The long-awaited review of MP entitlements has singled out helicopter travel as unnecessary, saying chopper flights should only be chartered when there is a "compelling reason".

The review was triggered by the revelation that then-speaker Bronwyn Bishop billed taxpayers $5,000 for a charter flight between Melbourne and Geelong, an estimated 90-minute car trip.

The independent panel has made 36 recommendations, including the removal of family reunion flights for private holidays and replacing the term "entitlements" with the phrase "work expenses".

The review, instigated by the former prime minister Tony Abbott, recommended the Government provide guidelines for office holders to ensure charter transport constitutes "value for money".

"In particular that, in the absence of compelling reasons, helicopters cannot be chartered to cover short distances," the review said.

The review has also looked into the stoush that emerged the use family reunion flight provisions around the same time the entitlements system was under intense scrutiny.

In one case, Labor frontbencher Tony Burke used parliamentary entitlements to fly a number of his family members business class to Uluru under the expenses claim process.

The review has outlined prohibiting the use of the provisions for interstate family holidays, and to tighten the eligibility for business class trips.

'Work expenses' not 'entitlements'

It also recommends the Department of Finance ditch the use of the term "entitlements" and switch to the clearer terminology "work expenses" to refer to the taxpayer funds.

Main report recommendations: Use the term "work expenses" instead of "entitlements"

Use the term "work expenses" instead of "entitlements" Give a clear definition of what "parliamentary business" is and make rules to help politicians decide whether what they are claiming fits

Give a clear definition of what "parliamentary business" is and make rules to help politicians decide whether what they are claiming fits Travel must be shown to be "value for money"

Travel must be shown to be "value for money" MPs and senators can now travel to Australian external territories — such as Antarctica — and claim it as domestic travel

MPs and senators can now travel to Australian external territories — such as Antarctica — and claim it as domestic travel No chauffeur-driven cars, including COMCAR travel, should be used for personal trips

No chauffeur-driven cars, including COMCAR travel, should be used for personal trips Review the COMCAR "shuttle" service bringing politicians from their lodgings to Parliament House during sitting weeks

Review the COMCAR "shuttle" service bringing politicians from their lodgings to Parliament House during sitting weeks Keep the three return air fares for children of parliamentarians, but bump them down to economy travel, not business class

Keep the three return air fares for children of parliamentarians, but bump them down to economy travel, not business class Tighten eligibility for the three interstate business class return air fares for use by a MP's family members. These tickets cannot be used to go on holiday, just to see family while they are working

Tighten eligibility for the three interstate business class return air fares for use by a MP's family members. These tickets cannot be used to go on holiday, just to see family while they are working Scale back post-retirement travel for former parliamentarians who do not qualify for a Life Gold Pass

Scale back post-retirement travel for former parliamentarians who do not qualify for a Life Gold Pass Government should provide members from the "Big Six" electorates — with a land area of more than 500,000 square kilometres — with a third, staffed electorate office

Government should provide members from the "Big Six" electorates — with a land area of more than 500,000 square kilometres — with a third, staffed electorate office Provide monthly and more detailed reporting of expenses through an online system

According to the panel of reviewers, the broader system has evolved in a piecemeal way and "is complex, confusing, incomplete, contradictory and immensely difficult to follow and administer".

"Parliamentarians can too easily run foul of rule interpretations or eligibility requirements," the review said.

"This has undermined public confidence, not only in parliamentarians, but also in the system itself."

The review also notes that politicians are required to travel extensively, and that pressure increases for office holders.

The review panel included Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal chairman John Conde, former Department of Finance secretary David Tune, former Labor speaker Harry Jenkins, former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson and corporate advisor Linda Bardo Nicholls.

In a statement, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who released the report Wednesday, thanked the authors for their work.

He said work would begin on implementing the measures.

"The Government supports all the recommendations in principle and will now commence work on implementation," he said.

That means the Government is also backing moves to reassess the use of heavily relied-upon Commonwealth car system that shuttled MPs from their lodgings to Parliament during sitting weeks and outlaws chauffeur-driven cars for personal business.

Legal definition of parliamentary business needed

The report has called for a statutory definition of parliamentary business, following legal action taken against former parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper.

The former independent MP won an appeal in 2015 after being found guilty of dishonestly using taxpayer-funded hire cars to visit a number of wineries in the Canberra region in 2010.

The ACT Supreme Court found that prosecutors were unable to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the trips did not constitute parliamentary business, due to parliamentary privilege.

The review notes that the "necessarily broad and evolving meaning of 'parliamentary business' makes it difficult to prove, to the criminal standard, that an activity falls outside its scope".

It has found law enforcement should be a measure of "last resort", and that a statutory definition would help the Australian Federal Police successfully prosecute cases in the future.

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