Julie Bishop Slugged The Taxpayer Nearly $3K For A Trip To The Portsea Polo

Well, the floodgates have certainly opened when it comes to politician expenses. 

After Sussan Ley‘s deeply ungratifying downfall thanks to her penchant for buying apartments while travelling on the taxpayer’s dime and also swanning around her electorate on chartered flights, journos have been digging through everyone else’s potentially dodgy claims. 
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is next on the chopping block – she allegedly charged taxpayers $2,716 to attend the Portsea Polo for “official ministerial business”. She had been invited as an official guest of Peroni and Jeep, which is certainly a luxe way to drain the public purse.
A Department of Finance report shows Ms Bishop spent $2,177 on flights to Melbourne, $416 on a car and claimed $123 for travel.
The ABC asked for comment from Bishop, and was issued a short statement, which read as following: “The Minister was invited and attended in her official capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.”

It’s not only Bishop feeling the heat, either. Tasmanian Senator David Bushby, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo slugged taxpayers more than $2,500 for a trip to the AFL Grand Final in 2013. Cormann said in a statement that he had “official commitments” before, during and after Grand Final weekend. Lovely.
Long story short: there’s probably gonna be some slight clarifications and reforms around what pollies can claim. Bet on it.
Source: ABC.
Photo: Getty Images / Matt King.

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