Tony Abbott has history of claiming sporting events as travel entitlements

Updated

A pattern is emerging of Prime Minister Tony Abbott using his travel entitlements to compete in sporting events around the country.

Mr Abbott on Tuesday defended charging taxpayers for his travel expenses to lead the Pollie Pedal charity bike ride, and to also participate in an ironman event in Port Macquarie.

The Prime Minister and some of his frontbenchers have recently repaid travel claims they made to attend the weddings of politicians and media figures.

And while the Opposition has been trying to make political mileage out of the travel expenses saga, Mark Dreyfus, one of Labor's chief attack dogs on the subject, confirmed he will have to repay more than $400 for accommodation at a ski resort.

But the ABC's 7.30 can reveal that Mr Abbott has claimed thousands of dollars to take part in various sporting events in recent years.

In 2012 he went to the famed Lorne Pier to Pub race in Victoria and claimed $1,444.

In August that year Mr Abbott went to Coffs Harbour for its cycle challenge, claiming $1,002.

The next month he went to Wagga Wagga for its Lake to Lagoon fun run and claimed $515.

Calls for review of rules

Abbott's expenses: 2011 Port Macquarie ironman

Flights: $941

Travel allowance: $349

Total: $ 1,290



2012 Pier to Pub race in Lorne

Flights: $1,095

Travel allowance: $349

Total: $1,444



2012 Coffs Harbour cycle challenge

Flights: $653

Travel allowance: $349

Total: $1,002



2012 Wagga Wagga Lake to Lagoon fun run

Total: $515



In 2010 Mr Abbott paid back $9,400 used to promote his book Battlelines. Mr Abbott has also repaid about $1,700 he claimed to attend two weddings in 2006.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister last night described all of these as community events and said there would be no repayments, unlike the approach Mr Abbott took for the weddings of former colleagues Sophie Mirabella and Peter Slipper in 2006.

On another occasion in 2010, Mr Abbott claimed $9,400 in travel expenses while promoting his book Battlelines. The money was later repaid by the book's publisher, Melbourne University Press.

Fresh media revelations that the taxpayer was charged $1,300 for the Prime Minister to take part in the annual ironman competition in Port Macquarie sparked this defence from Mr Abbott in Bali:

"I believe that all of my claims have been within entitlement and let's not forget that Port Macquarie was a marginal seat effectively," he said.

"I want to assure you that I don't go to marginal seats simply for sporting events although the sporting event in question was a community event.

"I think you will find that there were quite a few other community events involved in those visits."

Acting Opposition Leader Chris Bowen says all of this points to the need for a bipartisan review of the rules.

"You would like to think it wasn't necessary but given that we're seeing, weddings claimed, ironman events claimed against the taxpayer's contribution, I think there is a case for examining that," he said.

"The government of the day is welcome to put forward a proposal which the Opposition will look at in good faith."

But Mr Abbott disagrees.

"It doesn't matter what the rules are, there is always going to be an argument at the margins," he said.

"The point I make is that people should be careful and cautious when they claim entitlement.

"If there is any doubt they should resolve the doubt in favour of the taxpayer and that's exactly what I've done."

No clean skins on either side of Parliament

The fact is neither side can claim to have clean skins after the revelations about Mr Dreyfus, the former attorney-general.

On Tuesday morning he was leading the Labor charge against Government MPs' use of travel entitlements, telling AM there was a "pattern of conduct".

That was until it was found he claimed for two nights accommodation in Canberra when he was instead skiing at Perisher Valley - two hours' drive away.

"Mr Dreyfus is sorry for the mistake and is repaying the $466," a statement from his office said.

Former ACCC chairman Allan Fels, who was part of a government-appointed review two years ago that called for greater transparency and streamlining the system so it does not come under three different departments, says there is hesitation by politicians to move "the full distance on this".

"I favour all travel allowances being an expenditure being very public," he said.

"I believe that would make members of Parliament really careful and you wouldn't get abuse or questionable spending to the extent you do now."

Professor Fels says the pressure needs to be kept on politicians to get the rules tightened.

"We did a public report and it was not fully adopted. There's just a hesitation by politicians in moving the full distance on this," he said.

Xenophon says he too has had to repay money

A vocal critic of the entitlements rules, independent senator Nick Xenophon, says he has also had to pay money back to the Finance Department.

Senator Xenophon says a string of cases where travel entitlements appear to have been misused should provoke a review of what politicians can claim.

He has told 7.30 the rules are not clear and he has also been tripped up in a case when he was trying to save taxpayers money.

"I thought silly me it would save money using those self-drive hire cars rather than using taxis in Canberra which are hard to get and it was a cheaper way to do it," he said.

"But apparently Canberra's a place where you can't use them under the rules."

Topics: federal-government, abbott-tony, federal-parliament, government-and-politics, australia

First posted