TONY Abbott is the last person who should complain about Labor referring to the Federal Police the rorted helicopter ride undertaken by his Speaker Bronwyn Bishop.

In his time in Opposition and as Prime Minister, Abbott has done more than any other Australian politician to criminalise politics in this country.

Along with George Brandis, now Attorney-General, Abbott was always keen to refer to the police any suggested wrongdoing by any Labor MP.

media_camera Speaker Bronwyn Bishop flies arrives by helicopter for a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Geelong Golf Club in November last year.

After winning power, Abbott set up two royal commissions with the express aim of litigating behaviour of existing and previous Labor politicians, in particular the former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.

The royal commission into trade union activities has more recently turned into political pursuit of Labor leader Bill Shorten.

Now Abbott’s hand-picked Speaker has been caught out billing $5000 to the taxpayer for a luxury helicopter ride from Melbourne to Geelong, a journey that might take an hour and a bit by cab for a few hundred dollars.

To make this absence of decorum worse, Bishop fleeced the public purse to attend a Liberal Party fundraising lunch which cannot in any way be labelled official business related to her role as a presiding officer of the Parliament.

media_camera As Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop gets a “charter allowance”. Picture: Kym Smith

Because of her exalted role, Bishop gets a “charter allowance” not available to the overwhelming majority of MPs, to cater for trips related to her office. This was the fund she used for her rock star’s chopper ride.

If she signed the necessary form saying this was for “official purposes” when it was really to perform at a golf course to tip cash into Liberal Party coffers she might have breached the Commonwealth criminal code.

Former prime minister John Howard, who played politics as hard as anyone, is a long time critic of what he calls the “Americanisation” of our politics by litigating arguments and disputes in courts and before investigatory bodies.

He said he wouldn’t have set up the royal commissions Abbott established to embarrass and pursue Rudd, Gillard and Shorten.

Abbott and his party have been hit by the inevitable payback from Labor and they have no one to blame but themselves.