$44,000 flights and $8k on cars: Tony Burke’s four day US spending spree

$44k on flights, $8k on cars: Employment Relations minister Tony Burke and a staffer travelled to America for a trip which cost Richard Marles half what Burke billed taxpayers.

Employment Relations Minister Tony Burke forked out $57,000 of taxpayer cash in a four day US spending spree where he had lunch and dinner with the Australian ambassador and attended a meeting with a US Senator.

The trip, taken between July 11 and 15 in 2022, was for the 30th Australian American Leadership Dialogue (AALD).

But for Mr Burke the four-day trip cost twice as much as Defence Minister Richard Marles’ expenses for the same visit.

His eye watering bill included $44,000 on business class flights for him and a staff member, more than $8000 on hire cars — including having one car waiting on hand for 10 hours — and about $4000 on accommodation.

The spending has come to light in previously secret documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act and come amid a renewed push greater transparency on parliamentary spending.

Arthur Sinodinos, left, and Tony Bourke, right, at a barbecue at the Australian ambassador residence in Washington on July 14, 2022. Picture: Yuri Gripas

Opposition leader Peter Dutton and MP Sarah Henderson and Simon Birmingham were also in attendance but have not claimed any expenses for the trips so far.

The Telegraph understands opposition members, besides the leader, do not have access to overseas travel funds.

Assistant Competition Minister Andrew Leigh was also in attendance and is yet to bill the trip to the taxpayer.

United Airlines Business class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Supplied

Mr Burke took one staff member with him while Mr Marles took two.

At the time, Mr Burke justified his attendance at the event with: ”I was invited to the AALD because of my portfolio, which is especially relevant to this year’s forum program which covers employment and workplace relations.”

He added: “I will also be presenting on the Australian Parliament in my capacity as Leader of the House. During my visit I will also be meeting with key stakeholders and officials related to my employment and workplace relations portfolio. Additionally, I will attend AUKUS-related meetings at the White House and Congress.”

The Jefferson, Washington, DC where Mr Burke dined. Photo: Supplied

According to Mr Burke’s ministerial diary, he had lunch and dinner with at the Australian Ambassador’s residence, attended a dinner at the US Institute of Peace and met with US Senator Tammy Baldwin.

His office insisted he attended other meetings during the visit including with the AUKUS caucus of the US Congress and with the Indo Pacific National Security Coordinator — but they were not included on his publicly available calendar.

Mr Burke and his staffer also slugged taxpayers $533 each for new passports- including a priority processing fee.

A spokesman for the minister said he needed diplomatic passports for the trip and the hire car arrangements were made by the Australian Embassy and not by Mr Burke or his staff.

“Government attendance at the Australian American Leadership Dialogue has been standard for many years and is a signal of the importance of the alliance,” the spokesman said.

Australian Ambassador's Residence in Washington DC. Photo: Facebook

Independent MP Dai Le said parliamentary spending was in the spotlight because Australians were doing it tough with the growing cost of living.

“As crossbenchers, we have supported and called for a more transparent and accountable parliament,” she said.

“We have to be very responsible with our spending, we have to be transparent and accountable with taxpayer money and we need to ensure that what we do is relevant to our parliamentary work and the community get something back in return.”

Former senator Rex Patrick said it’s crucial that politicians justify the value of taxpayer-funded trips.

“He has to justify how that is good value for the taxpayer … This is a large sum of money and anyone who is spending taxpayers money must be able to justify the spend,” he said.

“You have to be prepared to not be shy about justifying the costs, and provide full information.”

According to the last tranche of parliamentary expenses released publicly, Mr Burke spent $398,000 in a single quarter including $88,000 on printing.

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Originally published as $44,000 flights and $8k on cars: Tony Burke’s four day US spending spree