Nationals new deputy silent on weekend trip to Gold Coast

The new Nationals deputy has not explained why she spent $1100 on a Gold Coast trip.

Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith.

New Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie is facing pressure to explain why she spent more than $1100 of taxpayer funds on a weekend trip to the Gold Coast.

Senator McKenzie’s office has refused to say why she charged taxpayers for weekend flights to the sunshine state in September 2014, prompting Labor to call for an explanation.

“If there’s a legitimate reason for Senator McKenzie to have been on the Gold Coast for a weekend surely she should be able to explain it,” a spokesman for the Labor Party said.

The Victorian senator charged taxpayers for flights from Melbourne to Coolangatta on September 19, a Friday. She left Coolangatta for Canberra on the Sunday, with a stop-off in Sydney. Taxpayers were billed a total of $1102.92 for the flights but her office has declined to say why she was there.

After fielding three days of requests from The Australian on the issue, a spokesman for Senator McKenzie yesterday said: “We are not making any further official comment at this stage. I repeat my earlier comment that Bridget has always been meticulous in travel and entitlements”.

Senator McKenzie did not list any other travel allowances for the weekend, which would have required an explanation on the government business she attended.

Immediately before her Gold Coast trip she travelled to the Victorian town of Wodonga (September 17-18) and listed additional travel expenses, explaining she was there “representing minister or presiding officer”.

She also listed additional expenses for her following week in Canberra, starting on September 21, writing she was in the nation’s capital because it was a parliamentary sitting week.

On other 2014 trips she claimed further allowances. She explained a trip to Rockhampton was for a Nationals party meeting, she went to Darwin as chair of a parliamentary committee and visited Cairns for a constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians event.

The Australian is not suggesting Senator McKenzie broke rules, only that the reasons for her 2014 Gold Coast trip remain unclear.