Jet-setting Premier racks up double hours in taxpayer-funded planes

Premier David Crisafulli has logged a whopping 46.3 hours of flight time between January and March — far outstripping former Labor Premier Steven Miles and Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Premier David Crisafulli won’t reveal how many times he has flown commercially.

Premier David Crisafulli’s use of taxpayer-funded jets is almost double that of his Labor predecessors, new data has revealed.

Mr Crisafulli has logged a whopping 46.3 hours of flight time between January and March — far outstripping former Labor Premier Steven Miles’ record 27.8 hours in a three-month period and Annastacia Palaszczuk’s 25.2 hours.

The LNP, when in Opposition, repeatedly attacked Labor for “living the high life” and “wasting resources” for its jet use during a cost-of-living crisis.

Now in government, they’ve argued the increased use of taxpayer-funded jets was to allow Mr Crisafulli to visit communities previously “left without a voice”.

The government would not reveal how many times Mr Crisafulli has used commercial flights nor would they release his flight manifest since taking office.

But flight tracker data shows Mr Crisafulli used a Cessna Citation chartered from Sunshine Coast-based MachJet to zip from Brisbane to Maryborough then Mackay and Townsville on December 4, before flying back to Brisbane the next day.

A Cessna Citation was used for several of the Premier’s flights.

He used the same jet to go from Brisbane to Cairns on January 14, before flying to Rockhampton the next day and ending January 15 in Brisbane.

Ministerial flight time data shows the new government has racked up more than 80 hours of taxpayer-funded private plane time since the October 2024 election — 61.8 of those hours attributed to Mr Crisafulli.

Comparatively, even at the height of his jet use between October 2023 and March 2024, Mr Miles’ recorded 53.7 hours of plane time.

This included the controversial use of two private jets to zip him, the Police Commissioner and their travel parties around Queensland over five days at a cost of $170,000.

The LNP launched scathing attacks on Labor ministers last year, calling Mr Miles “out of touch” with Queenslanders following his regional jet tour scandal.

Premier David Crisafulli in Cairns in January.

In June 2024, then-Shadow Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said: “While Steven Miles jet-sets around Queensland in private jets and his Ministers indulge in round-the-world junkets, Queenslanders are paying the price for Labor’s failures.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Crisafulli’s office said the Premier worked day and night, accusing Mr Miles of “rarely” visiting regional Queensland.

“Steven Miles had no interest in regional Queensland and rarely visited unless he was flying two planes to deliver birthday cakes for his Labor MPs or shoot glossy election ad campaigns,” she said.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli during a visit to the Our Space facility in Rockhampton in January. Picture: Supplied

“To keep reducing ambulance ramping and lowering crime rates, you have to get out and listen to Queensland communities, which is why the Premier has covered the State, including visiting the outer islands of the Torres Strait just last week.”

Mr Crisafulli will continue his travel blitz on Tuesday, flying to Townsville, Maryborough and Rockhampton.

Originally published as Jet-setting Premier racks up double hours in taxpayer-funded planes