BRONWYN Bishop has refused to apologise for taking a $5200 helicopter flight from Melbourne to Geelong, and revealed she took two other charter flights for speaking engagements last year.

A defiant Ms Bishop said she was entitled to catch the helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal Party fundraiser, because her speech discussed the role of parliament.

But the NSW MP was unable to nominate any other reason for which she was in Victoria, which may raise further questions about whether her flight from Queensland to Victoria was within entitlements.

ANDREW BOLT: IF BISHOP CAN’T EXPLAIN SHE MUST RESIGN

LABOR REFERS BISHOP FLIGHT TO AFP

Ms Bishop said the helicopter charter was a lapse of judgement, but also refused to stand down.

But she said she only decided to repay the taxpayer money once she saw the high cost of the journey.

“The fact of the matter is, it was done within entitlement, but as I said the amount of money was clearly far too large and that’s why I’m paying it back,” she said.

At a press conference in Sydney, Ms Bishop was asked if she would like to apologise directly to taxpayers but refused.

“I think the biggest apology one can make is to repay the money,“ she said.

media_camera Bellarine Liberal campaigner Jeremy Underwood with Bronwyn Bishop during the 2015 state election campaign.

The Speaker said she had asked the Department of Finance to probe her other charter flights.

“There were two other charters I used on small fixed-wing aircraft,” she said.

But Ms Bishop refused to provide details of the other trips, and said it was the “proper way to go through Finance”.

“I think one was to Nowra and one was to Young.”

“I think they were in 2014 from memory.

“They were certainly public meetings, there could have been a fundraiser as well.

“As I said, that is not improper.”

Ms Bishop also took a swipe at colleagues who have been critical of her spending, including Treasurer Joe Hockey.

“Joe says some funny things sometimes, doesn’t he?”

“I think he said poor people don’t drive cars or something.”

Asked whether she would use helicopters for short trips in future, Ms Bishop said: “I think not.”

She also ruled out stepping down as Speaker.

“One doesn’t resign for an error of judgement when it’s within the guidelines,” she said.

Earlier, Ms Bishop declared the furore a “political beat-up”.

“That booking was just made in the ordinary way, there’s been a political beat-up,” she said.

“I’m very sorry it’s taken the heat off (Bill) Shorten and his triple-whammy carbon tax.”

Ms Bishop defended her absence from a memorial for MH17 victims yesterday, saying she was “literally snowed in” by bad weather.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said she had made an error of judgment by booking the flight to attend a Liberal fundraiser.

But he said Ms Bishop had now “done the right thing” by repaying money and should not step aside from the role of Speaker.

“She has repaid the money,” he said.

“She’s done the right thing, she’s a good Speaker, she has my confidence.

“The finance department looks into a whole lot of matters involving a whole lot of members of parliament and I don’t think it’s appropriate for people to stand aside simply because the finance department might be having a look at something.

“The important thing is that Bronwyn’s admitted that it was probably an error of judgment and she’s repaid the money.”

Bishop's costly flight

Mr Abbott was asked about Ms Bishop and the chopper flight after he attended a function last night and reportedly said there was a “village gossip” surrounding the issue.

“I can understand why people are interested in this,” he said.

“The public has rightly high expectations of its representatives and whenever something doesn’t conform with their sense of what’s right, obviously there understandable excitement about it.”

Mr Abbott rejected assertions that he was holding different standards for Ms Bishop compared with former Speaker Peter Slipper.

“Absolutely normal procedures are being followed here,” he said.

“The Department of Finance will have a look at it, and if they think there’s anything else to do, well, that will be done.”

Labor has reissued a request for federal police to probe Speaker Bronwyn Bishop’s use of taxpayer funds for a helicopter flight.

The AFP initially said it would leave a preliminary investigation into the use of taxpayer funds for the chopper flight, taken between Melbourne and Geelong so Ms Bishop could attend a Liberal fundraiser, to the Department of Finance.

An AFP spokesperson had released a statement saying this was appropriate under the so-called Minchin Protocol, which was set up in the 1990s to cover probes of parliamentary expenses.

But Opposition’s Waste Watch committee chair, Pat Conroy, has written to Assistant Commissioner Shane Connelly requesting a police investigation proceed regardless of any department probe.

He said any refusal to investigate would be “inconsistent” with the criminal prosecution of former Speaker Peter Slipper.

“The Minchin protocol is no impediment to a police investigation into Ms Bishop’s conduct,” Mr Conroy writes.

A spokesman for the Speaker told the Herald Sun Ms Bishop attended the event to talk about her official parliamentary role, but refused to release a claims form providing details of the trip while the matter was under investigation by police.

Labor has called on Ms Bishop to release the form she signed to book the flight, which states that “knowingly giving false or misleading information is a serious offence” under the Criminal Code.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and Education Minister Christopher Pyne were the only two Cabinet ministers to reply to questions from the Herald Sun about whether they backed the Speaker.

Both said they supported Ms Bishop.

It has emerged Ms Bishop’s chief-of-staff, Damien Jones, is a close friend of Andrew Gibbs, the man hired by charter company MyJet to handle political bookings.

MyJet does not provide helicopter flights but helped arrange the luxury trip through another company.

The Herald Sun can also reveal former premier Denis Napthine and then aviation minister Gordon Rich-Phillips opened MyJet’s new Bendigo base in 2013.

It benefited from a multimillion-dollar investment by the government.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke on Friday said if Ms Bishop had deliberately provided false information, she could not remain as Speaker.

“There are times when people make honest mistakes ... when an administrative error is made ... but for the life of me, I don’t see how someone accidentally gets on a helicopter and ends up at a Liberal Party fundraiser.”

Police say Ms Bishop is likely to avoid charges as she had repaid the money before the matter was referred to authorities.

media_camera Ms Bishop could avoid charges after paying back the money. Digitally altered image.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

November 5, 2014: Speaker Bronwyn Bishop attends Gold Coast event, then flies from Coolangatta to Melbourne where she travels to CBD and boards a helicopter to Clifton Springs Golf Club for Liberal Party fundraiser. She returns to Melbourne on the chartered helicopter

Wednesday July 15, 2015:Herald Sun reveals Ms Bishop billed taxpayers $5227 for the flight. She defended flight saying it was “within guidelines”.

Thursday July 16, 2015:Herald Sun reveals Ms Bishop chartered the service to Clifton Springs Golf Club to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser.

She said she took the charter out of “concern for the country”. Hours later — at the direction of the Prime Minister — she repaid the cost.

Friday July 17, 2015: Ms Bishop fails to attend MH17 memorial service despite being listed on the order of service. Labor writes to the Australian Federal Police asking them to investigate the Ms Bishop’s use of the helicopter.

annika.smethurst@news.com.au

@annikasmethurst