Nationals leader David Littleproud breached rules after billing taxpayers for Gold Coast trip

David Littleproud contravened parliamentary laws by claiming taxpayer-funded expenses for a private visit to the Gold Coast, days after his $1.375m apartment settled.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has been found by IPEA to have contravened the Parliamentary Business Resources Act. Picture: Sean Davey

David Littleproud contravened parliamentary laws by claiming taxpayer-funded expenses for a private visit to the Gold Coast, days after settlement of his $1.375m ­Surfers Paradise apartment.

An Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority Assurance Review into the Nationals leader’s travel claims found “parliamentary business was not the dominant purpose” Mr Littleproud’s travel from Canberra to the Gold Coast on February 9 last year.

The probe said Mr Littleproud did not answer questions from the authority about details of the “dominant purpose of his travel, or the nature of his parliamentary business in the Gold Coast”.

The IPEA review said Mr Littleproud’s travel represented a contravention of section 26 of the Parliamentary Business Resources Act.

Facing pressure over the travel claims, Mr Littleproud eventually repaid $2,009.76 for three flights and a COMCAR trip from Surfers Paradise to the Gold Coast Airport.

The IPEA Assurance Review also revealed that Mr Littleproud’s office contacted the ­expenses authority on the same day The Australian sent questions to the Nationals leader about the independent investigation on March 6 last year.

Receipts provided to IPEA show that Mr Littleproud paid back the taxpayer-funded claims over three days between March 14 and March 28. In May, he told The Australian that he had repaid ­expenses for the Gold Coast trip after “mistakenly” seeking the wrong advice.

Mr Littleproud and his wife Amelia bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise beachside tower on December 12, 2022, with settlement finalised on February 6, 2023.

The seaside apartment, which is being rented out by Accor, was added to Mr Littleproud’s parliamentary register of interests on February 14.

The 47-year-old, whose private residence is listed as Ryeford in the sprawling southwestern electorate of Maranoa that takes in the towns of Charleville, Cunnamulla, Dalby and Kingaroy, left parliament early on February 9 for a “family commitment”. He ­returned to Canberra the next Sunday to attend parliament the following day.

He claimed expenses for two flights from Canberra to Gold Coast via Sydney, a COMCAR trip from Surfers Paradise to Gold Coast Airport, and a return flight to Canberra.

Mr Littleproud originally defended the trip, saying “return to family in Queensland was within both the spirit and intent of IPEA rules, which allows MPs to return to their families when parliament is not sitting”.

David Littleproud. Picture: AAP

IPEA found that Mr Littleproud’s return travel to Canberra for a parliamentary sitting week “was not inconsistent with the legislative framework”. Canberra insiders on Tuesday warned the ruling could see MPs potentially travelling anywhere in the country and having their return flights paid if parliament is sitting.

On May 23 last year, Mr Littleproud told The Australian that “to remove doubt on any part of that trip I made the decision to pay for all of my return travel to Queensland for that weekend”.

In its findings, IPEA said Mr Littleproud had voluntarily repaid all travel and travel-related expenses “in scope of this assurance review … including the expenses found to be consistent with the legislative framework”.

“IPEA is satisfied that this ­assurance review does not require further action. IPEA notes that as a result of the engagement, Mr Littleproud’s office has sought ­advice and received further information and assistance on the use of travel and travel-related expenses,” the IPEA report said.

“IPEA gathered data from its internal and external sources for all of Mr Littleproud’s travel during the period in scope. IPEA identified four travel expenses that were within scope and ­required further examination to determine whether they were consistent with the relevant legislative framework.”

Parliamentary travel guidelines were tightened in 2017 after Liberal MP Sussan Ley charged taxpayers for a trip to the Gold Coast where she bought a $795,000 apartment. The guidelines state that within Australia, MPs can claim expenses under a range of obligations including “where travel is undertaken and related expenses claimed are for the ‘dominant purpose’ of conducting parliamentary business”.

The IPEA review said “parliamentarians are personally responsible and accountable for their use of public resources … they must be prepared to publicly justify their use of public resources for conducting their parliamentary business, and must act ethically and in good faith in using, and accounting for the use of, those resources.”