The Government has been conducting a wide review into entitlements after the clusterfuck that was the Bronwyn Bishop scandal – when the longtime Mackellar MP was busted claiming a series of dubious travel expenses as Parliamentary entitlements. Including a helicopter flight she booked for an eminently drivable trip. As you do.
Basically, the low-down is that the Finance Department have made a series of recommendations around how expenses should be reported, and precisely what can be covered. They recommend that the word ‘entitlements’ be dropped altogether, which is probably a good idea, and that reporting be done quarterly rather than every six months.
The review discourages the use of public money and property (like Commonwealth cars) for personal, political or party events. Which means no more chauffeured trips to the opera or use of the Speaker‘s office for fundraisers.
Most interestingly, the review specifically states “in the absence of compelling reasons, helicopters cannot be chartered to cover short distances.”
It reflects well on the state of our parliamentary democracy that hiring helicopters on the public dime is something that needs to be specifically prohibited.
Australian Greens senator and democracy spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said that while the Greens welcome “a more efficient and ethical guide for how MPs use public resources,” they believe the review’s recommendations are overall “a lukewarm collection of half-measures.”
The Greens advocate instead a more comprehensive system of transparency and greater regulation and oversight of reporting by parliamentarians.
But, you know, at the very least: no more helicopters.
Source: Australian Financial Review
Image: Getty Images / Stefan Postles
