7/27/2019 Tony Abbott Repays Expenses After Charging Taxpayers
to Attend Sophie Mirabella's Wedding
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Tony Abbott repays expenses after chargingtaxpayers to attend
Sophie Mirabella'swedding
Published: October 6, 2013 - 8:57PM
Big bucks for MPs' Bollywood
adventure
If the average Australian wedding costs
$36,000, what should taxpayers make ofpaying almost $20,000 for
five Coalition MPs -including Prime Minister Tony Abbott - toattend
three weddings?
Interim Labor leader Chris Bowen says theseries of revelations
about Mr Abbott, three ofhis ministers and a backbencher show
apattern of poor judgement.
"This goes to judgement of senior Liberalsclaiming travel
expenses for what are very
clearly, very clearly not legitimate travel expenses," he told
reporters on Sunday.
"We all accept that mistakes can happen but this goes to a
pattern of poor judgementand a pattern of a lack of transparency
and disclosure."
Earlier on Sunday it was revealed Mr Abbott had chosen to repay
the cost of attending aLiberal colleagues wedding seven years ago,
but only after facing questions from themedia late last week.
Mr Abbotts spokeswoman confirmed the Prime Minister had repaid
the $1095 cost oftravelling to Sophie Mirabellas 2006 wedding "in
the last few days".
The move came after advice that he may not have been entitled to
claim the weddingexpenses on the public purse.
A spokeswoman said Mr Abbott "immediately sought advice" from
the FinanceDepartment "when the matter was brought to his
attention" following News CorpAustralias inquiries.
"The advice received said it was not possible to determine if
the travel was withinentitlement," she said in a statement.
"For the avoidance of any doubt, Mr Abbott has repaid all costs
associated with thistravel totalling $1,094.64 and the matter is
resolved."
Ms Mirabella, a Liberal MP since 2001, was defeated in last
months election. Mr Abbott
http://www.smh.com.au/action/printArticle?id=4807726
10/07/2013 08:51 AM
