Victorian MP expenses scandal final report released

DISGRACED Melton MP Don Nardella said a St Kilda property he owned was too small to live in during the period he claimed $98,254 from taxpayers to live in an Ocean Grove caravan park.

DISGRACED Melton MP Don Nardella said a St Kilda property he owned was too small to live in during the period he claimed $98,254 from taxpayers to live in an Ocean Grove caravan park.

Mr Nardella was able to claim a lucrative “second residence” allowance for almost three years while living in Ocean Grove between 2014 and 2017, because it was more than 80km from the CBD and he maintained another residence in Melbourne.

He had already claimed $76,582 through the allowance while living near Ballarat since 2010, meaning in total he had claimed $174,836.

A Parliamentary Audit Committee report into MP expenses has been released. Picture: Jason Edwards

Neither of the homes he lived in were in his Melton electorate in Melbourne’s outer west.

A Parliamentary Audit Committee report tabled shows when he moved to Ocean Grove in order to continue claiming the allowance in 2014, he also owned a St Kilda property.

“The Member already had a second residence in Melbourne so that, at the time, a simpler option might have been to relocate to the second residence in Melbourne or Melton his constituency,” it says.
“The Member stated that the accommodation in St Kilda (second residence at the time) was not spacious enough.”

The startling evidence is likely to heap further pressure on the former deputy speaker, who has already quit the parliamentary Labor Party to sit as an independent.

Telmo Languiller. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The report also looked at the use of the allowance by former Speaker Telmo Languiller, who claimed $37,800 for “intending” to move to Queenscliff — well outside his Tarneit electorate.

Mr Languiller has paid back this money because he said it did not meet “community expectations” despite being within parliamentary rules.

The audit committee found the rules around the second residence allowance lacked strong guidelines, allowing MPs to claim tens of thousands of dollars with no ongoing checks.

It found the system lacked clarity in defining what a principal place of residence was and did not have checks to ensure members were living at the residence or that it was an appropriate distance from Melbourne.

It recommends identifying which members should be able to claim a second residence allowance “based on geographic location of electorate”.

It also says another option would be to “remove all allowances and replace with reimbursement for business related expenditure”.

Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings is currently looking at how to tighten rules.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy called on the Premier to force Mr Nardella to pay back his rorted money and move to boot him from the Parliament.

He said Mr Andrews set the precedent to boot MPs in the last term of Parliament when he tried to remove former Liberal member Geoff Shaw from his seat.

“This matter is going to go on like a weeping sore for the government until he finally does something to see these MPs face justice,” Mr Guy said.

“These members should be expelled from the chamber and should face the full wroth of what they have done.”

The Coalition leader has written to the electoral commission asking them to investigate Mr Languiller.

Leader of the house Jacinta Allan said the government needed time to read the report properly and thoroughly before having a debate on its content.

Leader of opposition business Robert Clark said it required detailed examination as it went to the credibility of MPs.

He said it appeared Mr Nardella and Mr Languiller had abused the expenses system.

“We want to make sure there is appropriate consequences for their actions.”