Howard says Minster Ellison’s taxpayer funded family holiday was within the rules.
A news.com.au report says that Federal Human Services Minister Chris Ellison acted “within the rules” when he used taxpayers’ money to fly his family to holiday in Western Australia, according the Prime Minister John Howard.
Mr Howard told reporters in Brisbane Mr Ellison had not breached any guidelines in using taxpayer funds to pay for his family to join him on annual work related visits to Broome.
Air tickets and part of the cost of a beachside bungalow were claimed by Senator Ellison under remuneration tribunal rules which allow federal MPs to use money allocated for trips to Canberra to travel instead within their home state.
The Liberal MP had claimed the cost of taking his wife and three children on holiday to the five-star Cable Beach Club Resort at Broome every July since 2001.
“I’m told that what he did was fulfill official duties and quite a lot of them using a location in the area where he was carrying out those duties,” he said.
“I’m told that it is entirely within entitlements and I imagine that a number of members of parliament on both sides of parliament have used those entitlements.”
However, Mr Howard did not rule out changing guidelines to stop the practice in the future.
“I’m in favour of people sticking by the rules.” “I encourage people to stick by the rules and if the case is ever made for the rules to be changed, well I’ll listen to that and if its a strong case we’ll change the rules.”
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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