MP’s girlfriend trip rort
A LABOR allowance rorter has now been exposed for taking his girlfriend, who he also had working as his electorate officer, on taxpayer-funded jaunts to Argentina, Uruguay, the US, Sri Lanka and Fiji.
MP Telmo Languiller was forced to resign as Victorian Speaker and pay back $37,800 pocketed in a controversial second residence allowance meant for country MPs, after a probe exposed doubts he lived in the Queenscliff property he was claiming for.
It can now be revealed Languiller took partner Tatiana Astudillo on four taxpayerfunded trips costing more than $10,000, while he was Speaker.
At the time Ms Astudillo was also working for him in his electorate office, a move which raised the eyebrows of colleagues.
The former speaker last night admitted he took four trips with his partner, but defended them as being within parliamentary guidelines.
He said Ms Astudillo paid for one of the trips out of her own pocket.
Her overseas travel cost the taxpayer at least $5915.
The Andrews Government is scrapping the rule that allows partners on overseas trav- el following the expenses scandal involving Mr Languiller and his former deputy speaker Don Nardella.
Mr Languiller defended taking his partner on the overseas trips.
“One trip was privately funded, one was funded by the Parliament as part of an official visit, and two more were funded through the spousal allowance,” he said. “I fully support the Government’s decision to abolish the spousal allowance for overseas trips.”
Mr Languiller and Ms Astudillo travelled to Fiji and Tonga in July last year in a trip funded by the State Parliament.
Upper House president Bruce Atkinson and Clerk of the Parliament Ray Purdey were also at the Fijian Parliament with their wives, with the costs of the trip yet to be made public.
Mr Languiller and his partner travelled to Sri Lanka between January 8 and 12, 2016, where they visited the country’s national parliament – at a travel cost of $4499 – with her travel funded out of his electorate spousal allowance.
A trip to Uruguay and Argentina – between April 15 and 25, 2016 – cost $4755, and involved Mr Languiller meeting politicians and government officials, but she paid for the trip.
The lovers then went to the US and Canada in August, 2016, which was also funded partly through the spousal allowance.
Ms Astudillo worked in Mr Languiller’s Tarneit electorate office throughout 2016, when the trips were taken, one of only three staff members at the office.
She was working in his electorate office before they became a couple.
MPs can spend $10,000 from their office budget for interstate and overseas travel, which can be for electorate offices or a spouse. The globetrotting former Speaker spent more than $50,000 in overseas Toils with spanner for dental aids 2 Nine palaces seen with one
country 3 Pep pills commonly may travel on six trips in one year.
Opposition spokesman Tim Smith said the Premier needed to guarantee Mr Languiller’s travel spending was within the rules.
“Victorian taxpayers are sick and tired of being used as a personal ATM by Daniel Andrews’ rorting Labor MPs.”