Sports Minister Richard Colbeck remains Tasmania’s top travel spender

THE sport portfolio has a Tasmanian Senator traversing the globe.

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Senator Richard Colbeck’s travel expenses have been revealed.

THE travel bill of Tasmania’s top spending federal MP has grown in line with his ministerial responsibilities.

The independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority report for the September quarter showed the state’s top spender was the state’s only Minister, Senator Richard Colbeck, who looks after Aged Care and Senior Australians and is also the minister for Youth and Sport.

Senator Colbeck racked up $193,000 in expenses in the three month period, which included $23,717 for trips to China for the ‘Festival of Australia’ to the US and France for the FIFA Womens’ World Cup and to Samoa for the Pacific Games Opening Ceremony, as well as 63 domestic flights.

In the last quarter, Senator Colbeck was again the top domestic travel spender, racking up a domestic travel bill of $17,694.

The second biggest spender on domestic travel was Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries and Assistant Minister for Tourism Jonathon Duniam, who spent $19,015.

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Tasmanian Greens Senator Nick McKim spent $3506 on a trip that resulted in him being kicked out of Papua New Guinea.

Senator McKim travelled to the country to visit the asylum seeker detention centre on Manus Island, but was refused entry.