MP ­Rachel Carling-Jenkins too ill for CFA vote, jetted to Washington days later

TAXPAYERS partly funded the airfares of a crossbench state MP who was a guest at an overseas conference days after being too ill to attend a crucial vote in parliament.

EXCLUSIVE: TAXPAYERS partly funded the airfares of a crossbench state MP who was a guest at an overseas conference days after being too ill to attend a crucial vote in parliament.

Australian Conservatives MP ­Rachel Carling-Jenkins missed a critical Good Friday vote in the Legislative Council on the Andrews Government’s restructure of Victoria’s fire services — a Bill to which she had declared her opposition.

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But days later, she boarded a plane to Washington DC to speak at a global summit of the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation, being held in a swanky Virginia hotel.

Her appearance at the summit, where she was feted like a VIP, offered champagne and asked to give a speech, is expected to intensify criticism from MPs over why she could not be in parliament or ask for a delay of a vote on the restructure.

The Fire Services Reform Bill would dismantle the Country Fire Authority and move all career firefighters to a new Fire Rescue Victoria.

Dr. Rachel Carling-Jenkins speaks at the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Global Summit in Washington DC.

Last night Dr Carling-Jenkins said she was medically cleared to fly last Monday, after being too sick to attend Parliament the week before.

She said her airfares were partly taxpayer funded, through the use of her electorate office budget.

But Dr Carling-Jenkins said much of her pre-planned trip to the US was privately paid for.

She denied suggestions she had done a deal with the government to be absent during the crucial Fire Services Reform Bill.

“I have no deal with the government — this is simply not true,” she said.

“I was genuinely ill.”

Dr Carling-Jenkins said her opposition to the government’s fire restructure reform plan had not changed.

She said she was told by the Labor government as an independent she could not get a ‘pair’. Dr Carling-Jenkins also denied that she told Labor Whip Jaclyn Symes, at the start of the Parliamentary sitting week, she would not seek a pair for future absence that week.

She said the conference’s topic was an issue she was passionate about.

“The issues around exploitation of women and children through prostitution and pornography is something I have stood up against for a long time. It was even mentioned in my inaugural speech,” Dr Carling-Jenkins said.

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten this morning raised fresh questions about Dr Carling-Jenkins’s decision to miss the crucial parliamentary vote.

Ms Patten told ABC Melbourne Radio that she believed the Australian Conservatives MP had changed her position but didn’t want to “face the music” in the Legislative Council.

“I took on face value that she was not well, but also that she distinctly said ‘I do not want to be paired’, which to me indicated that she had changed her position and was supportive of the legislation but didn’t want to come out and say that,” Ms Patten said.

“That’s where the problem lies.”

Ms Patten said she believed “you front up for the vote and you front up and you take responsibility for that vote” or seek a pair.

The Reason Party MP said she had sought a pair previously when ill — but was refused by the state opposition.

“I appreciate that she may have been sick but this was a pretty important issue and I think you have got to put your hand up and say where you stand.”

One senior MP said yesterday: “I think most people would consider if you are too sick for parliament, too sick to arrange a ‘pair’, and too sick to explain yourself, you should be too sick to drink wine and party on a taxpayer-funded junket around the world.”

Premier Daniel Andrews said he was unaware of Dr Carling-Jenkins’s situation regarding travel or ill health.

“I wasn’t aware that she was travelling certainly not the details of where she was going,” he said.

“Her travel plans were ultimately a matter for her. You would have to talk to her about her personal circumstances, her travel, her ill health are entirely matters for her.”

The MP was absent from the fire services vote in Parliament, which took place days beforehand.

Opposition Leader Mathew Guy said he had doubts over Dr Carling-Jenkins’ behaviour.

“She is too sick to turn up for a vote on Friday morning and she takes a 19-hour flight to DC a few days later,’’ he said.

“I will let you be the judge of whether or not someone was too ill to attend parliament.

“Daniel Andrews and James Merlino have some explaining to do. Whether or not they have talked to her before last week and whether or not there was anything arranged with Rachel Carling-Jenkins I don’t know, but they certainly need to answer those questions.”

Shortly after approaching Dr Carling-Jenkins at the Washington DC summit, the Herald Sun was ejected by event security.

Her absence had appeared to give the government the numbers to pass its Bill, leading to speculation she had done a deal to stay away.

But the Bill was defeated.

Two Coalition MPs who said they wanted to be absent to observe Good Friday asked Labor counterparts for a “pair”, whereby those MPs would abstain to maintain the ordinary voting balance.

But in a doublecross, the Liberals returned to the chamber moments before the vote to defeat the legislation.

Dr Carling-Jenkins’s office had said she was too sick to even ask the government for a pair. It said she had been admitted to hospital after a collapse on Tuesday, March 27, three days before the vote.

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She had left parliament earlier that day, her office telling the Herald Sun she had an important meeting. Next day she tweeted she’d collapsed: “Late yesterday afternoon I was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital. I have been discharged but will undergo further tests today.

“My position on the Fire Services legislation remains unchanged.”

Her office then tweeted that she was having further treatment and would not be in parliament that week.

It is understood that she provided the president of the Legislative Council with medical certificates.

Government Whip Jaclyn Symes said that Dr Jenkins had told her that week she did not want a pair if absent.