Labor MP Anne Stanley accepts a $420 Oroton handbag and chocolates from a voter for acting on their behalf

A backbench Labor MP accepted an Oroton handbag and chocolates from a constituent after making representations to the government on their behalf. 

Anne Stanley, the member for Werriwa in south-west Sydney, declared the gift – worth $420 – on Friday, April 12.

She said in her declaration that the gift was ‘from a constituent after (making) representations on their behalf.’

Ms Stanley, the local member since 2016, did not declare what exactly she did with the chocolates or handbag.  

The gesture was called out by the OpenPoliticsAU blog, run by former ministerial staffer Sean Johnson. 

‘Holy crap,’ they tweeted. ‘This is inappropriate.’

Ms Stanley – the local member for the seat once held by Labor party leaders Gough Whitlam and Mark Latham – told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that ‘all declarations have been made in accordance with Parliamentary rules and requirements.’

It is common practice for MPs to make representations to government ministers and departments about constituents’ situations, such as help navigating Centrelink or Medicare.  

Since Ms Stanley was elected in 2016, she has spoken in parliament about the rising cost of living and how tough the crisis is for her constituents.

She has also recently outspoken about the Israel-Palestine conflict, condemning the ‘harrowing… level of destruction that we are seeing in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Children are dying of malnutrition. This is unacceptable,’ she said in March.

‘More children have been killed in Gaza in the last five months than in all conflicts worldwide in the past four years. Gaza has now become the most dangerous place in the world if you are a child.’

Ms Stanley called on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid ‘at a bare minimum’, and is an advocate for an ‘enduring two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state’.

On her official website, she provides voters an insight into how she can and can’t help them navigate a variety of government services.

For immigration, Ms Stanley said her office can provide clarity about how to understand the visa process, and check in with the Department of Home Affairs about the progression of a visa application.

But she will not ‘write letters of support, recommend which visa to apply for, help apply for the visa, speed up the application or provide legal advice’. 

She also offers assistance for Services Australia, vowing to help constituents understand Centrelink, Medicare or Child Support services, and to follow up on the progress of applications.

Similarly to immigration, she ruled out asking for an application to be processed faster, or to complete applications on constituents’ behalf.