Nats leader’s $40k jet flight

A CHARTERED jet that flew Nationals leader Michael McCormack and other VIPs to Sydney after attending a party conference in a West Australian resort town near Ningaloo Marine Park cost taxpayers almost $40,000 last year.

Mr McCormack, who was acting prime minister at the time, had been in Exmouth to attend the three-day conference on October 11 when he ordered the RAAF plane from its Canberra base to take himself, his wife Catherine, former Nationals minister Larry Anthony, who is the party president, Senator Matt Canavan and staff back to Sydney the following day.

Department of Defence special purpose flight documents detailing the trip reveal the cost of the pilot flying the empty Falcon 7X jet from Canberra to the Learmonth RAAF base near Exmouth cost taxpayers $21,095 — more than the passenger flight to Sydney.

The empty plane trip was the most expensive “ghost flight” in the six months to December, contributing to a $2.8m taxpayer-funded bill for chartered jets to ferry politicians, staff and official guests to and from Canberra, across Australia and overseas.

It is understood Mr Anthony was later invoiced for his seat on the flight.

The following month, Mr McCormack, again as acting prime minister, chartered a plane to Melbourne, where he watched the Melbourne Cup after performing official duties.

The jet flew from Canberra to Mr McCormack’s home town of Wagga Wagga, at a cost of $1722, where it collected his wife and three other VIPs before flying on to Melbourne at a cost of $2583.