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Attorney-General Michelle Rowland will repay a portion of expenses claimed for a 2023 trip, while Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Rowland has “done the right thing” in self-reporting spending.
Rowland is the first MP to pay back expenses following growing scrutiny on politicians’ spending, after she referred her travel to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) for advice.
A spokesperson for the attorney-general said in a statement Rowland referred a trip from 2023 to Perth during which she had “at least 10 official engagements”.
It’s understood the expense was related to a family trip in July 2023 which cost taxpayers more than $21,600.
“The IPEA finalised its advice on Friday 12 December and conveyed a portion of the family reunion travel expenses were outside the guidelines,” the statement read.
The Attorney-General has taken formal action, accepting advice last Friday and initiating the process for repayment.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, alongside Communications Minister Anika Wells, made a joint appearance on Thursday, visiting a school in Canberra. The visit highlighted their commitment to education and community engagement.
In a Sunday morning interview with Sky News, Jim Chalmers dismissed suggestions that his colleague should resign, indicating support within the government ranks.
“It’s important that as parliamentarians we’re not sort of deciding things for ourselves, because that would bring obvious criticism,” he said.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley has offered bipartisan support to reform the rules for politicians. Ley herself resigned in 2017 while serving as health minister after using taxpayer funds to fly to the Gold Coast to purchase property.
— With additional reporting from the Australian Associated Press.