Huge printing bills for at-risk MPs

The Coalition’s 10 most-at-risk MPs have spent nearly $450,000 to fill constituents’ letterboxes with leaflets.

Liberal MP for seat of Dunkley, Chris Crewther, claimed $100,440 in printing costs after a redistribution of electoral boundaries turned his seat nominally Labor. Picture: AAP

The Coalition’s 10 most at-risk MPs have spent nearly $450,000 of taxpayers’ money filling constituents’ letterboxes with leaflets before next month’s federal election.

The most recent parliamentary expenses report, for the October-December quarter, reveals huge claims for printing and communications costs by MPs running for re-election in hotly contested electorates, including $362,435 for Labor’s top-10 marginal seat holders.

Liberal MP for the Victorian seat of Dunkley, Chris Crewther, claimed $100,440 over the three-month period after a redistribution of electoral boundaries turned his seat nominally Labor, while the nation’s most marginal seat-holder, Sarah Henderson, spent $60,157 on printing.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who is fighting off an ­aggressive Labor and GetUp campaign to take his Queensland seat of Dickson, claimed $45,932.

“All the printing is within entitlement and is to communicate the government’s excellent management of the economy, border protection and national security,” a spokesman for the Home Affairs Minister said.

“A particular focus has also been to highlight the lies told by Bill Shorten to scare, particularly older people, regarding Medicare and the crippling housing tax and retirees tax. The minister has also communicated the detail of record funding achievements for roads and local community groups in his electorate.”

Mr Dutton’s seat sits on a margin of 1.7 per cent after a federal ­redistribution.

A spokesman for Mr Crewther said the redistribution added thousands of constituents to his seat and in the months since, he has been relying on the Liberal Party for printing. “We had about 33,000 extra constituents to contact in ­addition to current constituents we were also still servicing during that period in Mornington and Baxter,” he said. “Most new ­material being sent out now is being funded through the local Liberal Party as we don’t have much left in our office budget.”

Coalition MPs facing the top 10 toughest re-election battles next month spent a total $447,903, showing the work being put in to hold onto government seats.

Labor’s biggest spender on printing among its marginal MPs was the new member for Perth, Patrick Gorman, who spent $77,161 after being elected in a by-election last August.

“Patrick Gorman distributed two newsletters to his 100,000 constituents in 2018. The costs for printing and distribution for both newsletters were included in the October-December quarter,” a spokesman said.

Labor MP for the Queensland seat of Herbert, Cathy O’Toole, spent $50,838 on printing in an ­attempt to defend her margin of 0.02 per cent from a strong Liberal National Party campaign.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus claimed $9853 in his marginal Melbourne seat of Isaacs, which he holds by a margin of 3 per cent.

Labor MP for Longman Susan Lamb, re-elected in August after her dual citizenship forced a by-election, claimed $67,181 in the ­October-to-December quarter.

“Ms Lamb’s use of office ­expenses has always been within guidelines and for the benefit of her community,” her spokesman said. “No taxpayer-funded materials or resources were used during the 2018 campaign.”

Other Coalition MPs who spent large sums on printing and communications include Michelle Landry, who claimed $53,972, and frontbencher Ken Wyatt, who claimed $59,433.

Ken O’Dowd, the LNP MP for Flynn, was the lowest spending of the at-risk MPs, with only $9853 claimed on printing.