In late 2014, then-Speaker Bronwyn Bishop undertook a 15-day (fortnight) official visit to Europe that cost taxpayers approximately $88,000-$90,000 [1].
The trip included visits to Italy, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland, culminating in a week-long meeting in Geneva of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), where Bishop was campaigning to become president [2].
An analysis by Fairfax Media showed Bishop spent more on overseas travel in a 12-month period than any of her most recent predecessors – Labor's Anna Burke, Peter Slipper, and Harry Jenkins [2].
The scandal ultimately contributed to Bishop's resignation as Speaker on August 2, 2015, following weeks of sustained pressure over her travel expenses, particularly after revelations of a separate $5,200 helicopter charter from Melbourne to Geelong for a Liberal Party fundraiser [4].
**The trip was officially designated parliamentary business.** While Bishop was indeed campaigning for the IPU presidency, the trip was structured as an official parliamentary delegation.
She led a small parliamentary delegation including Liberal MP Nola Marino, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, and Labor parliamentarians Glenn Sterle and Tony Zappia [2].
**Other delegates spent far less.** On the same trip, fellow delegates spent significantly less: Nola Marino spent $21,300, Glenn Sterle spent $18,666, Tony Zappia spent $13,249, and Cory Bernardi spent $10,178 [2].
Bishop and her two staff members spent $88,084 – more than all four other delegates combined (approximately $63,000 total) [2].
**The entitlement was technically within rules.** Bishop defended the trip by noting that the president of the Senate who led a delegation to the same meeting 12 months prior spent $92,000, stating "it is simply the way delegations are arranged" [1].
However, Prime Minister Tony Abbott subsequently acknowledged that while the spending was "arguably inside the rules, it was plainly outside of community expectations" [4].
**The "job application" framing is somewhat misleading.** The IPU presidency is an elected position within an international parliamentary organization, not a salaried employment position.
While it would have been a prestigious role, characterizing it as simply "applying for a job" oversimplifies the nature of the position and the diplomatic parliamentary context.
The outlet is generally considered progressive-leaning and has published critical coverage of both major parties, though it frequently focuses on issues of corporate power, social justice, and government accountability.
The specific $90,000 Europe trip figure has been independently verified by multiple mainstream sources including ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald, and other Fairfax Media outlets [1][2], confirming the factual basis of the claim regardless of the original source's orientation.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
The claim implicitly suggests this was a Coalition-specific abuse.
* * * *
However, parliamentary entitlements controversies have affected both sides of politics:
**Peter Slipper (Labor-appointed Speaker, 2011-2012):** Slipper, who served as Speaker under the Gillard Labor government, was investigated by the Australian Federal Police for alleged misuse of parliamentary Cabcharge allowances totaling $954 for taxi trips in Canberra in 2010 [1].
While the amount was far smaller than Bishop's expenses, Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon questioned why the AFP investigated Slipper for $900 but initially refused to investigate Bishop for $5,000 (referring to the helicopter flight) [1].
Slipper ultimately resigned as Speaker in 2012 amid sexual harassment allegations and the Cabcharge investigation.
**Anna Burke (Labor Speaker, 2012-2013):** As noted above, Bishop's overseas travel spending exceeded that of her Labor predecessor Anna Burke [2].
However, Burke served as Speaker during a hung parliament with different international obligations and travel requirements.
**Labor MPs' entitlement use:** Labor parliamentarians have faced their own entitlement controversies.
The broader issue of parliamentary entitlements has been systemic across Australian politics, with politicians from all parties facing scrutiny over expense claims over the years.
**Systemic issue, not party-specific:** Independent Senator Nick Xenophon noted during the Bishop scandal that "the whole system of parliamentary entitlements must be fundamentally reformed" and that "This is not about Bishop – it's about taxpayers being treated as pawns by both sides" [4].
Bishop's candidacy for the presidency represented a bid for Australia to have greater influence in international parliamentary diplomacy [3].
**However, the spending was objectively excessive compared to peers.** The fact that Bishop and her staff spent more than all four other delegates combined raises legitimate questions about the necessity and proportionality of the expenses.
* * * * 然而 rán ér , , 与 yǔ 同行 tóng háng 相比 xiāng bǐ 支出 zhī chū 确实 què shí 过高 guò gāo 。 。
A source familiar with the trip described Bishop's bill as "gobsmacking" [2].
**Systemic failure, not just individual misconduct:** Prime Minister Abbott's response acknowledged that the scandal exposed fundamental problems with the parliamentary entitlements system, announcing a "root and branch review" to be conducted by former Finance Department head David Tune and Remuneration Tribunal chairman John Conde [4].
Abbott stated the goal was to create a system that was "simple, effective and clear" and that met community expectations.
**Comparative context:** While Bishop's overseas spending exceeded her predecessors, it's worth noting that international travel requirements vary based on geopolitical circumstances, international obligations, and the Speaker's specific diplomatic agenda.
The comparison with previous Speakers is therefore not entirely apples-to-apples.
**Outcome:** Bishop resigned as Speaker, paid back the helicopter flight money with a 25% penalty, and the government initiated substantial reforms to the entitlements system [4].
The scandal contributed to the establishment of the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) to provide greater oversight of parliamentary expenses.
The claim is factually accurate in its core assertion: taxpayers did spend approximately $90,000 on Bishop's European trip during which she campaigned for the IPU presidency.
The claim also omits crucial context: Bishop's spending, while high, was part of a systemic entitlements issue that has affected politicians across the political spectrum.
Presenting this as a Coalition-specific corruption example ignores the broader bipartisan nature of parliamentary entitlements controversies in Australia, including Labor-appointed Speaker Peter Slipper's own expenses investigation.
The claim is factually accurate in its core assertion: taxpayers did spend approximately $90,000 on Bishop's European trip during which she campaigned for the IPU presidency.
The claim also omits crucial context: Bishop's spending, while high, was part of a systemic entitlements issue that has affected politicians across the political spectrum.
Presenting this as a Coalition-specific corruption example ignores the broader bipartisan nature of parliamentary entitlements controversies in Australia, including Labor-appointed Speaker Peter Slipper's own expenses investigation.