Hey there, big spender
INDEPENDENTLY wealthy Malcolm Turnbull is our most expensive former prime minister, racking up an almost $370,000 taxpayer-funded expenses bill, as the nation’s exleaders tallied up a combined $1.5m tab in 12 months.
The costs include Kevin Rudd, who continued his reputation as a frequent flyer by having the highest domestic travel bill of the former prime ministers in that time.
His travel in the first three months of this year was seemingly linked to election campaigning, but a spokesman insisted the travel was all for other purposes and that Mr Rudd was donating time to local election campaigns while in town.
Analysis of former prime minister’s entitlements, via the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, shows the nation’s living former leaders cost taxpayers $1.5m in the year to March 31, 2022, through their travel, office, phone and car costs.
Former prime ministers are afforded access to a range of entitlements including up to 30 domestic return flights – as long as they are not for a commercial purpose – office and employee costs, and even some family travel.
Mr Rudd, dubbed “Kevin 747” for his frequent travel while in office, spent $10,503 in domestic flights over 12 months.
This is compared to $1604 from Mr Turnbull, $1480 from John Howard, $671 from Julia Gillard and nothing spent on domestic flights by Paul Keating or Tony Abbott.
During the first three months of the year, Mr Rudd’s flights included a flight on February 26 from Maroochydore to Adelaide, where he attended a campaign event for the South Australian state election, and met with SA Labor leader and now Premier Peter Malinauskas.
He then flew to Melbourne where he attended federal campaign events, including for Labor’s Chisholm candidate Carina Garland.
The trip to Melbourne from Adelaide cost $612, while the flight back to Brisbane via Sydney cost taxpayers $1915.
A spokesman for Mr Rudd said while the former leader was in Adelaide he also met with Senator Penny Wong, former senator Natasha StottDespoja to discuss her work on discrimination against women with the UN, and was invited by the Adelaide Writers’ Festival to discuss the “dangers posed” by News Corp.
“When Mr Rudd does travel expressly for campaigning, he insists on paying for those flights himself, even though it would be within the rules,” the spokesman said.
Office accommodation
made up the bulk of Mr Turnbull’s expenses, costing taxpayers more than $350,000 in the 12 months ending in March – enough to buy an affordable home in some regional towns.