Some Victorian MPs charging thousands for city hotels instead of catching an Uber home

Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan has defended the big hotel spends of her colleagues, saying it is “very important” to have those expenses remunerated where appropriate.

Some MPs are claiming the travel allowance for accommodation while living in metropolitan Melbourne. Picture: Mark Stewart

Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan has backed her metropolitan colleagues’ big spend on CBD hotels, despite some living just 30km from Parliament House.

Ms Allan, speaking from a level crossing removal site in Parkdale on Monday, said it was appropriate for metropolitan-based parliamentarians to cover hotel stays with public funds, as long as it was within the Remuneration Tribunal guidelines.

“From time to time, yes, just like in about any walk of life, in any workplace from time to time ... you’re required to travel for work,” she said.

“You may need to stay away for work for a period of time.”

Ms Allan was alerted to the fact most workplaces would not cover hotel costs for an employee just 30km from their home.

But the Deputy Premier said parliamentarians work long hours.

“I think you also need to look at the span of hours worked. Which again is commonplace across a range of workplaces,” she said.

“What happens in parliament is obviously not the beginning and the end of a job of a member of parliament. There are obviously many, many other activities.

Deputy Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said Victorian MPs considered their priviliges very, very carefully. Picture: David Crosling

“It is very important that when there is the need from time to time to have some of those activities remunerated that it is done appropriately.”

Ms Allan said she believed all Victorian MPs considered their privileges “very, very carefully”.

“Colleagues on both sides, they think very carefully about the privilege it is to be a member of parliament,” she said.

A Saturday Herald Sun investigation last week revealed Victorian MPs were claiming thousands of dollars to stay in city hotels, despite living a short commute from Parliament House.

MPs who earn more than $198,000 a year are claiming the travel allowance for accommodation while living in metropolitan Melbourne.

One MP who is claiming the benefit lives just 30kms from Spring Street.

Ten lower house MPs, from both major parties, have been identified as claiming the ­lucrative allowance; axed Labor MP Will Fowles (Ringwood), Labor’s Sonya Kilkenny (Carrum), Pauline Richards (Cranbourne), Paul Edbrooke (Frankston), Dylan Wight (Tarneit), Josh Bull (Sunbury), Ryan Smith (formerly Warrandyte) and Mathew Hilakari (Point Cook), and the Liberals’ David Hodgett (Croydon) and Brad Battin (Berwick).

Each of the MPs have legally claimed the allowance to attend parliamentary sittings, while some have used it to attend city functions.

Parliamentary rules allow MPs travelling at least 28kms from their home base to claim the allowance for actual expenses incurred.

It is intended to cover the cost of accommodation, meals and incidentals when MPs are “required” to stay away from home while performing public duties.

Guidelines also permit MPs to stay overnight in the metropolitan area where there is a break of less than 10 hours between parliamentary sittings.

Parliamentary records show the lower house has not sat past 7.45pm this year.

Records to June show taxpayers have been charged $55,592.02 in travel allowances by lower house metropolitan MPs since last year’s election.

Tarneit MP Dylan Wight claimed $279 for a hotel stay following an African Gala Dinner he attended with Daniel Andrews.

Mr Wight also claimed more than $600 to stay in the CBD to attend an induction for new MPs and the opening of parliament.

An off-peak Uber back to his electorate would have cost about $56.

Ringwood MP Will Fowles has charged taxpayers almost $4,000 for hotel stays since the start of the parliamentary term despite Ubers to his electorate costing about $63.

And Croydon MP David Hodgett has claimed almost $10,000 in reimbursements.

Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick said amid a cost of living crisis, taxpayers had the right to be outraged.

“Paying your own way to get to work is one of those things we expect from adults,” Mr Limbrick said.

“My family car got written off a few weeks ago when someone rammed into it while it was parked beside the road. Even then it never occurred to me to ask taxpayers to get me to work.

“Anybody who has spent their own money travelling to work, only to be stuck at a train station or in a traffic jam, has every right to be outraged.

“The attitude is the real issue here. If these MPs cannot change their sense of entitlement, then the constituents should change their MPs.”

The most recent parliamentary annual report shows MPs claimed almost $3m in allowances in the 2021-22 financial year, including $233k in travel allowances.

In 2019 the state government overhauled the parliamentary entitlement scheme after former Speaker Telmo Languiller and his deputy Don Nardella cashed in $130,000 of allowances to live on the coast instead of in their western suburbs electorates.

Former minister Steve Herbert was also caught using his taxpayer-funded car to chauffeur pet dogs Patch and Ted between his Melbourne home and Trentham country house.

Daniel Andrews said at the time the allowance system was “inadequate, outdated and confusing”.

“The current system is clearly inadequate and needs a complete overhaul. These allowances need to be cleaned up and that’s exactly what we’ll do,” he said.

It led to the establishment of the Victorian Remuneration Tribunal which provides independent advice on pay and allowances for MPs and senior public servants.

“Establishing a Remuneration Tribunal means MPs will never again be able to determine their own salaries and allowances – and that’s as it should be,” Mr Andrews said.

An Opposition spokesman said MPs had claimed allowances in line with guidelines set by the remuneration tribunal.

They refused to answer any other questions about the claims, including whether or not the allowance should be reviewed.

A government spokesman also refused to answer specific questions about the claims but said the government understood the pressures being faced by households.