Minister Anika Wells refers own travel expenses for audit
Australian Minister for Communications Anika Wells has referred her taxpayer-funded flights to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority as calls grow for an overhaul of family travel entitlements.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has referred her travel expenses to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority for an audit.
Ms Wells confirmed the self-referral in a short statement to media on Tuesday afternoon.
It follows a series of revelations about Ms Wells’ use of family travel entitlements, including decisions to bill taxpayers $3000 for a family weekend in Thredbo, and $9000 to fly her husband to AFL grand finals, Boxing Day test matches, and the Melbourne F1.
In a short statement, Ms Wells denied any wrongdoing.
“I remain confident all my travel and expenses is within the framework, but for the avoidance of doubt I have self-referred my expenditure to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority for an audit,” she wrote.
On Monday afternoon Ms Wells’ parliamentary register of member’s interests – the public record of gifts and free hospitality – was updated to include tickets for herself and her husband Finn McCarthy to the AFL, NRL and NRLW grand finals.
She also added, among other things, tickets to a Diamonds’ game against New Zealand, entry to the Logies and an Oasis concert in Sydney.
On Saturday, November 8, Ms Wells and her husband were the guests of Venues NSW at its corporate box at Accor Stadium in Sydney, alongside Australian Olympic Committee CEO Mark Arbib and Australian cricketer Nathan Lyon.
The costs of corporate boxes at Oasis’s Sydney Accor Stadium concerts was not publicly available but depending on the package, entry to boxes at Melbourne’s Oasis shows cost between $500 and $1000 a head.
MPs are required to update the public register within 28 days of receiving gifts and hospitality.
But more than a month after the concert her register of member’s interests had not been updated to reflect the gift.
In contrast, Anthony Albanese, who a day earlier also watched Oasis as a guest of Venues NSW, declared his ticket four days later on November 11.
Ms Wells has been under pressure since it was revealed she spent $94,000 flying herself and two staff to New York earlier this year.
Taxpayers paid almost $9000 for Ms Wells and Mr McCarthy to attend the 2022, 2023 and 2024 grand finals – on one occasion with their children.
Ms Wells had spent $3000 of taxpayer money for a family weekend at Thredbo and that she took three trips to Paris in the space of 12 months at a cost of more than $120,000 – including a $1000 dinner for four people.
Originally published as Minister Anika Wells refers own travel expenses for audit
