Electoral Commission bosses spend big on island trips and New Zealand junket

Electoral Commission officials have cost taxpayers $381,619 on 14 international trips this year, including a $25,000 Fiji journey and $68,000 Papua New Guinea visits.

AEC officials are travelling around the Pacific on Federal Funds.

Australian Electoral Commission boffins have gone on 14 international trips this year – costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars every time they take to the skies.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal taxpayers have been slugged $381,619 in the last ten months for AEC bureaucrats to travel around the Pacific Islands including a $25,000 trip to Fiji, three trips to Papua New Guinea costing more than $68,000, as well as trips to the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Samoa and the Marshall Islands.

Revelations of the jet setting pollsters comes as it can be revealed four AEC staffers travelled to Mt Wellington in Auckland last month to “share experiences of election delivery” – costing Aussie taxpayers $50,000.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong approves the trips. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“AEC staff travelled to Auckland to participate in, and support, a meeting of Senior Electoral Officials from election management bodies that represent the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded Pacific Australia New Zealand Electoral Administrators’ Network,” an AEC spokesman said.

The Marshall Islands. Picture: Supplied

It can also be revealed that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded the accommodation of a representative from 15 countries across the pacific on the trip, as well as paying for food and conference facilities.

An AEC official said the trip to New Zealand last month cost $20,428.19 alone for the four staff members alone, “including accommodation, per diem and taxis”.

“At the request of the partner country, the AEC’s International Engagement team provides electoral assistance internationally,” a spokeswoman for the department said.

Samoa. Photo - Alamy Destinations Escape 16 November 2025

“This work is done with Foreign Minister approval and funding provided by the DFAT.”

However, a release from the AEC in October said the event focused on regional presentations on topics such as voter turnout, engaging youth and other disenfranchised groups, electoral integrity, artificial intelligence, business continuity and out-of-constituency voting”, rather than electoral assistance.

The AEC official said work funded by the taxpayer includes “participating in forums” such as the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand Electoral Administrators Network, assisting with the running of Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections workshops, and by providing on the ground capability building and electoral assistance as requested by other countries.

TRIPS

Fiji $25,708

Bougainville $39,808

Papua New Guinea $20,217

Papua New Guinea $32,103

Tonga $54,619

Papua New Guinea $15,728

Republic of the Marshall Islands $32,753

Solomon Islands $6,740

Palau $26,352

Federated State of Micronesia $33,181

Samoa $19,059

Solomon Islands $33,784

Solomon Islands $21,139

New Zealand $20,428

Originally published as Electoral Commission bosses spend big on island trips and New Zealand junket