The Sauce: Federal politicians spend $2.5m flying on chartered jets
It was dubbed an expensive pre-election public relations exercise at the time — now The Sauce can reveal exactly how much it cost taxpayers for the PM to showcase the facilities on Christmas Island last year.
NSW
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It was dubbed an expensive public relations exercise at the time — but now The Sauce can reveal exactly how much it cost taxpayers for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to showcase the facilities on Christmas Island last year.
The trip was strongly criticised for being nothing more than a media stunt to allow the government to look tough on borders in the lead-up to the May federal election last year.
An analysis of ministerial chartered flights by The Sauce correspondent Linda Silmalis showed the cost to fly ScoMo and his 23-strong posse in a Royal Australian Air Force jet from Canberra to Christmas Island via Broome and back to Perth on March 5-6 totalled $44,253.
The figure, contained in the latest Special Purpose Flights, does not include the return trip the RAAF Boeing 737 had to eventually make back to Canberra.
In defending the trip, ScoMo was quoted at the time declaring that it was “important for Australians to know this facility is up to the job”.
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The report showed pollies spent just over $2.5 million in public money jetting around the country in RAAF planes in the six months to June last year, with more than $360,000 spent on “ghost flights” — jets flying back to base empty after having ferried over pollies to their destinations.
Border patrol was also on the agenda when Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and VIPs including Major General Craig Furini jetted to Colombo via Brisbane and Broome in June at a cost of just over $100,000.
Nationals leader Michael McCormack topped the list for solo flights, many ferrying him back and forth from various destinations and his home in Wagga Wagga at a total cost of $39,000. On March 24, McCormack chartered a Canberra-based VIP to pick him up in Wagga Wagga before flying solo to Ballina, then Melbourne and back to the ACT at a cost of $21,000.
McCormack also flew solo from Wagga Wagga to Canberra and back — an adviser joining him on the return leg — on June 13, with the trip costing $8493, including the empty flights the plane had to make from its base.
He took another solo flight on June 25, hailing a jet from Canberra to Parkes, where he was picked up before being flown to Sydney and then Wagga Wagga at a cost of $9834.
WATCH AND ACT
It is set to become the Morrison government’s first test since the bushfires.
With rumours rife this week that Labor MP Mike Kelly is about to retire, The Sauce can reveal the Liberals are mobilised for a potential high-profile by-election in the former bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro.
Held by Kelly since 2016, there has been growing speculation that the former army colonel’s retirement is imminent, despite repeated assurances he is not intending to quit.
In hospital for kidney failure, Kelly last week declared he would make a final decision about his long-term future in politics after four more planned surgeries.
The marginal seat was in the sights of NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro, who has never ruled out having a tilt at Canberra.
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With the Coalition agreement on three-cornered contests not applying to by-elections, Barilaro could technically run against a Liberal candidate should he wish.
As for potential Liberal candidates, one party insider said the cap was being passed around the party’s FECs to fund a campaign for Senator Jim Molan.
With Molan’s future in the Senate not guaranteed, the southern NSW seat may be the former army major general’s only option to extend his political career.
He is also strongly tipped to be ScoMo’s pick.
A by-election in the seat would serve as ScoMo’s first test since the devastating bushfires — some of worst hitting the Eden-Monaro electorate. Stay tuned.
Got some Sauce? Contact linda.silmalis@news.com.au, miranda.wood@news.com.au, or annika.smethurst@news.com.au