MPs allowance exclusives

Steve Lewis in an "exclusive" in today's Daily Telegraph ( but also in The Advertiser) adds a little more detail to his exclusive last week in the Herald Sun on the contents of a draft Auditor General's report on Federal MPs and the expenditure of allowances, including some spending on chocolates and children's fiction, and interesting big printing contracts for those printing allowances paid direct to members. The ANAO final report including the Government's response is yet to be tabled. In the Senate yesterday Senator Bob Brown (Australian Greens) unsuccessfully moved disallowance of an increase in travel allowance awarded by the Remuneration Tribunal, with he and Senator Xenophon both raising issues about the need for more transparency regarding Tribunal processes. No-one mentioned the need for more transparency and accountability from Parliament itself for the more than $300 million it will spend this year including on some member entitlements. But I won't repeat myself...just yet.

Thanks to Open Australia for the Hansard link.