They also pocket $6750 to cover the costs of parliamentary travel, which they keep if it is not spent, and regional MPs are entitled to up to $45,000 a year to charter aircraft. There is no legal requirement that MPs disclose how they spend electorate allowances. WAtoday asked all MPs if they would reveal what they spent their electorate allowances on and how much they kept as salary. Greens MP Alison Xamon said she paid all of her electorate allowance on expenses for the electorate, which included payments on additional staff. She said she would release details of electorate expenses if she was required to by the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal, but revealed she had been subject to a tax audit.

"I have been through a gruelling audit with the ATO which found my expenses were entirely in order and that I had actually significantly underclaimed," she said. "I have no idea what government backbenchers spend their money on. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "But I have 23 portfolios, take primary carriage of 80 per cent of the legislation in the house, have half a million constituents and lead a party and get not one red cent more than a backbencher." Ms Xamon said Greens MPs spent most of their allowances employing additional staff.

Liberal MP Steve Thomas also revealed he had been audited by the ATO. He said he was surprised when a system was introduced that "handed allowances to MPs like wages". "Under the new system the ATO is simply advised that your total gross income was the sum of your salary plus your allowances," he said. "You then had to claim back the expenditure. This looks rather odd, as few salary earners have to claim back such expenses – they generally come before the declaration of income." He said he spent three weeks preparing for the audit, which took the ATO three months to consider before deciding his income declaration was correct.

"I felt sorry for them – it would have been mind-numbingly boring," he said. "Naturally, like every taxpayer, I did not like the process. However the ATO were utterly professional in their interactions." Only One Nation MP Robin Scott said he would consider releasing details of how he spent his allowances. Labor MP Laurie Graham said he wouldn't release details of how he spent his electorate allowance to the media, "but if required will provide detailed information to ATO". "All expenditure from my electorate account for the financial year 2018/19 has been in accordance with the determination of the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal," he said.

"My electorate allowance is spent across the four electorates in the Agricultural Region. I am not prepared to disclose to you a break-up of this expenditure." Labor MP Darren West also said he spent his electorate allowance in his role as an MP as outlined by the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal. Allowance overhaul coming later this year Premier Mark McGowan asked the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal to review the travel entitlements in August last year. "As part of that SAT review they identified a lack of clarity and transparency with other allowances," he said.

"As a result, SAT have been consulting all relevant parties as part of their review and will provide a report early this year. "Following the gross misuse of electoral allowances by former Liberal MP Phil Edman, I immediately spoke with the chair of SAT to explain that new measures were a matter of priority, to create a stronger accountability framework when it comes to members' entitlements. "I expect the SAT will deliver their final determination soon, following consultation with all parties, including the Opposition Leader. "Depending on SAT's advice and what is technically feasible, I anticipate implementing the changes over the course of the coming year." Mr McGowan did not say whether he believed Upper House MPs should release details of how they spent their electorate allowances.

Opposition Leader Liza Harvey reiterated her offer of bipartisan support to overhaul the system. Loading "People in the community deserve to have transparency and accountability around every single dollar of taxpayer money no matter who it's spent on and it's clear there are problems with the system at the moment," she said. "I think it's a tricky situation at the moment because we've got a CCC investigation and, as I understand it, there might be a police investigation under way as well. "So I think Legislative Council members probably need to be a little bit circumspect at the moment until those investigations have run their course."