Peter Dutton took $23k private jet from Canberra to Tamworth to speak about cost of living crisis
Taxpayers spent thousands of dollars to finance a trip. Peter Dutton took a private jet to speak at an event about the cost of living.
The federal opposition leader pocketed a $23,000 bill when he flew from Canberra to Tamworth last August to attend the Bush Summit, an annual event organized by NewsCorp to discuss issues affecting rural communities.
Mr Dutton was a guest speaker at the event where he criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s handling of the cost of living.
He told attendees that the coalition’s focus was to “hold the government to account” on the issue.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured) pocketed a $23,000 bill when he traveled from the nation’s capital to NSW on a private jet last August
The costs were revealed by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA), a government-run website that tracks parliamentarians’ working costs.
It was founded in January 2017 by then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The latest political spending figures released by the IPEA detail spending for the July to September 2023 quarter.
The flight Mr Dutton took to Tamworth was listed as ‘unscheduled commercial transport’.
The charges were classified under ‘parliamentary duties’ and the flight was classified as ‘non-commercial airline’ and ‘non-air sector’.
Mr Dutton also claimed the cost of a commercial flight from Tamworth to Sydney, before flying home from Sydney to Brisbane the same day.
The total cost for these flights was $1,259.57.
Figures from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority show how much costs (pictured) were incurred during the July-September 2023 quarter
It is believed Mr Dutton had a previous commitment in Canberra which meant he could not catch a commercial flight to attend the event on time. The guard reported.
A spokesperson for Mr Dutton’s office said in a statement that he undertook the trip in his capacity as federal opposition leader.
“Mr Dutton traveled alone on a chartered plane from Canberra to Tamworth, under his prerogative as Leader of the Opposition,” the spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Dutton’s office for further comment.
According to figures released by IPEA, Mr Dutton made six trips using ‘unscheduled commercial transport’ in the July-September 2023 quarter, totaling $199,694.
The transportation costs category covers the costs of travel made on charter planes and long taxi fares.
Mr Dutton’s travel expenses in this category included a trip from Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory to Archerfiled in Brisbane on May 18, at a cost of $45,970.
According to IPEA figures, Mr Dutton (pictured with his wife Kirilly) made six trips using ‘unscheduled commercial transport’ in the July to September 2023 quarter, at a total cost of $199,694.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spent the most of any parliamentarian in the same quarter, incurring costs that totaled $911,708.
This included $646,970 in employee travel and $161,259 in international travel.
Major airlines Qantas and Virgin fly weekly from Canberra to Tamworth with a connecting flight from Sydney.
Mr Albanese also attended the Bush summit in Tamworth last year.
But the cost of his flights on government-funded VIP jets does not appear on the IPEA website for security reasons.