Stuart Robert’s $900 taxpayer bill on way to China

Stuart Robert charged taxpayers $900 in flights and travel allowance while on the way to a ­private trip to China.

Stuart Robert meets company chairman Zhou Zhongshu.

Stuart Robert charged taxpayers $900 in flights and travel allowance while on the way to a ­private trip to China, including an airfare to Sydney for what he claims was “official business”.

But Mr Robert is refusing to provide details of what government business he undertook in Sydney on August 14, 2014, to justify the taxpayer-funded claims on the evening before he flew out of Australia for China.

Under fire for helping friend and Liberal Party donor Paul Marks sign a deal in China with state-backed mining company Minmetals, Mr Robert yesterday told parliament he did not ­believe he had breached the ministerial code of conduct while on holiday with his friend.

It emerged yesterday that on his private trip to Beijing, Mr Robert and officials from Nimrod Resources — the company owned by Mr Marks — met ­Chinese Vice Minister for Land and Resources Wang Min.

The revelation drew Foreign Minister Julie Bishop into the growing scandal in parliament as she was called on by Labor to ­explain whether it was “usual” for an Australian government minister to meet with ministers of foreign countries when overseas without informing her ­department.

MP entitlement reports from the Department of Finance show Mr Robert, who was then the junior defence minister, claimed a domestic flight from the Gold Coast to Sydney on August 14 at a cost of $449.92 and on the same day claimed a $432 travel allowance for “official business”.

On August 14, he also used the Comcar service twice — a $90 fare in Brisbane and a $49.10 fare in Sydney. Mr Robert’s leave started the following day and his meetings in China were on ­August 18 and 19.

The documents also show Mr Robert claimed more than $10,000 in flights for a trip to Singapore immediately following his visit to China, the dates for which appear to overlap with his personal leave.

Airfares for the minister to ­attend the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee meeting and the Defence Ministers’ Dialogue were claimed at $10,268.04, with the event taking place from ­August 21 -23.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has confirmed Mr Robert was on personal leave from August 15 -22.

Mr Robert, who is now Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Human Services Minister, has refused to answer questions from The Australian about his travel to China, including ­whether tax­payers paid for flights linked with his personal leave.

He has also refused to answer questions about his financial links to Mr Marks, who has donated more than $2 million to the Lib­erals in recent years. Mr Robert has declared shareholdings in two of Mr Marks’s companies.

“I say to the house, I am confident I have not acted inappropriately and, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, this matter has been referred to the highest public servant in the land, Dr Martin Parkinson, for review, and I of course will fully assist the secretary in his review,” Mr Robert said. Malcolm Turnbull has asked the secretary of his department, Dr Parkinson, to investigate whether Mr Robert has breached ministerial standards.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it had no involvement in Mr Robert’s itinerary while in China, and was not ­advised of his visit. “There is no widespread practice; it would ­depend on a case-by-case basis,” Ms Bishop said.

A translation of a Chinese government statement obtained by the Herald Sun says a day after the August 18 event in Beijing, Mr Robert was at a ministerial meeting with a delegation from ­Nim­rod Resources and discussed Australia and China’s commitment to investment co-operation.

“Heads of relevant depart­ments and bureaus and China Geological Survey, China Mine­rals Corporation and Nimrod ­Resources Pty Ltd Australia ­attended the meeting,” reads a trans­lation of the statement. “On behalf of the Ministry of National Land and Resources, Wang Min welcomed Stuart Robert and his delegation. The two parties conducted talk and exchanges on building good external investment environment, enhancing co-operation between mining institutions and further strengthening Sino-Australia co-operation in the mining field.”

Opposition justice spokesman Mark Dreyfus called on Mr Robert to explain what type of visa he travelled on to China, alleging the minister’s use of his office to benefit a friend has breached ministerial standards.

The Prime Minister deflected criticism and compared the government’s adherence to “due process” with Bill Shorten’s tenure at the Australian Workers Union.

“He wants to lecture us about due process. Let me tell you, this matter arose yesterday, came up yesterday. Immediately, I refer­red it to the secretary of the ­Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Parkinson, who is the appropriate official to investigate matters of this kind under the ministerial standards.”

The Opposition Leader called for Mr Robert to be sacked before the report of Dr Parkinson was completed.