Victorian MPs spend more than $150,000 of taxpayer’s money for trips to learn about TikTok

Victorian MPs have spent more than $150,000 of taxpayers’ money on trips abroad, including to learn about TikTok in the US and ‘electorate business’ in Britain.

Most of the ‘study trips’ made by politicians in the past 18 months have been to opposition Liberal MPs after the party lost last November’s state election.

Since then, Gary Maas has become the only Labor MP to use the taxpayer-funded allowance of up to $10,000 for travel related to parliamentary or electoral business.

Under parliamentary rules, all 128 MPs in Victoria are entitled to the amount.

The Narre Warren South MP flew to Chicago in July for the Netroots Nation conference, where he attended a session on the use of TikTok and other social media.

He also attended speeches by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson at the “progressive activist rally.”

Mr Maas wrote a report after his return, which MPs are required to do, saying he “enjoyed the keynote sessions – they gave me interesting comparative views on what is happening in our Victorian Parliament”.

But his former Labor colleague Cesar Melhem did not write an account of his study trip to Britain, which cost more than $10,000 and was taken before he failed to get re-elected in last year’s state elections.

Two other Labor MPs who were on the verge of losing their seats, Frank McGuire and Tien Kieu, also billed taxpayers for overseas trips before leaving parliament.

Since the November election, 30 Liberal members of the Victorian Parliament have made a total of 23 trips abroad. the age reported.

The number one frequent flyer was Bridget Vallence, who billed taxpayers for three tours, which cost more than $9,900.

The Evelyn MP will make trips to Britain, Greece and New Zealand on “electorate matters” in search of “opportunities relevant to the state”.

Daily Mail Australia contacted both Mr Maas and Ms Vallence to ask how their constituents would benefit from their overseas travel.

Former Victorian Liberal Party leader Matthew Guy took a ‘study tour’ to the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, for which he charged taxpayers $8,599.84.

In an article in the Berwick Star News in February 2022, Mr Guy named ‘Mar del Plata Beach, Argentina’ as his ‘dream holiday destination’.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Mr Guy to ask if he reached Mar del Plata, 414 kilometers south of Buenos Aires, during his trip to Argentina.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews did not allow Australian media to accompany him on his four-day trip to China last March, but he warned other Labor MPs to avoid doing so. taxpayer-funded foreign travel, while the cost of living is under pressure.

Labor MP Gary Maas flew to Chicago at taxpayer expense in July for the Netroots Nation conference, where he attended a session on the use of TikTok and other social media

Victorian Labor MPs billed taxpayers $24,000 for a visit to India. Lee Tarlamis (front left), Meng Heang Tak (front right), Dylan Wight (back left) and Matt Fregon (back centre) are pictured in the world famous Taj Mahal

Since then, apart from Mr Maas, only four MPs – Meng Heang Tak, Matt Fregon, Lee Tarlamis and Dylan Wight – have billed taxpayers for an overseas trip.

That nine-day trip to India, including the world-famous Taj Mahal, cost the people of Victoria over $24,000.

David Davis, the Victorian Opposition’s arts spokesman, said he met “government, regional, municipal and gallery officials” in July on a three-week study tour with stops in Greece, Italy, France and Britain, which cost $9,900.

Michael O’Brien, another former leader of the Victorian Liberal Party, is currently in the US for “meetings and policy research” related to his position as shadow attorney general, costing taxpayers $8,117.