"But if Bronwyn Bishop is claiming that part of the official purposes of being Speaker of the House of Representatives is to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser, then we all know she's wrong." Tony Burke, pictured speaking to his motion of dissent against the Speaker Bronwyn Bishop in June, says Labor has written to the AFP over the Speaker's chopper ride. Credit:Andrew Meares Mrs Bishop has come under heavy fire for using her entitlements to charter the chopper for the short journey from Melbourne to Geelong for the fundraiser last year. She has paid back the $5227 cost - plus a $1300 loading as a penalty - but she has not admitted to wrongdoing. Mrs Bishop went to ground on Friday, with her office refusing to respond to repeated requests for information and comment.

The Speaker was listed as an expected guest at a public memorial at Parliament House to mark the one-year anniversary of the MH17 disaster but did not attend. An excerpt from the letter Labor sent to the AFP asking for an investigation into Bronwyn Bishop's expenses. In his letter, Mr Conroy's letter says: "Parliamentary entitlements are only permitted to be used for official purposes. Parliamentarians have previously been prosecuted for fraud for deliberately misusing their entitlements." Labor believes the case hinges on whether Mrs Bishop signed a Presiding Officers Charter Certification form. The form requires an office holder like Mrs Bishop to confirm that the charter was for her "office holder duties". The form states that "knowingly giving false or misleading information is a serious offence" under the Criminal Code.



Labor's move came shortly after the entitlements scandal deepened, when Fairfax Media revealed the political lobbyist who was paid to arrange the chopper was the best friend of Mrs Bishop's most senior adviser. Fairfax Media revealed Andrew Gibbs, who is permanently contracted to handle charter company MyJet Aviation's political and high-end business bookings, has been close friends with Mrs Bishop's chief of staff Damien Jones for 15 years. Indeed, Mr Gibbs was Mr Jones' best man at his wedding.

Mr Gibbs confirmed the relationship when confronted by Fairfax Media on Friday. "I do know Damien, what's that got to do with anything?" Mr Gibbs said. "We were staffers together. I know a lot of guys at Parliament, I was a staffer there myself." Asked if he was Mr Jones' best man, Mr Gibbs said: "Yeah, what's the relevance of all this?" The relationship between Mr Gibbs and Mr Jones raises new questions about the charter, which Mrs Bishop used to make a grand entrance at the party function in November. Fairfax Media is not suggesting any improper conduct by Mr Gibbs or Mr Jones. Sources have told Fairfax Media that Mr Gibbs' quote was the most expensive of three obtained by Mrs Bishop's office.

But Mr Gibbs says that is not the case. "They have to get three quotes and they have to take the cheapest quote," he said. "There's no opportunity for untoward behaviour because the Department of Finance keeps a very close eye on it." Mr Gibbs said there was "nothing untoward or cozy" about his relationship with Mrs Bishop's office or with Mr Jones. Fairfax Media has asked Mr Jones, through Mrs Bishop's office, for details of the three charter quotes requested. The Department of Finance has also refused to comment: "The Department of Finance does not comment on the use of entitlements by individual parliamentarians."

But it's understood MyJet is typically among the most expensive options on the market in Victoria. MyJet doesn't actually operate any helicopters itself, so sub-contracted one from fellow charter company Air Melbourne. Air Melbourne's website notes their twin-engine Augusta helicopters "seat up to seven passengers and reach speeds of up to 311km per hour, making our helicopters the quickest, easiest and most luxurious way to travel". That type of chopper usually costs about $3000 to $4000 an hour to hire, industry sources have told Fairfax Media.



That is about the same hourly cost as a mid-sized corporate jet capable of carrying about 10 people in business-class seating.



In comparison, a single-engine Robinson R44 costs about $1200 an hour. In general, a single-engine chopper can only fly during the day. Mr Gibbs operates as a political lobbyist under the business name Primary Policy Partners.

The government's official Lobbyist Register confirms Mr Gibbs is a former Howard government staffer who left government employ in January 2001. He lists five companies on his client details list, including MyJet Aviation. It also lists Elliott Holdings Australia T/A Ellwaste, Chris Richards Group, Cohuna Aviation Club and HTT CORPORATION. Mr Jones has also been approached for comment but has not yet responded. His job title is listed on various parliamentary documents as Mrs Bishop's chief of staff. He also serves as her spokesman. The Greens have called for a full, independent investigation following the latest revelations.

"The more details revealed about this absolutely extraordinary episode the more apparent it becomes that something fishy is going on," said Greens senator Lee Rhiannon. Fairfax Media also revealed this week that Mrs Bishop spent a whopping $90,000 of public money on a two-week European trip partly aimed at securing her a plum new job. Loading With Matthew O'Sullivan and Fergus Hunter Follow us on Twitter