No such thing as a free lunch (or a free Gold Coast trip)

The politics of the pub test claims another victim — but her critics should take care.

The Australian reports, yesterday:

Malcolm Turnbull has asked embattled Health Minister Sussan Ley to stand aside without ministerial pay until her controversial travel claims have been fully investigated by the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Sussan Ley, defending her taxpayer-funded New Year’s Eve trips to visit a “prominent Queensland businesswoman”, yesterday:

In 2013, it was for a business lunch and in 2014 it was for her annual New Year’s Eve event.

Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King, ABC radio’s AM, yesterday:

I think that she doesn’t have a choice (but to resign). I think that, as we said at the time: provide an explanation. If you can’t provide an explanation because there isn’t one, then you don’t have a choice but to resign. If you won’t resign, then frankly it is up to the Prime Minister to step in and stand her down from the frontbench.

More from Ley, yesterday:

I’m very confident that the investigations will demonstrate that no rules were broken whatsoever. But I also recognise, as you describe it, the pub test, and I recognise that for people who live in my electorate, who work hard, who understand about living on fixed incomes and have experienced a life I’ve experienced in the past, this has a look that, you know, that I don’t understand those issues and I don’t recognise them.

Does this pass the pub test? Ballarat Courier, January 24, 2012:

Ballarat MP Catherine King is one of Victoria’s biggest spending parliamentarians, according to a new report on international travel. Ms King’s overseas travel entitlements for two conferences last year equalled more than $57,000 — more than all other parliamentary secretaries and most Gillard government ministers. The amount includes accommodation and some first-class airfares for Ms King as well as accommodation and business-class flights for a staffer, in keeping with parliamentary entitlements.

But back to the Health Minister. Nine News, Saturday:

Health Minister Sussan Ley is under pressure after departmental documents revealed she charged taxpayers more than $10,000 per day during a trip to the United States last February. Ms Ley tweeted photos during the trip, which cost more than $40,000 in flights, $21,000 in ground transport and $11,000 in accommodation and meals — $76,133 in total over seven days.

Nobel-winning economist Milton Friedman explaining some of the different ways people can spend cash, Fox News, May 2004:

You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing … Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch!

Speaking of things tax money is sometimes wasted on, Michael Davis takes on modern art, Spectator Australia, Sunday:

This is why our art galleries and museums are empty. It doesn’t matter what wine-and-cheese monkeys say: no one thinks this is good, or important, or meaningful. They don’t even think it’s “meaningful in its lack of meaning” or any of that pomo nonsense. It’s just bad. No: it’s shit.