In early February 2023, Nationals leader, David Littleproud, left parliament early to travel to the Gold Coast, three days after he and his spouse settled on a new apartment there.
Littleproud, whose electorate of Maranoa is in south west Queensland, took leave shortly before parliament had finished for the week, departing Canberra for a family commitment on Thursday 9 February.
Independent Parliamentary Expense Authority (IPEA) guidelines allow MPs to return to anywhere in their home state from a parliamentary sitting, to be with their families.
Littleproud’s trip was three days after settling on the $1.375m beachfront apartment in Surfers Paradise. He told Guardian Australia that his “return to family in Queensland was within both the spirit and intent of IPEArules”.
The member for Maranoa disclosed the property purchase on his register of interests on 13 February. Guardian Australia understands the business class flight was publicly funded. Guardian Australia does not suggest that the travel constituted a breach of expenditure rules.
In 2017, then health minister and now deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, purchased a Gold Coast apartment on a taxpayer-funded trip, prompting a major overhaul of parliamentary expenses, despite the trip being deemed within the rules.
The new rules contain obligations to “act ethically and in good faith” and require MPs to be “personally responsible and accountable for their use of public resources” and that they “must consider how the public would perceive their use of those resources”.
The Nationals leader labelled “attempts to make this appear unethical” as “pathetic and misleading”, also rejecting the suggestion the trip was undertaken “to take possession of a property”.
According to a land title search, Littleproud and his partner settled on a two bedroom apartment on the Esplanade on Monday 6 February, the first day of a two-week parliamentary sitting fortnight.
On 9 February, Littleproud appears to have left his seat in question time shortly after 3pm. His absence was noticed by colleagues when the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, delivered valedictory speeches shortly before 4pm for Liberal MP, Alan Tudge, who had just announced his retirement.
Parliament did not sit the following day.
The Nationals whip, Mark Coulton, said that Littleproud was away and had leave for the early departure.
Littleproud flew to the Gold Coast via Sydney on a flight shortly after 4pm, before the house adjourned at 5pm.
The Nationals leader was pictured on the Gold Coast over that weekend in photographs posted by his partner to social media, before returning to Canberra on the evening of 12 February.
Littleproud’s register of interests also lists a private residence in Barton in the ACT and Ryeford in his electorate of Maranoa, which remains his primary home.
Barrister Geoffrey Watson SC told Guardian Australia the rules are “purposive … we don’t want our parliamentarians to be unfairly separated from their families”.
“That’s got to be the purpose of the trip … If the purpose of the trip is to settle in to a new holiday property or to enjoy your first long weekend at a holiday property, well you’ve just failed at the first hurdle.
“Just by saying ‘I’m going to Queensland’ – it’s a big place, about the size of Western Europe.”
But Griffith University academic, professor AJ Brown, said that “provided the weekend travel was to unite with members of his family and it was no more expensive than what it would’ve cost to travel home” then the travel could be justified.
“The guidelines should support appropriate work-life balance,” noted Brown.
The IPEA said that “questions in relation to specific work expenses are best referred to the relevant parliamentarian”.
“IPEA does not generally comment on any individual matter as it could potentially compromise the conduct and/or outcome of any investigation, and the privacy of individuals concerned.”
Bill Browne, the democracy and accountability program director at the Australia Institute, said “parliamentary expenses data should be published as early as possible”.
“Given how family-unfriendly a career as a parliamentarian can be, it’s positive that the expenses system takes this into consideration – but as with any workplace, it’s important to follow the spirit of the rules around expenses, not just the letter,” he said.
