

“I do not consider that Dr Laming’s substantive application is reasonably arguable.”

Dr Laming sought the judicial review after a March 2022 decision, claiming he travelled to Tasmania to study composite boardwalk technology for use in Redlands and to address an eye surgery conference and meet with teachers.

In July 2023, Dr Laming repaid $5000 after the IPEA started civil proceedings to recover the money in the magistrates court.

After this week’s findings, the working ophthalmologist who is currently campaigning to be Redland City mayor, said he believed the travel expenses inquiry was politically motivated as it was launched two years after the trip.

Dr Laming, who represented himself in the appeal, said proving the trip was for “parliamentary purpose” had been made difficult because email data, typically stored for six months, “had been lost by the Commonwealth’’ over the two years.

“This had all the hallmarks of a politically motivated inquiry following baseless allegations against me, for legitimate parliamentary travel,” he said.

“Two years after the trip, there were no parliamentary records available to me … and I was in an impossible predicament with the Commonwealth itself losing a year of my parliamentary data.

“But I respect the decision and will happily make the reimbursement.

“All things considered, I defend the trip as I went for three things I am passionate about — the boardwalk, teachers and my surgery conference.”

Dr Laming said he inspected boardwalks in Central Tablelands and at Sorell, a 25km drive northeast of Hobart.

He met with teachers from the Independent Schools Tasmania in Hobart where he also attended the eye surgery conference.