This morning, an unrepentant Trade Minister Steve Ciobo told ABC’s AM program that attending the AFL grand final in 2013 and charging taxpayers in flights and car costs for the privilege was part of the job of being a minister, and taxpayers expected him to charge them for it.
“I go along to games here in my own electorate, I use a taxpayer-funded vehicle to get there, and I think people expect that.”
“I would love to see Australia’s Prime Minister … at a key game … between the Wallabies and the All Blacks …”
He said it was work business because the companies inviting him along to the games were showcasing their businesses to the ministers invited.
That raises an interesting prospect for other claims made by other parliamentarians, if we are going to look at the sorts of businesses showing off their services to ministers. For instance, Kevin Andrews, when he was defence minister in 2014, went to the Emirates Stakes Day and Cox Plate, with gambling giant William Hill picking up the tab. But he did slog taxpayers with $334.05 and $324.88 in Comcar costs on those days respectively.
If we are going to start examining the businesses wining and dining our MPs at sporting and other cultural events and look into the value to ministers, Ciobo might have opened up a much larger can of worms than he realises.
In times of need perhaps our parliamentarians should pass around the hat in their electorates. This would obviate the need to slug the taxpayer, and bring some true reality as to what the electorate expects. Ha!
Brilliant uggestion, Venise. And when they counted their bottle tops and wads of spat out chewing gum, they might finally understand their value to their electorates.
This is just chutzpah. Unless the corresponding New Zealand Minister is there, Ciobo has no moral right to charge these sorts of trips as “official” business. I am not sure which is worse, the cost to taxpayers, or the arrogance with which it is assumed as a right?
The political apparatchicks on both sides have grown used to this largesse throughout their careers. Once they are pre-selected into a safe seat they are made men, and that seems to be how they see themselves. The Craig Thomson case demonstrated that too many on the Labor side see things the same way.
Craig Thompson was small fry as was Peter Slipper compared to this lot. We would love to be shouted a pollies’ invite to a free feed and drinks at the footy, also no admission to pay. Their generous pay packets should surely help them to at least pay for their travel arrangements, but they are clearly ‘entitled’ to live off OPs.
I’d gladly pay for the Prime Minister to go to a game, provided that:
(a) He takes all of his government with him (I’d shout them, too)
(b) It is a one-way ticket
(c) While they are out of the country all relevant documentation is destroyed so that they can never return.
If I pass around the hat, who’s in?
A game in New Zealand, obviously – although on reflection I’m not sure I could do that to the Kiwis. They have enough to contend with already.
In a word, NO! Why can’t he use his own money and try to claim it on tax? Because the ATO would knock it back; and that’s reason enough for why you’d have to be a self-entitled elitist prick to think it’s a fair claim through the pollies allowance scheme.
I felt sick looking at that picture of those pollies draped in Freo scarves at the GF. Former WA Premier Alan Carpenter was/is a massive Dockers fan. He used to often catch the same train as the rest of us and sit in the open with the regular supporters. ( I say used to because my travel plans have changed- He may still do).
Supporting Fremantle can sometimes seem like a chore rather than a pleasure, but none of us expect to get paid for it.