The Sauce: Senator Deborah O’Neill’s Tassie trips questioned

Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill’s frequent trips to Tasmania have raised eyebrows among her political rivals for a very surprising reason. Plus: The day Santa visited Ivan Milat in Supermax.

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Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill has raised eyebrows among her political rivals over why she has been claiming only part of the cost of her trips to Tasmania.

Surely a work trip is a work trip and the full entitlement is claimed, our source argues. Or is it a case of O’Neill being diligent to ensure taxpayers are not charged for second of non-work time?

Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill Picture: Adam Yip

According to a flight log sent to The Sauce last week, the Central Coast backbencher has travelled to the Apple Isle on seven occasions in the past two years.

On June 12, 2018, O’Neill charged taxpayers $2440.36 to fly from Burnie to Perth, but nothing for the trip to Burnie.

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The following month, O’Neill charged taxpayers to fly from Melbourne to Burnie, and for the flight back to Sydney, but did not claim travel allowance for the eight nights away.

In May last year, O’Neill charged taxpayers $963.14 for a flight from Burnie to Canberra, but not the first flight to Burnie.

On November 3, taxpayers were charged $2882.46 for a flight from Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Burnie, with travel allowance claimed for two nights.

In January this year, O’Neill again charged taxpayers $1914 to fly from Burnie to Sydney via Melbourne – but again did not charge for the flight to Burnie. O’Neill then flew to Sydney for one night – claiming travel allowance – before flying back to Burnie at taxpayer expense.

Eight days were spent in Burnie – which were not claimed for – but taxpayers were charged for the flight back to Sydney.

In March, taxpayers are again charged $347.05 for a flight from Canberra to Launceston via Melbourne – but no return flight or travel allowance is claimed.

Colleagues have asked why the Senator has only claimed for part of her Tasmanian trips. Picture: Gary Ramage

O’Neill’s camp, who sent links to work duties for each of the trips, explained that the Senator was only claiming for the portion of the trips that were strictly “work duties”.

When she went on leave, she covered the cost of her own flights and accommodation.

Her duties included attending various Senate hearings in Tasmania relating to Newstart, Robodebt and education, as well as attending meetings in Melbourne.

“Senator O’Neill only accesses work expenses in line with the framework governed by the independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA),” her office said in a statement.

“Wherever Senator O’Neill has determined that personal duties are taking place, she does not claim expenses.”

NEW GIG

He is the handsome young man who was photographed at Arts and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Don Harwin’s Central Coast retreat at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.

Now Oxford graduate Geoffrey Winters’ new position has materialised in the most unlikely of places — within Mr Harwin’s Aboriginal Affairs portfolio.

The new role appears to have coincided with Mr Harwin’s triumphant return to the Cabinet in July after he was stood down in April.

Indigenous lawyer Geoffrey Winters, who has taken on a role at the Office of the Registrar Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Picture: Hollie Adams

Mr Harwin was originally fined $1000 by NSW Police for flouting strict COVID-19 travel restrictions but was later cleared of any wrongdoing and reinstated as Arts Minister.

Mr Winters is now a senior manager at the Office of the Registrar Aboriginal Land Rights Act – a role the 31-year-old whip smart solicitor and Liberal Party member appears very qualified for.

There is no suggestion Mr Harwin played a role in Mr Winters’ appointment.

Mr Winters did not return Sauce correspondent Ben Pike’s phone calls.

SUPERMAX SANTA

After our item about political assassin Phuong Ngo pointing out loose screws in Goulburn’s Supermax soon after it opened, we were inundated with old stories from former Corrective Services NSW prison staff.

One that caught our attention was the day “Santa” allegedly visited the High Risk Management Unit.

Convicted backpacker murderer and Supermax inmate Ivan Milat who died last year

It was Christmas in the early 2000s when prison officials touring the jail were alerted to a scene unfolding on the security cameras.

Our source claims it was the man in the red suit being escorted cell to cell, visiting the inmates.

The next bit sounds too good to be true, but our source swears the dressed-up officer asked backpacker killer Ivan Milat if he had “been a good boy” before handing him a magazine.

The whole scene was allegedly videoed on a handheld recorder (used whenever force was to be used on an inmate), although the footage disappeared long ago.

We stress that this incident was a decade before the arrival of NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin, who we are certain has “heard it all”.

POLICE VISIT

It’s good to know the police don’t play favourites when it comes to COVID-19.

Federal MPs locked up in Canberra hotel rooms and apartments for the past fortnight have all received police checks, in person and on the phone, to make sure they aren't breaking quarantine rules.

The Sauce understands Health Minister Greg Hunt received his unexpected knock at the door during a zoom meeting with colleagues.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has his temperature checked before touring the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne last month. Picture: James Ross/AAP

Freedom for the 20 pollies and staff will come today when those in lockdown are finally allowed out for the first time in two weeks after returning negative COVID-19 tests.

Some MPs, including Labor’s Julian Hill, were so excited to see another human that they decided to dress up when the medics arrived to conduct the coronavirus test.

But not all MPs will enjoy freedom in Canberra this week, with pollies from Sydney banned from going out for dinner while in the ACT.

LONDON CALLING

Canberra will this week say goodbye to one of Anthony Albanese’s senior advisers, Fiona Sugden.

Anthony Albanese staffer Fiona Sugden is London-bound. Picture: Twitter

Sugden, a former press secretary to Kevin Rudd, was lured back to Australia by Bill Shorten when she was working in the British Foreign Office in London.

The mother-of-five moved to Albanese’s office after he got the top job, but being away from her husband during a global pandemic has prompted the latest move back to the UK.

We wish her well.

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Originally published as The Sauce: Senator Deborah O’Neill’s Tassie trips questioned