Peter Dutton’s staggering taxpayer bill for three private jet flights on a single trip where he blasted the ‘cost of living’ … and YOU paid for it all

EXCLUSIVE

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton charged taxpayers $63,015 for three private jet flights on a two-day trip to “hard-pressed” cities in the region, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

Documents released this week by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) show that on September 25, Mr Dutton sent taxpayers a bill for $21,005 for a flight from Brisbane to Moree in northern New South Wales.

The Liberal Party leader then charged taxpayers twice as much when he flew from Moree to Dubbo and from Dubbo to Newcastle on September 26.

If you were to take the same regional trip on a commercial airline such as Regional Express or QantasLink, it would cost approximately $460 per flight.

During a photo opportunity in Moree with Parkes MP Mark Coulton, Mr Dutton described how the regions were “struggling because of the Labour cost of living crisis” and criticised the Albanian government’s agricultural policies.

‘When the cost of living is so low, taking water away from agricultural production will only increase Australian families’ grocery bills further.’

The revelations came just weeks after Dutton was accused of claiming $23,000 in travel expenses after booking a private jet from Canberra to Tamworth to speak at a News Corp event. He also criticised Labor’s cost of living crisis.

Mr Dutton was pictured with locals in Moree in September after spending $21,005 on a private jet flight

In Dubbo, Mr Dutton met Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, then the face of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament ‘No’ campaign, and Nationals leader David Littleproud.

Later that day he flew from Dubbo to Newcastle and spent two days talking to locals before taking a commercial flight back to Brisbane on September 27 for $362.

In the same quarter, Mr Dutton charged taxpayers $32,740 for a five-day trip to New Delhi for the India Australia Strategic Alliance summit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He dined with billionaire steel magnate Naveen Jindal and wore traditional dress while visiting temples and cooking naan with locals.

Other expenses included $36,977 for scheduled transportation between major cities, $10,389 in travel reimbursement for 28 nights, $3,848 in car-related expenses, and a staggering $116,911 in printing and communications.

Travel expenses for 34 of his employees cost taxpayers $448,999.

In the same quarter, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, dubbed by critics as “Airbus Albo,” spent $298,899 on international flights to countries including Fiji, Thailand, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Japan, Qatar, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United States.

Peter Dutton is pictured with Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nationals leader David Littleproud during his $63,000 trip in September

Daily Mail Australia understands Mr Dutton’s office could not find commercial flights available for the time of his trip. He is entitled to charter flights as opposition leader.

He visited the region to talk to small business and indigenous groups about the Voice referendum, which failed in October.

Party MP Julian Hill said: ‘The hypocrisy of Peter Dutton is unbelievable.

‘He’s the first to jump on TV and criticise the Prime Minister’s official travels. But when he’s not on TV, he’s the first to jump on a private jet for media stunt FIFO visits.’

A recent Newspoll shows The Liberal-National Coalition has overtaken the Labour Party New South Waleswhere their primary votes increased for the first time by two points to 40 percent.

The Labor Party rose by one point to 33 percent, meaning that the The government could lose two seats in the state in the next elections.

The Coalition has also increased its lead in Queensland and is closing in on Labor in Victoria and South Australia, where Labor still holds the lead.