COALITION frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull says his colleagues would have been "absolutely satisfied" they were doing the right thing when claiming thousands of dollars in allowances to attend weddings.

Over the past week it has emerged that four senior coalition ministers and a backbencher have claimed expenses totalling in excess of $15,000 to attend three different weddings.

Mr Turnbull believes Julie Bishop made a "very valid use of her travel entitlement" when she claimed $3445 to pay for flights home from a lavish wedding in India when she was shadow foreign minister in June 2011.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart flew Ms Bishop, Barnaby Joyce and Teresa Gambaro from Perth to Hyderabad in a private jet to watch the granddaughter of her business partner marry in front of 10,000 guests, Fairfax media reported on Sunday.

In the name of fostering stronger ties with India, Ms Rinehart invited Australian politicians to be her guests at the wedding, who later claimed more than $12,000 in travelling expenses to return home.

Ms Bishop claims to have spent more time talking to business executives over the three days than she did attending the wedding.

"Julie Bishop's visit to India was very much in line with what she should have been doing as foreign minister," Mr Turnbull told ABC's Insiders on Sunday.

"One of the biggest issues in our foreign policy discourse has been the need to raise the level of engagement with India, being a legitimate criticism there has been an overwhelming fascination with China."

Turnbull's comments come after the Herald Sun exclusively reported Prime Minister Tony Abbott charged taxpayers for his travel costs when he attended the wedding of a Liberal MP in Victoria.

Mr Abbott's office said he had repaid $1094 for a 2006 trip to Wangaratta for the wedding of recently defeated Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella, after questions from the Sunday Herald Sun.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said he had repaid the money after the Department of Finance had told him it could not guarantee he was entitled to it.

The revelation comes a week after Attorney-General George Brandis and Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce agreed to repay money they had charged taxpayers to attend the 2011 wedding of Sydney radio broadcaster Michael Smith.

Ms Mirabella, then backbencher Sophie Panopoulos, married Lt-Col Greg Mirabella at Wangaratta's Anglican Cathedral in June 2006.

The military-themed wedding was attended by 250 guests including Mr Abbott, then health minister in the Howard government, and fellow MP Bronwyn Bishop, who is expected to become Speaker of the House of Representatives when the new Parliament sits later this month.

On Thursday the Herald Sun asked Mr Abbott and Ms Bishop if taxpayer funds had been used for them to attend the wedding.

Ms Bishop did not respond to questions but Mr Abbott's spokesman James Boyce confirmed yesterday the PM had "utilised entitlements".

"When the matter was brought to his attention, he immediately sought advice from the Department of Finance," he said.

"The advice received said it was not possible to determine if the travel was within entitlement.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, Mr Abbott has repaid all costs associated with this travel totalling $1,094.64 and the matter is resolved."

It is the second time Mr Abbott has repaid travel entitlements he had claimed from taxpayers.

In 2010 he repaid $9,400 he had claimed for a 2009 book-tour to promote his book Battlelines.

Ms Mirabella was unseated as MP for Indi at last month's federal election by independent Cathy McGowan.

Originally published as Turnbull: Travel claim rules ambiguous