Published assurance reviews

This extensive Assurance Review examined staff use of parliamentary business resources for car transport in Canberra for travel to and from Parliament House for the 2021‐2022 financial year. After analysing the available data of 1,208 transactions during the period in scope, IPEA contacted  5 parliamentarians (The Hon Linda Burney MP, The Hon Andrew Gee MP, Mr Rowan Ramsey MP, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Senator Anne Urquhart) for certification of their staff members’ use of car transport during the period. Senator Urquhart provided a completed certification form for those trips which were in accordance with the legislative framework and requested an invoice for 11 transactions which were not. An invoice to recover $219.37 was forwarded to Senator Urquhart’s office  on 7 September 2023. The 4 other parliamentarians contacted certified all travel in scope. Following analysis of the information held by and available to IPEA, including the responses provided by parliamentarians or authorised persons, IPEA is satisfied the remaining staff use of car transport in Canberra was consistent with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review of travel by Senator Linda White between 1 April and 30 June 2023 was conducted as part of a review of travel and related expenses of new parliamentarians. Senator White was identified as having used parliamentary business resources for travel to Hobart, Vietnam, Perth, Mount Isa, and Townsville within the relevant time period.. Having considered the available information, including responses provided by Senator White, IPEA is satisfied her travel was for the dominant purpose of parliamentary business and was consistent with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review of travel by Mr Aaron Violi MP. identified that Mr Violi had used  parliamentary business resources for travel to Hobart with his family between 11 and 18 April 2023 and then for his own  travel to Adelaide between 18 and 20 April 2023. After considering the available information, including the detailed response provided by Mr Violi, IPEA is satisfied the dominant purpose of the travel was parliamentary business and was consistent with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review focussed on parliamentarians’ travel using parliamentary business resources to Melbourne between 30 March and 3 April 2023, the time of the Australian Grand Prix. A Preliminary Assessment found that 6 parliamentarians (Mr Garth Hamilton MP, The Hon Andrew Hastie MP, The Hon Luke Howarth MP, the Hon David Littleproud MP, Mr Bert van Manen MP, and Dr Anne Webster MP) had used parliamentary business resources for travel in scope of this review. Following correspondence with the parliamentarians and having considered the available information, IPEA was satisfied that the travel had been taken for parliamentary purposes and was consistent with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review identified that the use of a short-term self-drive hire car in Queensland between 13 and 23 December 2022 by a staff member of the Hon Bob Katter MP appeared to contravene the requirements of the legislative framework. The certification from Mr Katter's office did not provide sufficient information to conclude the use of the hire car was in accordance with the requirements. Following a corrected certification from Mr Katter's office, IPEA accepted that the use of the short‐term self‐drive hire car was not inconsistent with the legislative framework. However, IPEA raised an invoice to recover 1 day of the hire car as the Determination provides that the duration of car hire should be no more than 10 days.  

This Assurance Review examined staff use of unscheduled ground transport using parliamentary business resources between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM for the 2021-2022 financial year. IPEA identified staff in 12 parliamentarians' offices as having used travel expenses within the period and time in scope. Of these, four staff members (from the offices of Senator Hollie Hughes and The Hon Jason Wood MP) had transactions which were not consistent with the legislative framework, as the travel was not directed by the parliamentarian or an authorised person: two of these used a Cabcharge card in error.  Invoices were issued to recover the parliamentary business resources inappropriately used. The remaining transactions were in accordance with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review examined parliamentarians’ travel to Sydney between 30 August and 4 September 2019 using parliamentary business resources, following media reports of a Liberal Party fundraising event held by Channel Nine at their studio in Willoughby, Sydney, NSW on 2 September 2019.  After analysis of the data, 9 parliamentarians were assessed as requiring further investigation as they had accessed parliamentary business resources in Sydney around the time of the event (Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham, The Hon Dan Tehan MP, The Hon Stuart Robert MP, Senator the Hon Jane Hume, The Hon Alan Tudge MP, The Hon Michael McCormack MP, The Hon Ben Morton MP, Mr James Stevens MP, Mr Llew O'Brien MP). Based on a full review of the data, and the responses and evidence provided by parliamentarians within the scope of the review, IPEA is satisfied there was no misuse of parliamentary business resources.

This Assurance review examined the use of business class airfares for a staff member from the office of Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson. The review assessed the staff member's use of parliamentary resources to fly business class to travel from Melbourne to Brisbane and Brisbane to Mackay on 10 October 2022, accompanied by the employing parliamentarian. IPEA concluded that the use of business class airfares was not consistent with the legislative framework and raised an invoice for $819.28, the difference between the business class and economy airfares. This invoice was provided to the staff member on 26 May 2023. The invoice was subsequently paid.

This Assurance Review examined the use of parliamentary expenses for travel by the Hon David Littleproud MP on 9 to 12 February 2023 between Canberra and the Gold Coast. IPEA concluded that parliamentary business was not the dominant purpose of Mr Littleproud’s travel from Canberra to the Gold Coast on 9 February 2023, representing a contravention of the Parliamentary Business Resources Act, however Mr Littleproud’s return to Canberra on 12 February 2023 for a parliamentary sitting was consistent with the legislative framework. Mr Littleproud voluntarily repaid all expenses in scope of the Assurance Review, a total of $2,009.76, including the expenses found to be consistent with the legislative framework.

This Assurance Review examined Mr Craig Kelly's use of travel expenses during the period February to May 2022 in the lead-up to the 2022 election. After correspondence with Mr Kelly beginning 4 May 2022, IPEA concluded, based on the information available, that Mr Kelly's travel to a majority of locations was parliamentary business and not inconsistent with the legislative framework. As of 3 February 2023, Mr Kelly had not provided supporting evidence for his travel to Melbourne on 27 February 2022 and 5 to 6 March 2022, and IPEA raised invoices for this travel with 25% penalty loading, a total of $2,530.58. 

Assurance Review Memorandum –  2022/02 - Addendum – Mr Craig Kelly – Interstate Travel, 2022 – Addendum
Following the provision of additional information by Mr Kelly in October 2023, IPEA concluded that Mr Kelly’s travel to Melbourne on 27 February 2022 and 5 to 6 March 2022 was undertaken within the requirements of the legislative framework. IPEA has cancelled the previously raised invoice.