The federal Minister for Social Services has defended accepting tickets to race meetings from online betting companies.

Kevin Andrews was a guest of Sportsbet at this year's Victorian Derby and he was guest of Sportingbet at the Cox Plate this year and last year.

The tickets were among disclosures listed by Australian parliamentarians in the Register of Members' Interests for the 44th Parliament.

Mr Andrews, who was part of a working party on gambling reform in 2011, said it was not a conflict of interest.

"The Social Services portfolio includes the issue of gambling, therefore it's relevant the minister meet with industry stakeholders on a regular basis," he said.

The Register of Members' Interests documents, which were released this week, shed some light on the curious and quaint about Australia's leaders.

Christopher Pyne is a member of Burnside Historical Society among a swathe of other community groups.

The Education Minister was also in Rome over Christmas of 2008 for an education portfolio study tour, which included a meeting with then ambassador Amanda Vanstone.

During the trip he visited the United Kingdom and also returned for an education portfolio study trip in 2011.

Mr Pyne's office directed the ABC to his travel reports from the time, which detailed meetings with a number of education professionals in those countries.

The disclosures also indicate Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is a director of the Opera Foundation of Australia, a ballet ticket recipient, David Jones store card carrier but also a Manly NRL match regular.

Frequent flyers and football matches

Among Labor's ranks, Wayne Swan has told Parliament he has a book advance from Allen and Unwin.

The documents show most MPs have at least two properties – one in their electorate and one in Canberra – and many still have mortgages.

Travelling around the country has earned most MPs spots in both the Qantas and Virgin clubs.

Accepting tickets to football matches of all codes seems to be common practice and a major recipient is Health Minister and Sports Minister Peter Dutton.

Since taking over the dual ministry in September has been to the AFL Grand Final, the NRL Grand Final, the Melbourne Cup, the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast, the Rugby Sevens, the Bradman Gala Dinner, the Australian Football Awards dinner, the Australian Institute of Sport Awards dinner, the Australian Golf Open and the Ashes.

Bob Katter has shown a penchant for full disclosure declaring in his register he has some "close friends and relatives that will benefit directly and indirectly with the creation and opening up of the beef highway into Indonesia and China", even though parliamentarians are only obliged to disclose information about direct family members.

Brisbane MP Teresa Gambaro has shares in coal company, Australian Pacific Coal.

Western Australian MP Don Randall, who came under pressure for using taxpayer funded flights to travel to Cairns, where he owns an investment property, owns a number of shares - including in Western Australian gold company Mount Magnet South.