Rules check on concert stopover

EMBATTLED Labor MP Emma Husar, above, has asked the parliamentary watchdog to check whether her travel to a Bruno Mars concert was within the rules.

Ms Husar, who is under internal party investigation over allegations of staff bullying and misuse of entitlements, attended the concert in Brisbane on March 14 after attending a committee hearing in Cairns that day.

The NSW MP flew into Brisbane from Cairns, claiming $114 for a government-funded Comcar from the airport to her hotel.

Taxpayers were also charged for her hotel room, which she shared with a friend.

“To be abundantly clear, no work expenses were used to attend a concert,” Ms Husar said on Twitter yesterday.

She said she was in Cairns on March 14 to attend a daylong committee hearing on the NDIS, and then had two meetings in Brisbane with organisations to discuss domestic violence policy issues on March 15.

“The concert tickets were a birthday present from a friend,” Ms Husar said. “Confident I’ve always acted within the rules but have asked IPEA to double-check and review as I take the use of taxpayers’ money extremely seriously.”

The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority monitors and investigates politicians’ use of their taxpayerfunded entitlements.

Ms Husar attended meetings with a homelessness service and a domestic violence call centre in Brisbane the day after seeing Bruno Mars perform.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said it was vital that every dollar of taxpayer funding was used appropriately.