Labor MP Michelle Rowland’s flying visit with family

LABOR frontbencher Michelle Rowland spent more than $7000 in taxpayer money flying two family members to Perth for a campaign event she spoke at for a WA Labor candidate.

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LABOR frontbencher Michelle Rowland spent more than $7000 in taxpayer money flying two family members business class to Perth for a campaign event she spoke at for a WA Labor candidate.

The western Sydney MP’s expense records show costs of about $5000 related to a trip from Sydney to Perth between September 3 and 6, 2015.

Ms Rowland’s husband, Michael, and three-year-old child accompanied her — their return flights cost more than $7370 dollars.

Labor frontbencher Michelle Rowland spent more than $7000 in taxpayer money flying two family members business class to Perth for a campaign event she spoke at for a WA Labor candidate.

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Her office yesterday confirmed they were business-class tickets.

The Opposition has been calling for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to sack sidelined frontbencher Sussan Ley over her travel expense woes.

Labor has also publicly called on the government to improve the entitlements ­system in the wake of the scandal.

The Greenway MP listed “infrastructure and communications” as the reason behind the September 3 date of travel and “shadow minister — official business” for the remainder of the trip.

A spokesman for Ms Rowland confirmed the “official business” also included the Opposition communications spokeswoman attending a WA “NBN forum” to speak with locals about their “frustration”.

The forum appears to have chiefly been a campaign event for then Labor candidate Matt Keogh.

A photo tweeted by Ms Rowland at the time showed the event featured a number of his corflutes.

“Great to be with labor’s outstanding candidate for Canning,” she tweeted.

The spokesman defended Ms Rowland’s use of more than $7000 of taxpayer money to fly her family to Perth, ­insisting she had not broken any rules.

“As Ms Rowland did not have any other childcare arrangements for this period, she was accompanied by her ­husband Michael as a carer for their then three-year-old child while Ms Rowland carried out her parliamentary committee and shadow ministry duties, in accordance with the rules,” he said. The spokesman also said she had used her time in WA to meet with multicultural groups.

“Ms Rowland travelled to Perth on September 3 for two days of official business with the standing committee on infrastructure and communications,” he said.

“She stayed on in Perth for meetings with Indian, Malaysian and Sri Lankan community groups as part of her then responsibilities as shadow minister for citizenship and multiculturalism, as well as an NBN forum in Armadale as part of her then responsibilities as shadow assistant minister for communications.”

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