MP Emma Husar forced to repay thousands over expense breaches

Emma Husar today paid back taxpayers more than $2300 after an audit found she breached parliamentary expenses rules 21 times.

Labor MP Emma Husar. Picture: Hollie Adams

Outgoing Labor MP Emma Husar paid back taxpayers more than $2300 after an audit found she breached parliamentary expenses rules 21 times, including for personal meetings outside her duties as an parliamentarian.

The controversial MP, who is considering running against Labor as an independent for her western Sydney seat of Lindsay, paid back the money today after a report was released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.

An audit into Ms Husar’s expenses showed she breached travel entitlement rules in 21 of her 86 claims over two years.

Most of the non-compliant claims related to Comcar and taxpayer-funded taxi usage in her hometown of Sydney, which is not allowed.

“The majority of the claims that did not comply with the previous framework related to the use of car-with-driver services between Penrith and the Sydney CBD and travel within the Sydney CBD. Recovery will be sought for $1907.15,” the report said.

“Other claims that IPEA seeks to recover include transactions relating to parking expenses and personal travel, to the value of $426.55.”

The Australian revealed last year several instances of Ms Husar spending taxpayer funds on travel within Sydney, including to a women’s shelter reception and an NDIS committee meeting.

There were also allegations Ms Husar used Comcar’s to visit her divorce lawyer, which she has denied.

The IPEA found Ms Husar spent $267.84 on a Comcar for a “personal meeting in the Sydney CBD” in February 2016 but the report did not detail the nature of the meeting.

She also used a taxpayer-funded taxis in the Sydney CBD for personal meetings in May 2017 and December 2016.

“Some $309 for taxis or Comcar expenses were identified as personal. These were claimed as an error,” Ms Husar said.

The IPEA rejected Ms Husar’s reasons for charging taxpayers for travel for her work as an MP in Sydney, including her claim Penrith was not in the Sydney urban area.

She also argued there were security concerns around travelling at night, vision problems driving at night when she was tired and she had limited mobility because of a knee operation.

Ms Husar used the findings to call for a change of rules around using Comcar’s to allow for female MPs to use them at night in their home city.

She said the “majority” of her trips were found to be attending work-related meetings in the Sydney CBD.

“I suggest that these guidelines be looked at to allow for the safe movement of female MPs, the fulfilment of caring responsibilities and better value for money to the taxpayer,” Ms Husar said.

Ms Husar said the IPEA found her attendance at a Bruno Mars concert while on a work trip in Queensland did not breach the rules.

“My travel to Melbourne to speak on the panel at an Emily’s List event, also the topic of ill-informed criticism, was found to be within the guidelines,” she said.

Ms Husar has launched defamation proceedings against BuzzFeed Australia for “slut shaming” stories which led to her quitting as Labor’s candidate for the May election.