Eco-warrior politician bills YOU for her for expensive business class flights across Australia – 27 times a year in luxury travel
- Independent MP took 27 business class flights in first year in office
- Monique Ryan’s flights cost taxpayers $28,000
- Most flights were one hour journeys from Melbourne to Canberra
A politician campaigning for climate change has been caught flying business class at taxpayer expense 27 times in a year.
According to documents made public under freedom of information, Kooyong MP Monique Ryan made 27 business class flights for a total of $28,000.
Most of the flights were one hour journeys from Melbourne to Canberra and all at taxpayer expense.
Ms. Ryan is known for her passion in fighting climate change, but didn’t seem to hesitate to take several business class flights – known to produce three times the CO2 emissions of economy class.
According to documents released under freedom of information, Kooyong MP Monique Ryan (pictured) made 27 business class flights for a total cost of $28,000, all at the expense of taxpayers in her first year in office
Most flights were one hour journeys from Melbourne to Canberra and all at taxpayer expense (stock image)
Ms Ryan was elected in 2022, in place of then deputy Liberal leader and treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, who evicted him from his Melbourne blue ribbon.
No other teal flew business class as often as Ms. Ryan in the past year.
Independent MP Zoe Daniel took business class flights four times, Sophie Scamps once and the rest not at all.
Ms. Ryan defended her actions and spoke up The Sydney Morning Herald she had acted within the guidelines of the Interparliamentary Authority for Expenditure.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Ryan for comment.
It is the latest controversy for the new minister, who only recently agreed to a settlement with her former chief of staff Sally Rugg for $100,000.
The federal lawsuit in January alleged that Ms. Rugg was forced to work “unreasonable” extra hours, in violation of the Fair Work Act, and that the Commonwealth had taken “adverse action” when Ms. Ryan fired her from her position.
Court documents revealed a rift in the couple’s relationship during work hours and the situation worsened when Ms Rugg flew home in late November to self-isolate after contracting Covid-19.
Ms. Rugg’s claim statement states that from July to December she “regularly” worked more than 65 hours per week, including weekend work, and averaged 58 hours per week.
Ms. Rugg is a Melbourne-based LGBTQ+ activist and feminist who played a pivotal role in the yes campaign for the plebiscite on marriage equality while working for GetUP.
Ms Ryan defended her actions and told Sydney Morning Herald she had acted within Inter-Parliamentary Expenses Authority guidelines (stock image)
She then took on a position as executive director of Change.org before moving on to the position of Ms. Ryan’s chief of staff.
The agreed $100,000 settlement did not include an admission of guilt by the member for Kooyong or the federal government.
Prior to entering politics, Ryan was director of the neurology department at the Royal Children’s Hospital for eight years.
In her campaign to run for the seat of Kooyong, Ms. Ryan stated that she was increasingly concerned about the effects of climate change and how it would affect future generations.
“I was afraid that my children would not have the opportunities I have had because our environment and economy would be affected by the effect of man-made climate change,” says Ms Ryan at her MP website.
‘I felt I could no longer look away from the emerging disasters of rising sea levels, global warming and species extinction.’