The Prime Minister has admitted he charged taxpayers more than $100,000 for his recent trip to meet President Donald Trump at the White House, as he was taken to task on Sunrise over parliamentary entitlements.
Host Natalie Barr grilled Anthony Albanese on Wednesday over revelations in The West that Anika Wells had racked up $62,000 worth of travel for herself and family members to attend over 60 sporting events since becoming Sports Minister.
“Well, this is rules that were put in place by the former government after Sussan Ley had to resign as a minister after going to the Gold Coast to look at property issues, came up,” Mr Albanese responded.
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He also pointed out his Sports Minister had given birth to twins while in office and argued that Parliament was evolving with modern times because “families are now there, there’s young mums, they’re our people.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has admitted he charged taxpayers more than $100,000 in his trip to meet US President Donald Trump earlier this year as he faces mounting pressure to crack down on parliamentary spending. Sunrise host Natalie Barr grilled Anthony Albanese on Wednesday over revelations Communications Minister Anika Wells used taxpayers’ money to fund family and ski trips. Unknown Credit: Unknown/Sunrise
Barr then challenged the PM by reading out texts from viewers with spouses who regularly work away from home for months, pointing out “politicians are not special.”
Then the Sunrise host grilled Mr Albanese about the almost $100,000 spent to recently fly Ms Wells and staff to New York for a UN event.
“I flew to Washington recently. It would have cost more than $100,000 for me to fly to Washington to meet President Trump,” Mr Albanese snapped back.
Finally Barr asked the PM if would promise to look at pollie spending, to which Mr Albanese responded: “the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority examine these things on a consistent basis and they will continue to do so”.
“What I’m okay with is it being at arm’s length from me. I don’t want to be the arbiter” he added when asked if he would be satisfied if the existing rules stayed in place.
