Exclusive: One Nation leader had initially sought to charge taxpayers and may not have been aware of the dues when telling Senate she had footed the bill

Pauline Hanson took four months to repay air fares claimed for Norfolk Island trip

The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, sought to charge taxpayers nearly $3,000 to fly to Norfolk Island last year, then told the Senate she had travelled there at her own expense.

But at the time she made her statement to the Senate, government officials were chasing her for a reimbursement.

It took her four months to repay the debt. Officials sent an initial invoice, and two reminder invoices, before she finally reimbursed taxpayers in March this year.

Hanson travelled to Norfolk Island on 18 October 2016 and returned on 21 October 2016 with her chief adviser, James Ashby.

She toured the island on the invitation of Norfolk Island People for Democracy. When she returned to Australia, she asked the Turnbull government to underwrite a plan to connect Norfolk Island to a new fibre optic cable stretching between Australia and New Zealand.

Freedom of information documents reveal that two weeks after Hanson returned to Australia on 21 October, a representative for One Nation called the Department of Finance, on 2 November, seeking clarification about whether or not Hanson was allowed to charge taxpayers for the trip.

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The department told Hanson’s representative she was not entitled to charge taxpayers, and an invoice for $2,911.70 worth of flights was sent to Hanson, via her representative, on 4 November.

On 8 November, Hanson told the Senate about her trip to Norfolk Island, saying she had paid for the trip herself.

“Last month, at the request of the local community, I travelled to Norfolk Island at my own expense,” Hanson said, as Hansard recorded.

But documents show Hanson had not repaid the money at that point.

They show the Department of Finance had to send Hanson a reminder email more than two months later, on 24 January 2017, requesting a reimbursement of the airfares.

A letter accompanying the reminder email said:

“I refer to previous correspondence regarding your outstanding invoice. The total amount of $2,911.70 … remains debt owing to the commonwealth and we are writing to seek repayment. As this debt is now overdue, I appreciate your immediate attention to settlement.”

Hanson may not have replied to the reminder email, because the department had to send a second reminder invoice – a month later, on 22 February.

It was not until 8 March that Hanson’s outstanding debt to taxpayers was paid.

In June, Ashby told Guardian Australia Hanson would have reimbursed taxpayers for her Norfolk Island trip before she told the Senate she had travelled at her own expense.

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But on Friday, when contacted by Guardian Australia, he said that when he made that statement, it was an assumption.

He said the fact Hanson’s air fares were not repaid until March was an “oversight,” and he was unaware the Department of Finance had made several requests to her ofice for repayment.

“In Pauline’s defence, it was left for the office to pay [for the trip],” he said.

“It would have simply been that she had instructed the office to do it but hadn’t thought anything more of it, thinking the matter was dealt with.

“I gotta admit, Pauline receives on average of over 2,000 emails a day, so sometimes those things can get lost.

“Quite clearly it’s an oversight. Does she deserve hanging, quartering? That’s your call I guess.”