Senator Helen Polley stings taxpayers for Swiss trip

A $13,000 trip to a conference in Switzerland, office renovations and charter flights in Western Australia ... find out how Tasmanian senators are putting taxpayer dollars to work.

TAXPAYERS funded a trip worth more than $13,000 for Tasmanian Labor senator Helen Polley to attend a conference in Switzerland.

Updated figures from the Federal Government’s Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority show Senator Polley travelled through Switzerland and Romania in October last year, spending $11,656.47 on flights, about $980 on accommodation and meals, $422.97 on ground transport and $315 on “incidentals”.

Laor Senator Helen Polley.

Senator Polley said: “Senator Helen Polley represented the Australian Parliament as a delegate to the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Switzerland.

“Part of this delegation included a bilateral visit to Romania.”

It is understood a report has been drafted on this trip.

The updated Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority data also showed Tasmanian Labor senator Anne Urquhart chartered $6655.62 in flights between Port Hedland and Shay Gap in Western Australia in July last year — a distance of about 180km.

Labor Senator Anne Urquhart.

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The flights were taken during a Senate inquiry into the rehabilitation of mining and resources projects, her office said, with flights to BHP Shay Gap and Yarrie mine sites then the Rio Tinto Yandicoogina iron ore mine site.

That Senate committee is expected to report back today.

And Tasmanian Nationals senator Steve Martin, last year revealed as spending more than $530,000 on his Devonport office, spent a further $46,818.47 on office facilities between October and December.

Tasmanian Senator Steve Martin, centre, joined The Nationals last year after claiming a seat left vacant by the resignation of Jacqui Lambie during the dual-citizenship fiasco. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

He moved from former senator Jacqui Lambie’s Burnie office to a refurbished Devonport office about 40 minutes away, arguing the extra time on the road “can be dangerous”.

The lease for Senator Martin’s Devonport office does not end until May 31, 2021. Senator Martin is up for election in the upcoming federal election.

Senator Martin also spent the most out of any Tasmanian federal MP on office administrative costs, racking up a bill of more than $43,000.

More than $23,000 of that was on 144,000 “printed items” in November.