Prime Minister Tony Abbott himself repaid $1600 worth of airfares, car transport and allowances claimed for attending the weddings of two Liberal colleagues, Peter Slipper and Sophie Mirabella. Bronwyn Bishop (left) at the wedding of Sophie and Gregory Mirabella, with Tony Abbott. Credit:Rebecca Hallas "To avoid doubt, I paid the relevant money back," he said in a warning to his colleagues. "That's what people should do." One MP ignored the Prime Minister's instruction, weeks of media coverage and public outrage at MPs' habit of billing the taxpayer for trips to friends' weddings. Embattled Speaker Bronwyn Bishop claimed $600 for return flights from Sydney to Albury for Mrs Mirabella's wedding in 2006 – and she has never repaid the money, Fairfax Media has confirmed.

Previously unreported documents released under freedom of information laws show Mrs Bishop told bureaucrats that the trip constituted government business. By putting Bronwyn Bishop "on probation", after her taxpayer-funded helicopter fantasy, Mr Abbott has all but co-opted her to the executive. Credit:James Brickwood An expense document written in Mrs Bishop's own hand lists only "committee chair business" when asked the purpose of flights, which took her to three cities, including Albury, from where she travelled to the Wangaratta wedding. The Speaker reiterated that statement when questioned by Fairfax Media. "She was there [in Albury] on official committee chair business," a spokesman for the Speaker said.

But the spokesman refused to answer questions about what that business was or whether Mrs Bishop had any engagements on the trip. "We've got no further comment," he said. Her office did not respond to questions about why the Speaker had not thought to repay the expenses, given the publicity around the case and the PM's own decision to refund money. Mrs Bishop was this week placed "on probation" by Mr Abbott, after she elected to repay more than $5000 charged to the taxpayer for a helicopter flight to a party fundraiser. Mrs Bishop – who agreed her chosen mode of transport was "grandiose" – will also pay a $1300 penalty. Mrs Mirabella, campaigning this week to reclaim the rural Victorian seat of Indi, which she lost at the last election, showed no reluctance to criticise her wedding guest.

"It was the wrong thing to do and the Prime Minister has said as much and effectively put Bronwyn on probation," she said. "I share the anger of a lot of locals." In 2006, the year of the wedding, Ms Bishop was the chair of the Senate committee on family and human services. Loading Former long-serving secretary of the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal Betty Collins told Fairfax this week that MPs could not make claims for travelling to events where they merely met fellow parliamentarians "unless it [was] a properly constituted meeting of that committee". Fairfax has also revealed Mrs Bishop, the daughter of a soprano, charged the taxpayer more than $3300 for the use of expensive hire cars on days when she had attended the opera.