Malcolm Turnbull granted Tony Abbott extra travel entitlements for the use of chauffeured cars in Sydney after replacing him as prime minister, according to documents obtained by Guardian Australia.
The documents, obtained under freedom of information laws, detail the entitlements offered to Abbott in his capacity as former prime minister, and the advice to Turnbull from public servants in determining those entitlements.
Many parts of the documents have been redacted, including comparisons of Abbott’s proposed entitlements with other former prime ministers, and what appear to be recommendations on the number or type of staff provided to Abbott.
Former prime ministers enjoy perks similar to serving politicians, but there are no standard entitlements – the specifics are determined by the incumbent prime minister.
In a letter from Turnbull to Abbott, dated 29 September 2015, Abbott’s proposed entitlements include the following when travelling on “official business as a former prime minister”:
- Unlimited business class flights within Australia for Abbott and his wife
- Unlimited use of “car-with-driver transport”, also known as Comcar, for Abbott and his wife, excluding Sydney (“the town or city in which the former prime minister resides or has an electorate office”)
- A travel allowance for each overnight stay outside Abbott’s home base
According to details of former prime ministers’ entitlements contained within legislation, the entitlements initially offered to Abbott are similar to agreements for previous prime ministers with the exception of the restriction on the use of Comcars within the home city.
A later letter from Turnbull, on 15 October 2015, refers to a letter of Abbott’s, and extends Abbott’s Comcar entitlement to Sydney:
“In recognition of your particular circumstances I am agreeable to providing additional access to Comcar while you remain an MP for travel to and from official events in Sydney, when you attend those events in your capacity as a former prime minister.”
During 2016 Abbott made use of his entitlements to take trips that included election campaign appearances with colleagues. Abbott claimed about $73,200 in domestic flights that coincided with “former prime minister – official business” travel. This is as much as the flight expenses for all other former prime ministers combined – John Howard, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating – in the same period. Abbott also claimed $25,936 in other travel allowances relating to official business in 2016.
The entitlement letter contains no concrete definition of what comprises official business for a former prime minister. A definition is however provided within legislation, and covers any event in which the former prime minister is invited in their official capacity, as well as “other activities directly related to, and engaged in for the purposes of, performing the role of former prime minister”.
Questioned about the expenses in 2017, a spokesman for Abbott told the Herald Sun the former prime minister received many invitations and tried to respond to “as many of them as possible, as you’d expect”.
“He spent much of the election campaign last year supporting the re-election of colleagues and also travelled to spend time in Indigenous communities and regional Australia,” the spokesman said.
The agreement also entitles Abbott to two extra staff, one as a permanent position and one temporary. However, key recommendations on staffing have been redacted from the documents. In earlier drafts, sections that appear to be referring to the number or type of staff have been removed.
The documents suggest a “standard package of entitlements has evolved” for former prime ministers, but all comparisons of Abbott’s entitlements with those of other former prime ministers have been removed from the documents.
Guardian Australia has contacted Abbott for comment, and also requested a review of the decision to redact key parts of the documents.
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