I too join with my colleagues in saying that integrity in public office is not optional. This is taxpayers’ money. This is not some pot of gold to be doled out by the Albanese government, and we demand these documents. Nearly half a billion dollars—the slush fund of this government, doled out in a way in which many, many Australians were completely ignored.
Of course, when we have a prime minister who does not care about integrity, the rot starts from the top. I have called on the Prime Minister to stand down the Minister for Communications. When it comes to ministerial responsibilities in the expenditure of money, there is an extrahigh bar. We’ve seen this minister; she’s already been found to have breached her parliamentary travel entitlements on four separate occasions. IPEA, the independent expenses watchdog, required her to repay more than $10,000, including a 25 per cent penalty. But there are continuing questions around Minister Wells’s parliamentary expenses, as more evidence emerges of a trip she took to Adelaide to attend a birthday party of a good friend. The good friend’s husband happens to be the South Australian Labor minister Chris Picton. In order to justify flying back to her home on the taxpayers’ dime the following day, she stayed overnight and then claimed the full cost of this trip, nearly $4,000. But there is no evidence that any evening meeting at the birthday party ever took place. The evidence mounts that this minister has rorted her taxpayer entitlements.
This is a serious matter because, prima facie, this is a breach of the ministerial standards. Where is the integrity of this prime minister? Everyone knows. There was a so-called meeting with the office of Minister Farrell on the Saturday afternoon and then there was this so-called sideline meeting at the birthday party at around 7.45 that Saturday evening. It defies credibility that the minister was doing anything other than concocting meetings—false meetings—in order to justify staying overnight and flying back the next day using taxpayer dollars on her return business class airfare.
I uncovered the minister’s lack of due diligence when it comes to expenditure of taxpayers’ money when we discovered that she spent around $100,000 flying herself and two staff to New York with no regard for the incredible cost of these airfares—no regard for the impact on the taxpayer. I just say that this is not the Labor Party’s money; this is taxpayers’ money. We are all required to follow the rules. Minister Wells could have stayed overnight and attended the birthday party after she concluded her parliamentary business by simply paying for her airfare between Adelaide and Brisbane the following day.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Sheldon, on a point of order?
Senator Sheldon: I’m not sure if this goes to the subject matter of infrastructure and investments as per the motion.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Sheldon, I’ve only just entered the chair, but I will listen carefully to what Senator Henderson has to say.
Senator HENDERSON: I’m talking about the very important issue of integrity of government expenditure. One of the huge issues before the parliament right now is that this prime minister doesn’t have the spine, doesn’t have the courage, doesn’t have the ticker, doesn’t have the ability—
Senator Ayres: Rorter!
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Ayres, you will withdraw.
Senator Ayres: Withdraw what?
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: You know what you said. You gestured towards an individual senator. Senator Ayres, you’ve been asked to withdraw.
Senator Ayres: I withdraw. That is a very high bar.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senator Ayres, you know exactly what you said. Senator McAllister, on a point of order?
Senator McAllister: It is about relevance. The Senate is debating a motion to take note of the answer provided by Minister McCarthy. The item listed as item 6 and the remarks made by Senator McCarthy are nowhere near the contribution being made by the senator at the moment.
The PRESIDENT: I will bring Senator Henderson back to the matter before the Chair. Senator Henderson, you have the call.
Senator HENDERSON: Minister McAllister, you’re very slow out of the blocks. I’ve been speaking for nearly five minutes. And what I’m talking about is integrity of government expenditure.
Senator Ayres: No-one’s listening—
Senator HENDERSON: And it’s clear you’re not listening—I’ll take the interjection.
Senator Ayres: because you’re unbelievable; you’re not credible.
Senator HENDERSON: You’re not listening to the Australian people, and they expect better from this hopeless, incompetent, lying government.
Question agreed to.