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Australia's Trade Minister Steve Ciobo on Friday defended his use of taxpayer' dollars to attend a football match, amid a wave of criticism on "out-of-control" MP expenditure.
Following revelations that Health Minister Sussan Ley used thousands of taxpayer's dollars to pilot herself between major cities, Ciobo was asked to justify claiming more than 800 U.S. dollars in expenses for a 2013 trip to Melbourne to attend the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final.
The then-Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer received complimentary tickets to the match and all hospitality was included.
He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday that if an MP is invited to an event in an official manner, it is acceptable to claim the travel expenses.
"The matter of principle in relation to this is: should work expenses be claimed for a work-related activity?" Ciobo said.
"I'm sorry, but the reason I was invited isn't because I am Steve Ciobo. I was invited because I am the Trade Minister and at that time in fact I was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer."
Ciobo said MPs were often invited to events so they could take the opportunity to "showcase themselves" and the government, and added that people "expect" politicians to claim the expenses in such a case.
"Absolutely it is work-related and that's the reason why (I claimed)," Ciobo said.
Meanwhile, independent MP Andrew Wilkie has continued voicing his criticism of the political entitlements scheme, telling the ABC that federal police should be called in for extreme cases of taxpayer money abuse.
"And also (there should be) a fairly simple requirement that parliamentarians be required to list on their allowance claim form, which is made available publicly, activity both public and private that they conduct on a trip," Wilkie said on Friday.
