Telmo who? says Queenscliff
Borough locals say they have not sighted Speaker at centre of allowance row
CAR log books from Speaker Telmo Languiller’s taxpayerfunded chauffeur will be inspected as part of an investigation into why he claimed a $37,678 allowance for a house in Queenscliff.
Mr Languiller claimed a “second residence” allowance last year, after he split with his wife and rented a house in Queenscliff while also maintaining a property in Footscray.
The house is about 80km from his electorate of Tarneit, which is in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The Speaker apologised to State Parliament for what he said was an “error of judgment”, and promised to pay back the money.
“This claim, irrespective of entitlements or otherwise given that I’m a sitting MP, does not meet the requirements of the community,” he said.
He referred the matter to the Parliamentary Audit Committee — which he co-chairs with Legislative Council Bruce Atkinson — before declaring he would step aside from the process.
It is likely auditors will assess car log books to try to establish if Mr Languiller was regularly travelling to Queenscliff, which he had claimed was his “primary residence”.
Several other Labor and Coalition MPs claim the allowance because their primary residence is more than 80km from the Melbourne CBD — but all those who admitted to the entitlement yesterday hold regional or Upper House district seats.
Queenscliff locals shook their heads when the Advertiser visited businesses to see if they had ever seen Mr Languiller.
Real estate agent Neil Laws said: “I’d never heard of him around here, and I’ve never seen him”.
Farm Foods deli employee Lucille Colombo also was unaware of the Speaker visiting.
The Advertiser asked Mr Languiller how often he had gone to Queenscliff, but a spokeswoman for the Speaker said he would not comment.
Labor MPs yesterday said they were stunned by the claim, with one calling it a “rort”.
Some said the rules had to change.
Premier Daniel Andrews said “claiming this allowance did not meet community expectations” and said the Audit Committee should make recommendations “on the use of this entitlement as soon as possible”.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy called for the matter to go to the powerful Privileges Committee.