ATTORNEY-General George Brandis spent an estimated $12,000 on charter flights last year taking his son on a taxpayer-funded trip to regional Queensland where the pair explored their family history in the region.

Senator Brandis and his son Simon spent a weekend in Quilpie and Charleville in the remote west of Queensland in September where they visited the grave of the Attorney-General’s great-great-uncle and a property once owned by his former wife’s family in the late 1800s, The Australian reports.

Quilpie Mayor Stuart Mac­kenzie yesterday told The Australian he had only arranged for Senator Brandis to meet opal miners and open the Quilpie and District Show and Rodeo once he was informed of the visit.

“Once we were told he was coming, he was invited to open the local show that weekend and we organised meetings,’’ Mr Mackenzie said.

“I understood that one of the reasons he wanted to come out was because of his family connections to the area,’’ Mr Mackenzie said.

“It’s why he came to Quilpie rather than somewhere else in the west.’’

Senator Brandis reportedly covered the costs of his son’s accommodation on the trip.

A staff member also attended the visit.

Senator Brandis yesterday told The Australian claims he had visited the region to explore family heritage were “rubbish”

“The purpose was to visit Quilpie and open the show and have meetings with constituents arranged by the local federal and state MPs,” he said.

Senator Brandis said he had been forced to cancel a previous trip to Quilpie, on which he had been asked to open the show.

He did not know the final cost of the trip.

Details will be released later this year in expense claim disclosures.

The Attorney-general was also one of four frontbenchers named last week who claimed expenses to attend the Prime Minister’s private New Year’s Eve party in 2015.