A $360,000 office fit-out triggered by a change in electoral boundaries has pushed Gellibrand MP Tim Watts towards the top of the spending list of Australia’s federal politicians.
Analysis of the Department of Finance’s examination of MPs’ entitlements spending for the second half of 2014 shows Mr Watts’ $556,863 of taxpayer-funded expenditure between July and December was the fourth- highest, behind only Prime Minister Tony Abbott ($1,057,673), Foreign Minister Julie Bishop ($866,653) and South Australian Liberal MP Tony Pasin ($851,482).
Mr Watts claimed $779,807 in entitlements for the year, including $364,355 on fitting out his Footscray office after an electoral boundary forced the vacation of former MP Nicola Roxon’s Maribyrnong electorate office.
“Our office costs were the result of being forced by the Department of Finance to move from Nicola Roxon’s previous electorate office in Maribyrnong because the redistribution of the electorate boundaries at the last election left it outside the seat of Gellibrand,” he said.
“MPs are not permitted to have electorate offices outside their electorate boundaries.”
The spend was part of a $4.5 million taxpayer-footed bill for federal MPs’ and senators’ office upgrades racked up in the second half of 2014.
Federal politicians from both major parties have come under close scrutiny over expenditure following revelations that former speaker Bronwyn Bishop chartered a $5000 helicopter ride to a political party fundraiser in Geelong and spent more than $300,000 on overseas travel in 2014, including a $90,000 two-week trip in Europe.
Finance documents show Maribyrnong MP and opposition leader Bill Shorten claimed almost $760,000 in 2014, including $94,889 on overseas travel and $34,767 on family travel.
A departmental spokeswoman refused to provide a breakdown of the office spending, pointing only to the online
Senators and Members Entitlements Handbook for details on spending rules.
“The Department of Finance does not comment on its dealings with individual parliamentarians or in relation to the administration of parliamentary entitlements,” the spokeswoman said
The handbook states an MP’s electorate office must be located within the electorate.
“Ministerial and Parliamentary Services is responsible for providing electorate offices and does so in consultation with the senator or member,” the handbook states.
“The relevant ministerial and parliamentary services state manager arranges the fit-out of electorate offices.”
This includes office equipment, security, signage, phones and whitegoods.
