Ah, Tony Abbott, the gift that just keeps on taking.
This week the nation digested the news that the commissioner of the fiscal fire brigade spent $135,000 in taxpayers money on unused and useless medals for his doomed knights and dames program, presumably now being put to use somewhere in Canberra as the world’s most handsome and costly paper weights.
Of course, Abbott is not around to face our collective incredulity and/or a second round of humiliation over the scheme that effectively ended his stay in the lodge — he’s using his “auto exemption” to jaunt around Europe, most recently spotted attending a service led by his exonerated friend Cardinal George Pell.
It got Crikey thinking — are we paying for all this too, or is this part of the trade adviser role he took up against our interests for the British government?
So we asked the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA): is the Commonwealth paying for (or contributing to) the cost of Abbott’s travel, and if so, how much is it costing us?
They generally don’t comment on individuals outside their quarterly expenditure reports, but they confirmed that they/we hadn’t paid for the overseas travel of any former PMs this year. And we note that in previous reports — say, those from the second half of 2019, when Tony was palling about with Hungarian far right demagogue/”illiberal democrat” Viktor Orban — Abbott has not claimed any money for overseas travel.
We should have known Abbott would very happily pay his own way to see the likes of Orban and Pell.
I am predicting that Abbott is angling for a knighthood from the Queen via bonking Boris. It would be payback for the knighting of Prince Phillip.
I want to know what passport he is using.
There would be no justification for a red diplomatic one which, I think, has been officially denied.
However, it is possible, given that the government acknowledged that he is on official business (?WHAT? In what capacity?) then he may have a green Official passport which obviates the need for visas.
Nonetheless, the UK government must have issued him some special visa in order to undertake paid employment if it is not being done on behalf of the Australian government.
Of course, there would be no complications were he travelling on the passport of his country of birth.
I think we should be told.
Abbott may not be paying his own way. Someone else may still be picking up the tab.
Australia mightn’t be paying for Abbott’s international travel, but because we restrict the number of people in quarantine , each time he comes home he deprives an Australian citizen of their right to return.
Spellcheck? “… the grift that just keeps on taking….”?