Labor’s Tony Burke outclasses Bronwyn Bishop on office costs
THE AUSTRALIAN
JULY 30, 2015 12:00AM
Paul Cleary
Senior Writer
Claims made by Labor finance spokesman Tony Burke for office facilities costs are among the highest of all federal MPs, averaging more than $140,000 each half-year over the past three years.
Most MPs manage to stay below $100,000 for every six-month reporting period.
In total over the three years from 2012 to 2014, Mr Burke’s office facilities costs have exceeded $840,000, more than those of Speaker Bronwyn Bishop, who spent $712,000. On top of this, Mr Burke has been paid $404,000 for office administration over this same period.
Mr Burke has led the attack on Mrs Bishop following revelations about her use of a helicopter to attend a Liberal Party function.
Office expenses are reported along with travel claims by the Department of Finance. Mr Burke’s most recent claims also included charter services, despite the fact he claimed on his Twitter account that he no longer had a charter account. In the second half of last year, Mr Burke claimed $31,000 for charter services.
In the 2012-13 financial year Mr Burke’s charter claims amounted to $59,000. Mrs Bishop has only ever claimed for one charter flight, for $5000, for the helicopter trip from Melbourne to Geelong. However, she claimed $309,000 in overseas travel expenses for the 2013-14 financial year. A spokesman for Mr Burke said all of the charter flight claims related to his time as a minister.
“In relation to your charter inquiries, Mr Burke has not had a charter allowance since the change of government,” he said.
“While Mr Burke was a minister he held portfolios which required he conduct extensive consultation in regional and remote Australia.”
He said the only additional expense Mr Burke would have requested during the period covered by the figures would have been for video-conferencing equipment.
“Once installed this resulted in a significant reduction in airfares that otherwise would have been incurred by Mr Burke, his staff and officers of the relevant department,” the spokesman said.
The Finance Department noted there was a lag in paying some expenses, and they may not “relate to travel actually undertaken during the period”.
This may explain the claim for $31,000 last year. Mr Burke’s expenses claims have been reduced since Labor lost power in 2013, but during his time in office they were among the highest of any MP. In the first half of 2013, as Labor prepared to fight an election, Mr Burke’s office expenses topped $171,000. They were exceeded only by those of then opposition leader Tony Abbott at $181,000. Then prime minister Julia Gillard claimed $70,000 in office expenses for the period.
In the first six months of 2012, Mr Burke also had one of the highest claims for office facilities at $144,000, exceeded only by Mr Abbott at $154,000.
The Department of Finance defines office facilities as property operating costs such as rent, utilities, cleaning, and repairs and maintenance. It defines office administration expenses as being for office consumables and services, publications, printing and communications. The department is yet to release details of claims for the first half of this year.
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