In November 2014, then-Federal Parliamentary Speaker Bronwyn Bishop chartered a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong at a cost of $5,227.27 to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Clifton Springs Golf Club [1].
The expense was disclosed in Mrs Bishop's six-monthly report to the Finance Department, which revealed she spent a total of $130,889.80 on official travel in the second half of 2014 [1].
Following public outcry, Bishop ultimately repaid the $5,227.27 plus a 25% loading ($1,306.82) under rules introduced by the Abbott government for incorrectly claimed entitlements, bringing the total repayment to approximately $6,534 [3].
缺失的脈絡
這項 zhè xiàng 聲稱 shēng chēng 忽略 hū lüè 了 le 幾個 jǐ gè 重要 zhòng yào 的 de 背景 bèi jǐng 因素 yīn sù : :
The claim omits several important contextual elements:
**1.
Bishop spent over $300,000 on overseas trips in a single year, including $88,084 on a two-week European trip (to Italy, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland) where she was campaigning unsuccessfully for the presidency of the Inter-Parliamentary Union [2][3].
在 zài 那次 nà cì 行程 xíng chéng 中 zhōng , , 她 tā 和 hé 兩名 liǎng míng 工作 gōng zuò 人員 rén yuán 的 de 支出 zhī chū 超過 chāo guò 了 le 其他 qí tā 四位 sì wèi 議會 yì huì 代表 dài biǎo 的 de 總 zǒng 和 hé [ [ 2 2 ] ] 。 。
On that trip, she and two staff members spent more than all four other parliamentary delegates combined [2].
**2.
She initially defended the expense:** Before repaying, Bishop's spokesman defended the helicopter trip, stating it was chartered to "meet commitments" and that all travel was "within entitlements and in accordance with parliamentary guidelines" [1].
A subsequent Department of Finance investigation into a decade of her past claims found additional problematic expenses, including trips to three weddings and Kerry Packer's funeral, resulting in Bishop repaying nearly $14,000 in total [4].
Media Bias/Fact Check rates New Matilda as having a "Left Bias" and being "moderately to strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation" [5].
While the factual details in the claim are accurate, the source is politically aligned with the Labor Party and has a clear ideological position opposing the Coalition.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Yes, Labor MPs have also had significant expenses scandals, though the specific circumstances differ:
**Peter Slipper (Labor-aligned Speaker):** In 2012, when Peter Slipper was Speaker (having defected from the Coalition to become an independent who supported Labor), he was accused of misusing $900 in Cabcharge vouchers for three taxi trips.
* * * *
The Coalition (then in opposition) called for his resignation [2].
Slipper later complained that other politicians had been allowed to pay back inappropriate entitlements while he faced court proceedings [2].
**Sam Dastyari and Richard Di Natale:** In 2017, Bishop herself pointed to these Labor/Greens senators as having expense issues, noting that Victoria's former Speaker and deputy speaker (Labor) had resigned over expense scandals [4].
**Broader context:** Parliamentary expenses scandals have affected MPs from all parties.
Both major parties have been guilty of excessive or inappropriate claims.
當時 dāng shí 在野 zài yě 的 de 聯盟 lián méng 黨 dǎng 要求 yāo qiú 他 tā 的 de 辭職 cí zhí [ [ 2 2 ] ] 。 。
The difference in Bishop's case was the scale of spending ($300,000+ in one year), the high-profile nature of the helicopter trip to a political fundraiser, and the fact that it came after the government had declared the "age of entitlement" was over.
While the expense was clearly inappropriate and widely condemned, including by senior Coalition members, several factors provide context:
**Scale relative to other spending:** The $5,000 helicopter was a small fraction of Bishop's total excessive spending ($130,000 in six months, $300,000+ in a year).
The focus on this particular expense was partly because it was so visibly extravagant (helicopter vs. car) and because it was for a party political event rather than official business.
**Systemic issues vs. individual misconduct:** The parliamentary entitlements system at the time had lax oversight.
The scandal helped expose broader problems with the system that allowed excessive claims across all parties.
**Consequences were severe:** Unlike many expense scandals where politicians simply repay and move on, Bishop faced significant consequences.
She was forced to resign as Speaker, repay nearly $14,000 for multiple problematic claims, lost preselection for her seat, and her political career ended [4].
**Comparative fairness:** The claim presents this as a Coalition-specific issue, but parliamentary expense abuses have been a bipartisan problem.
The Rudd/Gillard Labor governments had their own expense controversies, and the Coalition's pursuit of Peter Slipper over $900 in Cabcharge vouchers while defending Bishop initially created an appearance of hypocrisy that eventually collapsed.
**Timing matters:** The claim occurred in 2014, during a period when the Abbott government was cutting welfare and declaring the "age of entitlement" over for ordinary Australians.