Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter gave his former State Liberal colleague Joe Francis a plum six-figure-salary job with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after the Barnett government minister lent him a “complimentary” campaign bus.

Mr Porter is under fire for appointing a slew of former Liberal MPs to the independent tribunal, which pays its members up to $244,520 a year, on the final parliamentary sitting day before the April pre-election Budget.

But in an escalation of the issue, The West Australian can reveal that, in his position as general manager of Perth-based Australian Transit Group, Mr Francis oversaw the loan of company buses to Mr Porter and two other Liberal MPs fighting to hold their seats.

Mr Porter’s name is displayed across two star-spangled buses that traverse his electorate of Pearce — a 28-year-old former Transperth vehicle that he has nicknamed the “Porter Transporter”, and a newer former school bus.

The older bus was bought from former State MP Murray Cowper after he lost his seat of Murray-Wellington in the March 2017 election bloodbath.

Camera Icon Joe Francis and Christian Porter Credit: Matthew Poon

The second vehicle is on loan from Australian Transit Group via Mr Francis, who also lost his seat of Jandakot in 2017 and worked for ATG until December last year.

Mr Francis, a submariner-turned reservist and volunteer, was one of the more colourful members of former premier Colin Barnett’s leadership team.

A self-confessed bogan who loves high-powered cars, Mr Francis once revealed how he used the ashes of his beloved dog Sasha to ink a tattoo of her paw prints on his chest.

The former corrective services minister had previously told this newspaper that the buses were nearing the end of their useful life, and lent to the marginal-seat MPs as a favour.

When ATG was contacted on Friday, an employee said the buses had been loaned to MPs for six months until December on a “complimentary” basis.

The firm’s managing director, Ben Doolan, later clarified that the company had a “commercial arrangement” with the WA Liberal Party to eventually sell it the buses, but the sale was yet to go through.

“It was decided last year that it would be more cost effective if the Liberal Party purchased the buses,” he said.

The AAT reviews administrative decisions, usually by government departments. The latest appointments, announced by Mr Porter on Thursday, were criticised by Federal shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, who accused Mr Porter of “stacking the AAT with Liberal donors, former MPs, former staffers and mates”.

Others to join the tribunal include former Senate president Stephen Parry, who quit politics after getting caught up in the dual citizenship crisis, and former Liberal speaker of the WA Parliament Michael Sutherland.

Camera Icon Former Liberal speaker of the WA Parliament Michael Sutherland. Credit: Trevor Collens

Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses has also raised concerns about the Coalition Government’s processes in appointing members to the AAT, describing it as “secretive with the potential to undermine public confidence”.

He said at least 14 former State and Federal MPs and staffers were among the 86 appointments to the AAT on Thursday.

Mr Porter distanced himself from the bus loan, saying the WA Liberal Party had a deal with ATG for three buses.

“I understand that arrangement was a commercial one in which the party would be invoiced for the cost and purchase of the buses before the 2019 election,” he said. “I am not involved in the financial arrangements between the party and the company.”

Mr Porter also defended his decision to appoint Mr Francis to the tribunal, pointing to his “extensive experience” as a State parliamentarian and reputation as a respected member of the Australian Defence Force.

“He is eminently suitable to serve on the AAT,” he said.

ATG also lent buses to the campaigns of Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt and Canning MP Andrew Hastie.

WA Labor MP Matt Keogh, a former lawyer, said Mr Francis’ appointment demonstrated why setting up a national anti-corruption body was so important.

“This Government are only in it for themselves, and their mates,” he said.

Mr Francis could not be contacted.