Bill Shorten silent on Michael Danby’s trip while sick

Bill Shorten has brushed aside calls to reprimand federal Labor MP Michael Danby.

Michael Danby during question time in the House of Representatives. Picture: Gary Ramage

Bill Shorten has brushed aside calls to reprimand federal Labor MP Michael Danby for leaving the country to attend a busy schedule of conferences after he provided a medical certificate that excused him from turning up to parliament.

Greens leader Richard Di ­Natale said yesterday he had written many medical certificates over the years as a doctor, and no patient had travelled overseas “as part of the prescription that I outlined for them”.

“I think Bill Shorten needs to take action here. If he doesn’t that shows he’s under the thumb of the factions,” Senator Di ­Natale said.

The Greens leader was responding to a report in The Australian about how Mr Danby travelled to Israel and Switzerland in September last year to pursue some of his favourite causes after telling his party he was too ill to attend a sitting week of parliament.

Mr Danby attended a counter-terrorism summit near Tel Aviv, and then held a media conference at the Jerusalem Press Club to speak out against World Vision’s aid operations in Gaza. He was in Geneva a week later to speak at a UN event.

Mr Danby did not tell Labor colleagues about his travel plans. Some said they were puzzled to hear “international pips” when they called to ask after his health because they believed he was ill at home in Melbourne.

Mr Danby told The Australian he received medical advice to take a break and get away. “I took that advice,” he said.

The Labor MP said he did not use taxpayer funds for his trip. He did not respond to questions about whether any of his travel costs were paid by sponsors and, if so, who paid.

All MPs are required to ­update their parliamentary register of interests to show any sponsored travel or hospitality exceeding $300. Mr Danby’s register has not been updated for more than a year.

Mr Shorten’s office declined to answer questions about the funding of Mr Danby’s trip. Mr Shorten, a factional ally of Mr Danby’s, also deflected questions about whether it was ­acceptable to be “on sick leave and go on a work trip”. “I’m not going to start second-guessing a person’s ... condition,” he said.

Labor MP Catherine King said Mr Danby should “explain himself”. But Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne defended the Labor MP, claiming “disgraceful” attacks on him were motivated by an “anti-Israel bias” from party colleague Bob Carr and others. In several tweets, Mr Carr said ALP preselectors and voters in the Labor MP’s seat of Melbourne Ports were “itching to give Michael Danby what he sought: a long break to look after his health”.

Referring to a controversy that earned Mr Danby a reprimand from Mr Shorten last month when he attacked an ABC journalist, Mr Carr added: “ABC’s @Sophiemcneill might be pressed for a list of the best Israeli spas for his consideration.”