Exclusive: Former PM delivered a lecture, attended an LNP morning tea and had private meetings in hours preceding Brisbane birthday of former Liberal politician

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Tony Abbott charged taxpayers more than $3,000 for travel that coincided with his attendance at Santo Santoro’s 60th birthday party in Brisbane and has cited a party event and a lecture as reasons for his travel.

A spokesman for Abbott told Guardian Australia his claim for a travel allowance and flights for himself and his wife Margie were for official business in Abbott’s capacity as the former prime minister.

The duties carried out on the trip – delivering a lecture, attending a morning tea to support Liberal National party candidates, and several private meetings – demonstrate the wide range of duties able to be billed to the taxpayer.

Abbott attended Santoro’s 60th birthday party on 30 April 2016 along with a number of other senior politicians reported to include the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, and the attorney general, George Brandis. The night before the party Abbott had delivered the Father Gregory Jordan memorial lecture.

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The morning of Santoro’s party he spoke at a morning tea in Oxley in outer Brisbane.

Santoro is a former Liberal politician who resigned as minister for ageing from John Howard’s ministry and the Senate in 2007 after breaching the ministerial code of conduct and the register of senators’ interests.



Santoro failed to immediately sell off shares in a biotechnology company after being appointed to his health-related portfolio in 2006.

In expenses claimed from the Department of Finance, Abbott incurred:

$1,562.96 for flights from Sydney to Brisbane on 29 April and from Brisbane to Sydney on 1 May

$860 for two nights of travel allowance on 29 and 30 April



$781.48 for a family traveller domestic scheduled fare for wife Margie from Sydney to Brisbane on 29 April; and

$50.90 for a Comcar in Brisbane on 29 April

Abbott’s spokesman confirmed he attended Santoro’s party, but noted no Comcar or Cabcharges were used to do so.

In a Facebook post on 30 April, Abbott said he attended Oxley with his wife Margie “to support Senator Joanna Lindgren and our LNP Liberal National party candidates”.

Tony Abbott Facebook post of 30 April, 2016 about event at Oxley

The duties cited by Abbott’s spokesman on the afternoon and evening of 30 April or morning of 1 May were “private meetings”.

“Abbott’s travel to Brisbane in late April 2016 was consistent with his entitlement as a former prime minister.”

Asked what duties justified taxpayer-funded travel by a former prime minister, the spokesman replied: “If he’s invited to speak somewhere, he’ll speak somewhere as a former prime minister.

“The community expects to see former prime minister from time to time and to have engagement with them.”

Throughout his parliamentary career, Abbott claimed taxpayer funds for trips linked to the Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge, the 2011 Bathurst V8 Supercar race, 2010 Melbourne Cup, 2010 Boxing Day Test match at the MCG, and 2011 Birdsville Races.

Abbott also claimed about $1,700 in expenses for attending the weddings of former Coalition MPs Peter Slipper and Sophie Mirabella in 2006, which he repaid in 2013.

In the 29 April lecture, Abbott praised Gregory Jordan, the former head of Abbott’s high school St Ignatius Riverview, and addressed the subject of “free speech”.

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Abbott said he “in principle” supported no curbs on freedom of speech, citing cigarette plain packaging laws and section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act as examples of “bad laws”.

He described speech that is “offensive, insulting, humiliating and even intimidating” as “the price of freedom”.

Abbott said the Coalition’s policy on same-sex marriage was to hold a plebiscite and expressed hope it would “strongly confirm” the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

Finance department records show Dutton and Brandis also flew in and out of Brisbane at taxpayer expense on 29 April and 1 May, but both live in Brisbane and are entitled to do so to return to their home base.

A spokesman for Brandis said he returned to Brisbane on 29 April as it was the end of the sitting week and travelled to Canberra on 1 May ahead of the next sitting week on 2 May.