Politicians claimed travel expenses while also using free tickets to the Australian Open, the Bledisloe Cup, the Ashes and the AFL grand final

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Australian politicians claimed more than $27,000 in expenses while taking advantage of free tickets to sports events such as the AFL grand final.

The deputy prime minister, Warren Truss, Labor’s infrastructure and tourism spokesman Anthony Albanese, agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce and finance minister Mathias Cormann are among the politicians who watched the Australian Open, the Bledisloe Cup, the Ashes or the AFL grand final free.

They all also claimed travel expenses and in some cases flights for themselves and their partners around the same times as the games, a Guardian Australia analysis of politicians’ expense claims in 2014 has revealed.

There is no suggestion any of the politicians acted improperly and most undertook meetings or events such as press conferences while in the cities.

Cormann, Albanese and the assistant minister for infrastructure and regional development, Jamie Briggs, all declared in their register of interests that they received tickets to the AFL grand final in Melbourne on 27 September last year.

All four also claimed travel allowances for the same date, and the cost of flights to and from Melbourne before and after the 27th.

Briggs and Cormann also claimed flights for a family member into and out of Melbourne, at a cost of $1,325 and $3,251 respectively.

Albanese flew from Sydney to Melbourne on the day of the AFL grand final and back the next day at a cost of $1,117. He also claimed a travel allowance of $377 and held a press conference on the afternoon of the game. He appeared on the Bolt Report the day after the game.

Albanese also flew to Melbourne on 23 January, the same day he went to the Australian tennis Open, and returned to Sydney the next day at a cost of $1,201. He claimed the $374 travel allowance for the day as well.

On the days Albanese attended the games he also claimed $931 worth of Comcars. His office did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to the cost of flights, Briggs claimed $870 travel allowance for the days he was in Melbourne, and $172 worth of Comcars.

“All of my travel is conducted within entitlement,” he said in a statement.

Cormann claimed $890 of travel allowance for 26 and 27 September in Melbourne, and $399 worth of Comcars. Cormann launched the Medibank Private prospectus pre-registration the day after the game.

“The minister travelled to and from Melbourne from Canberra because of work commitments away from home,” a spokeswoman said.

“Given his commitments away from home over a weekend as well as before and after the weekend, the minister connected with his family in Melbourne consistent with the rules on family travel for all Federal Members of Parliament.”

Truss was the most prolific attendee of sporting events while travelling in 2014, taking in two days of the Australian Open, two days of Ashes Test matches, the third State of Origin game and the Australia v France rugby union Test.

According to the expense declarations, Truss was acting prime minister during several of these dates. In total, Truss claimed $8,692 worth of travel expenses around the times he was also watching sport.

Barnaby Joyce flew to Sydney from Tamworth with his wife on the same day he attended the Ashes Test on 3 January last year and flew back that evening at a combined cost of $1,200 to the taxpayer.

According to a diary record provided by his office, Joyce was fulfilling a commitment to Ausveg, the industry body for vegetable and potato growers, at the Sydney Markets and went to the cricket in the afternoon.

Michelle Rowland, Labor’s spokeswoman on citizenship and multiculturalism, went to the Australian Open on 18 January with her partner, staying in Melbourne until 21 January. She and her partner flew to Melbourne from Sydney on 18 January, with Rowland then flying on to Brisbane. The total cost of the flights was $2,719 and Rowland also claimed $158 for Comcars on 18 January.

Her office produced her diary of shadow ministerial duties at the time, showing nine events in the four days, including being guest speaker at the Tamil new year festival on 18 January.