By political reporter Anna Henderson Friday 17 July 2015
Photo: Bronwyn Bishop will pay back the cost of the helicopter flight. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
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Speaker Bronwyn Bishop has agreed to refund taxpayers more than $5,000 for a 90-kilometre helicopter trip she took to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser last year.
Mrs Bishop's office confirmed she will also pay an additional 25 per cent penalty, under expenses rules announced by the Abbott Government in 2013.
Mrs Bishop's six-monthly report to the Finance Department revealed she made the return trip between Melbourne and Geelong at a cost of $5,227.27 in November.
On Thursday, Treasurer Joe Hockey conceded the trip did not pass the "sniff test" and called on Mrs Bishop to provide an explanation.
She later released a short statement confirming she would pay for the flight herself.
"I have today written to the Special Minister of State indicating I will reimburse the Department of Finance the costs associated with the use of my charter allowance on 5 November 2014," the statement said.
"Whilst my understanding is that this travel was conducted within the rules, to avoid any doubt, I will reimburse the full costs."
But Labor MP Pat Conroy said Mrs Bishop had undermined the position of speaker by failing to acknowledge that what she did was wrong.
"She's paid back the money very grudgingly and she has so far refused to apologise for the expenditure, so the question needs to be asked if no one had discovered this expenditure, would she have done anything about it?" he said.
"She should reflect on her position because this undermines confidence in the Speaker."
MPs call for Mrs Bishop to explain helicopter flight
Photographs emerged showing Mrs Bishop arriving in a helicopter at the Clifton Springs Golf Club outside Geelong.
Mr Hockey said the Speaker was "the one who should explain the money and how it's been spent", and said she should have been given the opportunity to do so.
"I don't know the circumstances on which these bills were accrued," the Treasurer told 2UE.
When asked if the trip met the sniff test, Mr Hockey responded: "Look, instinctively it doesn't."
Social Services Minister Mr Morrison echoed the call for the Speaker to provide an explanation.
"All members of Parliament need to act within the entitlements and, I think, make their own judgments about what's appropriate," he said.
"They're matters specific to those members and I'll leave them to those members."
Liberal frontbencher Steve Ciobo agreed it was a bad look.
"I can certainly understand that on the face of what's been presented so far it would seem to be of concern," he said.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce was willing to provide support for the Speaker, saying he was "absolutely certain Bronnie would not have broken the law".
"She would have been, as they say, within entitlements," he said.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann defended the parliamentary travel entitlements system saying it was transparent and worked the way it should.
Video: Helicopter charter sparks calls for reform of parliamentary entitlements (7.30)
"That travel record is available for scrutiny by journalists, by the opposition, by anyone who wants to review it and ... obviously it's worked on this occasion."
But independent senator Nick Xenophon said the incident showed the rules needed to be tougher and more transparent.
"Bronwyn Bishop may have complied with the rules but I think the rules need to be overhauled to be more transparent and for taxpayers, for voters to have more instant access as to how politicians spend our money," he said.
A spokesman for Mrs Bishop said on Wednesday that the trip was chartered to "meet commitments" and all travel was taken "within entitlements and in accordance with parliamentary guidelines".
"The Speaker had a number of meetings during her visit to Victoria and always seeks to fit in as many meetings and events into her schedule as is possible," a statement read.
"It [is] because of her concern for the country, she works as hard as she can and wishes she could do even more."
Shorten accuses the Speaker of abusing entitlements
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mrs Bishop had not justified the expensive trip and accused her of being "colossally arrogant" and abusing her entitlements.
"This is an out-of-touch, arrogant Government who are cutting the incomes of vulnerable Australians, yet at the same time they're wafting around above our heads in taxpayer-funded helicopters when you could have just driven down the road like the rest of us," Mr Shorten said.
"It is such a colossally arrogant thing to do."
Mr Shorten called on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to "repudiate" the actions of Mrs Bishop and described it as a "shameful" use of taxpayers' money.
"If Mr Abbott does not repudiate the actions of his captain's pick, the Speaker of the Parliament, then he is effectively endorsing a view which says that they are so important that they don't even have to drive on the same roads as the rest of Australians," he said.
"I think this is one of the most egregious abuses of entitlements."
In total, Mrs Bishop spent $130,889.80 on official travel in the second half of last year.
She spent more than $88,000 on a 15-day official visit to Europe while she was running for the presidency of the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The trip to Europe took in Italy, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland from October 3 to 18.
An 11-day trip in September to Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and South Korea cost $42,805.51.
Bronwyn Bishop's statement in which she says she will reimburse the cost of a taxpayer-funded chopper flight in Victoria.
Contributed by: ABC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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