Liberal party senator Cory Bernardi claimed expenses on the same date he was the guest speaker at an anti-abortion organisation’s fundraising dinner outside his home state.
Bernardi was in Brisbane from 5 November to 6 November 2014 for the Senate inquiry into domestic violence, which held a public hearing on 6 November. He claimed a travel allowance for both these days, citing “Finance and Public Administration”, the name of the Senate committee.
However, he also claimed a travel allowance of $406 on 7 November, citing “electorate business” and made use of two trips via a Comcar, totalling $83. Bernardi represents the state of South Australia. That evening, he was the guest speaker at Cherish Life Queensland’s annual fundraiser, where one of his books was available for sale, according to the group’s Facebook event page.
Guardian Australia asked Bernardi a series of questions about the matter, including whether he had any other electorate business in Brisbane on 7 November. However, he declined the opportunity to provide details.
“Senator Bernardi always ensures that he has a full diary; the nature of any meetings is between the senator and the people he has met with,” a spokeswoman for Bernardi said.
“The senator is perfectly entitled to meet and address community groups and other interested parties, including Senate colleagues, about matters of concern to his electorate. These matters are directly relevant to his work as a senator and as a member of federal parliament.”
The spokeswoman said Bernardi always complies with the regulations “and any suggestion to the contrary has no substance”.
Politicians from all sides of politics have come under scrutiny for their expenses claims after the Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, resigned over a series of questionable decisions including chartering a helicopter flight from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal fundraiser. The government has since launched a “root and branch” review of the expenses system.
Politicians can claim travelling allowance for “meetings outside the electorate on electorate business up to a maximum of 10 overnight stays per annum in total”, according to the entitlements handbook.
The Department of Finance relies on the discretion of the politician to determine what is and is not official business.
Cherish Life Queensland is, according to its website, an anti-abortion group, with a stated goal being: “To educate people on pro-life issues, maintaining their enthusiasm and dedication to life, and challenge the community conscience in matters of justice, equality and respect for all people born and unborn.”
Asked about his book being on sale at the 7 November event, Bernardi’s office said: “The senator has never conducted a book tour. Any inquiries as to the sale of his book should be referred to the publishers.”
Records show Bernardi also claimed $372 for travel allowance in Sydney on 8 April, 2013, citing “electorate business”, and claimed flights from Adelaide to Sydney and back, arriving on 8 April and departing on 9 April, totalling $1,522. While in Sydney, he made use of Comcars, with four trips totalling $186.
On the evening of 8 April, Bernardi spoke at a film screening organised by the Sydney Traditionalist Forum, which was also attended by the leader of the NSW Christian Democratic party, Reverend Fred Nile, according to the group’s account of the night.
The Sydney Traditionalists describe themselves as an “association of ‘old school’ conservative, traditionalist and paleoconservative individuals”.
The film shown on the night, Agenda: Grinding America Down, is described as revealing the influence of communism on modern American life.
“Though the word communism isn’t used anymore, this film will show the ideas behind it are alive and well,” a plot summary said. “Join [Idaho legislator Curtis] Bowers for a fascinating look at the people and groups that have successfully targeted America’s morality and freedom in their effort to grind America down.”
The Sydney Traditionalists offered a further description of the film: “Whereas orthodox communism waged war against the west in an openly violent manner, today’s ‘progressives’ continue to undermine its traditions through cultural deconstruction, sexual identity politics, militant atheism, the denial of normative values and the celebration (and increasingly, the encouragement) of perversity.”
The group said Bernardi – who had “shown the courage of his convictions by refusing to buckle to the expected leftist condemnation of anyone who steps out of the ‘politically correct’ line” – was presented with a copy of Kenneth Minogue’s book The Servile Mind: How Democracy Erodes the Moral Life.
Guardian Australia was unable to find any media releases or other reporting which would suggest Bernardi had any other reason to be in Sydney and Brisbane on these dates. He was given the opportunity to provide details of any other commitments.
- This story was the result of a tip-off from a Guardian Australia reader participating in our project to crowdsource the investigation of politicians’ expenses.
