Mathias Cormann has defended his use of special-purpose flights, after the ABC revealed that he and Peter Dutton charged taxpayers more than $50,000 to travel on defence jets in the week after the Liberal spill.
The flights allowed the finance minister and home affairs minister to attend swearing-in ceremonies after they resigned from Malcolm Turnbull’s ministry before taking back their positions in Scott Morrison’s cabinet.
Royal Australian Air Force flight records tabled in parliament show on 28 August Cormann flew from Canberra to Perth on a CL604 at a cost of $23,000. A further $14,720 cost was incurred to return the empty aircraft to Canberra.
On 26 August, the Sunday following the spill, Dutton flew from Canberra to Amberley at a cost of $5,980 and Amberley to Canberra at a cost of $6,900.
According to the ABC, Dutton declined to comment but said at the time “the swearing-in today will allow me to travel to the Gold Coast to attend the Five Country ministerial meeting”, involving security and immigration ministers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the United States.
Cormann was sworn in with the remainder of the ministry on Tuesday 28 August, after which the Morrison cabinet held its first meeting.
A spokesperson for Cormann reportedly said the role of defence jets was to allow ministers to meet commitments associated with their official, parliamentary or political responsibilities, and the cost of travel was higher for MPs from Perth.
“In the context of the high frequency of necessary work-related travel from Perth to Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne and back, Senator Cormann is an infrequent user of the special purpose aircraft – and only if that use is appropriate in the circumstances.
“On 28 August 2018 Senator Cormann was required both in Canberra and back in Perth later that day.
“Inevitably that travel from Canberra to Perth is more expensive than travel to locations on the east coast.
“Two senior staff also travelled with the minister on this occasion to facilitate dealing with office work on the five-hour trip back from Canberra to Perth that day.”
Ministerial travel rules allow for use of defence jets if suitable commercial alternatives are not available.
Cormann’s spokesperson said no commercial flight options were available “to accommodate all these commitments” and the use of the jets was approved “in the appropriate way”.
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