Tony Burke repays $8k of taxpayer-funded flights for family holiday to Uluru
Five years after his taxpayer-funded family holiday to Uluru blew up into a scandal, Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has voluntarily paid back $8,000.
National
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Five years after his taxpayer-funded family holiday to Uluru blew up into a scandal, Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has voluntarily paid back $8,000.
Mr Burke’s decision to use his family reunion travel for the trip exploded into controversy amid Bronwyn Bishop’s Choppergate saga.
In what was seen as political payback, information about his trip was leaked to the media in 2015.
But he’s now paid the cash back, nearly a decade after the 2012 trip as leadership tensions rise within Labor ranks.
Mr Burke is an Albanese loyalist who remains a potential leadership candidate in the future.
When his trip to Uluru first emerged in 2015, it immediately sparked anger because while family travel is traditionally regarded as allowing families to travel to Canberra, Mr Burke’s innovative use of the expense to organise a family holiday raised eyebrows.
Despite the fact the trip was within the family travel rules and was not a breach, Mr Burke confirmed today he had quietly repaid the money earlier this year.
But he only paid back the costs of his children to fly to Uluru – $8656.48 for a 2012 trip – not his own travel costs which involved official business in his role as environment minister.
Mr Burke’s decision to repay the cash is detailed in the latest filing for the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.
A spokesman for Mr Burke confirmed he had not repaid the part of the trip related to his ministerial responsibilities.
“His family accompanied him on this trip. This was in accordance with the rules, as later confirmed by the Department of Finance,” the spokesman said.
“However, after further reflection he decided the costs associated with his family’s travel did not meet community expectations so he repaid it.”
Originally published as Tony Burke repays $8k of taxpayer-funded flights for family holiday to Uluru
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