Fraser Anning was cleared of misusing taxpayer-funded expenses to travel to far right rallies and justified the trips by citing constituent concerns about “ethnic-based violence”, documents show.
However, the review by the independent parliamentary expenses authority found the former senator had misused other taxi and family travel allowances and ordered him to pay back $1,534.
The review – obtained by blogger and freedom of information expert William Summers – looked at Anning’s use of taxpayer-funded allowances to attend a series of far right rallies in Sydney and Melbourne.
The documents show authorities queried Anning about the legitimacy of his claims and how they related to parliamentary business.
But the authority was ultimately convinced Anning’s claims for the rallies were within the rules and consistent with “value for money” principles.
Anning argued the trips were related to parliamentary business because his former constituents in Queensland were concerned about “ethnic-based violence”.
“Senator Anning showed [the authority] various documents from Queensland-based constituents and others who raised concerns regarding ethnic based violence occurring in Queensland, immigration, employment and the moving of refugees to remote towns in Queensland,” the review, dated May, said.
“These issues and others were put forward by Senator Anning as being significant policy concerns for both him and his constituents.
“It should be noted that it is not [the authority’s] role to determine the merit of ‘parliamentary business’ for senators and members.”
Anning was ordered to repay $1,500 for wrongly claimed taxi trips and a 2017 flight between Canberra and Gladstone by his wife.
Anning frequently billed taxpayers for business-class flights to controversial events. Earlier this year he billed taxpayers $2,600 to attend a far right rally in St Kilda, where some attendees were seen delivering Nazi salutes.
The rally was organised by Blair Cottrell, who has been convicted of inciting contempt for Muslims.
Anning also charged taxpayers for flights, accommodation and car costs during a trip to join the Canadian far-right figure Lauren Southern at a Sydney rally, where they protested the treatment of white South African farmers.
Guardian Australia also revealed earlier this year that taxpayers had paid almost $3,000 for Anning to travel to Melbourne the day after the Christchurch shooting, where he was struck with an egg while defending incendiary comments about the massacre.
It was also revealed that Anning had claimed a taxpayer-funded accommodation and meals allowance to stay at his brother’s hotel in the regional town of Babinda.
