Ley hits taxpayers $13K to pilot flights

A LIBERAL party donor has denied there was a direct link between his company receiving a grant six months before he sold his unit to Sussan Ley.

Sussan Ley prepares to pilot herself out of the Canberra and back to her home town of Albury in her federal electorate of Farrer, NSW.

EMBATTLED Health Minister Sussan Ley is again under fire today after revelations she purchased her Gold Coast apartment from a Liberal Party donor, just months after his company received a $110,000 grant.

Education Department contract documents reveal that Children First Learning Centres, owned by Liberal Party donor Martin Corkery, received a staff training grant in November 2014 when Ms Ley was assistant Education Minister, the Gold Coast Bulletin reports.

Six months later she bought his luxury apartment for $795,000 — $35,000 less than Mr Corkey paid for it nine years earlier. Mr Corkey has denied he had any direct contact with Ms Ley before she purchased the property.

Sussan Ley purchased her Gold Coast apartment from a Liberal Party donor.

The revelations come in the wake of news Ms Ley slugged taxpayers $7000 to pilot a private plane instead of taking a commercial flight that would have cost as little as $190.

Ms Ley’s use of taxpayer funding is again under fire after revelations she spent $13,000 to pilot private planes along busy capital city routes.

Fairfax reports Ms Ley, who is a licensed commercial pilot, charged $6300 to fly from Canberra to Melbourne in July 2014 and another $7000 to travel from Canberra to Adelaide in May 2015.

A Canberra-to-Adelaide commercial flight generally costs as little as $190 to fly economy.

Sussan Ley is a licensed pilot.

Ms Ley’s social media accounts indicate she was in the cockpit, Fairfax reports.

According to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority guidelines, commercial pilots must fly three flights every 90 days to maintain their licences.

Ms Ley stood aside as the health minister on Monday after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ordered an investigation into her travel claims by the head of his department.

She insists she’s broken no rules.

Government documents also show Ms Ley spent more than $1000 on flights to and from Coolangatta between September 5 and September 8.

The embattled Health Minister’s future career is under a cloud.

She also claimed car costs of $271 and a travel allowance of $720 during that time but it’s unclear what official business she conducted on the trip.

A spokesman for Ms Ley said it would be “quite improper” to comment on the latest allegations.

“It’s actually out of her hands,” he told AAP.

Originally published as Ley hits taxpayers $13K to pilot flights