The Attorney-General is under fire after she was found to have spent thousands in taxpayer dollars on a family holiday.
Michelle Rowland announced that her $21,685 family trip to Western Australia had been referred to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) – the expenses watchdog – on Saturday.
Rowland is the second minister to have referred herself to the committee after Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells was caught taking her own family on several taxpayer-funded trips.
Wells first came under fire over flights for herself and two others to New York where she spruiked Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 which cost taxpayers almost $100,000.
Wells also charged taxpayers nearly $1,000 for a chauffeur to wait for seven hours the day she attended the Australian Open in 2023 and more than $1,200 for nine hours the day of the NRL and NRLW grand finals in 2022, according to the parliamentary expenses register.
As well as that the federal MP, who oversees the Interactive Gambling Act, received $19,000 in donations from Sportsbet ahead of the Federal Election last year.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is now seeking advice from IPEA on how to handle the situation.
In total, federal politicians across the country have used $1.1million of taxpayer money for family trips in the 2024-25 financial year.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has come under scrutiny for a $21,685 family trip to Western Australia in 2023
Recently Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells was also caught taking her own family on several taxpayer-funded trips worth tens of thousands of dollars
A spokesperson for Rowland confirmed her 2023 trip was now under investigation.
‘The Attorney-General has referred a trip from 2023 to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority for advice,’ the spokesperson said.
Albanese has stuck by his ministers in the fallout of Labor’s latest scandal and insisted neither have done anything unbecoming of the office.
Family reunion travel is an entitlement provided for parliamentarians to fly their family out while they are away on official business, which is paid for by the taxpayer.
Rowland and Wells’ recent trips have fallen under this legally protected avenue, Albanese has insisted.
On Friday, Albanese officially asked IPEA for advice.
‘It’s important that, as parliamentarians, we’re not deciding things for ourselves because that would bring obvious criticism,’ he told reporters.
‘I’ve asked IPEA for advice. At least two members of parliament have referred themselves for the details of their audit, but in addition to that, I’ve said to IPEA, “please give us some advice”, and we will take that on board.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended his ministers for the time being
It is unknown exactly when Albanese first approached IPEA but the prime minister said he had done so ‘publicly’.
‘I have said that publicly and asked for that advice from IPEA,’ he said.
Albanese previously dismissed the suggestion that Wells should be criticised or sanctioned for claiming her due allowances.
‘A sports minister attending sports events should not be surprising,’ Albanese told ABC Radio.
‘Anika Wells has done the right thing, but she’s been out there doing her job in promoting this important legislation.’
There is no suggestion that Wells is guilty of any improper use of expenses.
The prime minister himself also racked up a $30,253.08 bill from family travel expenses in the last financial year.