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Tuesday February 9, 2010

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Ex-MPs on the gravy plane

Posted by: Phillip Hudson for 3AW.com.au | 2 July, 2009 - 8:59 AM

Former federal MPs are flying high on a publicly funded gravy plane, claiming more than 20,000 free flights around Australia since 2001 at a cost to taxpayers exceeding $8.3 million.

An investigation by The Age has found that 272 former MPs and widows of MPs enjoyed holidays and other travel under the Life Gold Pass scheme over a 7½-year period.

One in four of the retired politicians claimed more than 100 trips each, with 11 of them chalking up bills exceeding $100,000, according to documents obtained under freedom of information laws.

Ian Sinclair, a former Nationals leader and speaker of the House of Representatives, heads the list of frequent flying parliamentary retirees, having taken 701 flights between January 2001 and June 2008 - an average of two flights every week over more than seven years.

Mr Sinclair's total flying bill came to $214,545, although he repaid $11,731 in December 2001 after he claimed 296 flights that year. Mr Sinclair has spent much of his post-politics career helping community groups and charities.

The second most prolific flyer was former Queensland Labor senator Margaret Reynolds, who left Parliament a decade ago. She claimed 427 flights costing $142,863.

Former Labor government ministers Gordon Bilney and Barry Jones were the next heaviest users of the perk, with 362 and 361 flights respectively, followed by former Kalgoorlie-based Labor-turned independent MP Graeme Campbell, who took 350 trips.

The travel perk for former MPs comes in addition to their generous superannuation benefits and provides free business or first class airline travel within Australia with their spouses.

Some of the annual claims far exceed the value of the age pension and some of those sending their travel bills to the taxpayer have not sat in Parliament for more than 20 years.

There are no limits on how many flights can be taken by those who qualified for the scheme before 1994.

And while those who came in after 1994 are restricted to 25 return trips a year, many get around this rule by booking fares that involve several flights.

Questioned by The Age, many ex-MPs defended their use of the scheme, saying they were using it to continue to serve the public through charity and community work or to help national institutions.

But there are no rules about what criteria, if any, the former MPs use to select causes and no requirement to be accountable to taxpayers. Flights can also be used for holidays or personal travel, and some ex-MPs use the scheme to return to Canberra for events at Parliament House.

And while the scheme is not supposed to be used for business-related travel, it is left to former politicians to make those judgments.

Former Liberal ministers Andrew Peacock and Peter Reith are among those who have used the entitlement to fly to Hamilton Island.

Mr Peacock, a former Liberal leader who has forged a career as a diplomat and company director since leaving Parliament in 1994, took two week-long holidays at Hamilton Island in 2001 and 2003.

Mr Reith used his allowance to take three Hamilton Island holidays in 2002 and 2003.

Other former MPs to take more than 300 taxpayer-funded flights included NSW Nationals Noel Hicks (336), Howard government health minister Michael Wooldridge (326), Hawke-Keating government justice minister and now priest Michael Tate (309), and Fraser government minister and reconciliation campaigner Fred Chaney (303).

Among 17 retired politicians who have taken more than 200 flights each are former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer (289), former Labor government treasurer turned wine grower, horse breeder and lobbyist John Dawkins (271) and former Labor minister and now businessman Alan Griffiths (243).

Totalling 20,087, the trips taken from January 2001 and June 2008 do not include flights by ex-prime ministers.

Blog comments Your Say

  • How come we live in a world of such contrasts. here is a man having to sell his wifes ashes to survive, yet the politicians his taxes support live the high life. makes me so mad to see these examples.
    http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/2009/06/26/ebay-bans-sale-of-wifes-ashes/

    beccy kinsella Thursday 2 July, 2009 - 5:30 PM

  • The attached story shows a young single dad who tried to save his wifes life by going to USA for treatment available world wide but here. He got no support from the Gov't (MTOP) is a fund set up to help people obtain treatment not available here!!! The banks havent helped him so for 3 yrs he's been paying 18% on a medical debt of $80,000, the banks havent helped and why would they - look at the interest they'd miss out on. How do I know all this? I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and given little time. I saw his story on TV rang him and went to Malaysia for 1 day of treatment. No drugs no side effects, I was back at work next week. 18 mths on and i'm cancer free still. I was able to pay upfront for this but due to Ash's help I am alive today. This man does not deserve to be treated like this especially when pollies rort the system and live the high life

    june rhodes Thursday 2 July, 2009 - 4:08 PM

  • I object to Bob Hawke's second wife, Blanche D'Alpuget, being able to travel free in luxury at the taxpayer's expense. Only the spouse who supported the MP during their political career should be eligible, not someone who arrives on the scene (officially!) after the hard work is done, and then gets to enjoy all the very considerable perks.

    Indignant of Hawthorn East Thursday 2 July, 2009 - 12:27 PM

  • didn't the razor gang go thru every line item line by line? How did this get through their indepth detailed analysis??

    Worried Voter Thursday 2 July, 2009 - 10:43 AM

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