Embattled Albanese frontbencher Anika Wells has come under renewed scrutiny after billing taxpayers nearly $1,750 for a series of short car trips around Canberra, with several journeys of only a few kilometres costing hundreds of dollars each.
An audit by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) found Wells racked up the charges between 2022 and 2025 using the taxpayer-funded Comcar service, with costs inflated by long waiting times.
One of the most eye-watering bills was on June 21, 2022, when a car travelled just 2.6km from Parkes to Kingston and cost $337.68 – equivalent to around $48 per minute of the trip.
In her submission to the audit, Wells blamed a ministerial engagement and an unforeseen delay at the venue for the cost.
‘This booking was to collect me from attending and meeting portfolio and political stakeholders at the exhibition launch of Changemakers of the Museum of Australian Democracy to travel to my accommodation. I was unexpectedly delayed in my departure from this event,’ she said.
A similar explanation was offered for a $291.72 trip on August 29, 2022, covering 4.8km from Reid to Kingston.
‘This was to collect me from a meeting with a member of the media regarding political and portfolio issues. My departure was unexpectedly delayed,’ Wells told IPEA.
Another expensive ride was logged on August 10, 2023, when a 5.4km trip from central Canberra to Kingston cost $258.30. Wells said this booking linked multiple official engagements.
Anika Wells (left) charged taxpayers over $1700 for short car trips of just a few kilometres
‘This booking was to collect me from addressing a welcome event for the New Zealand High Commissioner, and transport me to briefly attend and meet political and portfolio stakeholders at a later supper…before travelling to my accommodation,’ she said.
‘However, my departure from the supper was unexpectedly delayed.’
On 21 August 2024, a journey of just 2.2km from Capital Hill to Kingston cost $329.84, about $54 per minute.
Once again, Wells cited event timing as the cause.
‘This booking was to briefly attend and meet stakeholders at the National Arboretum Canberra for the US Embassy’s celebration of the 248th Anniversary of the Independence of the United States. My departure was unexpectedly delayed,’ she said.
Other entries included a 2.5km ride from Kingston to Capital Hill costing $248.64, and a 6.2km trip from Capital Hill to Pialligo at $290.82.
Across the audit, the same explanation recurs: short distances with high fares because drivers were required to wait while Wells attended official business. The IPEA notes that charges jump when drivers remain on standby.
In late 2025, Wells referred herself to IPEA for a voluntary audit after a spate of controversies over her spending.
The cost Wells’ (pictured) trips were driven by her being late to bookings, upping the cost
That scrutiny deepened in December when it emerged she charged taxpayers approximately $90,000 for a trip to New York to promote the government’s divisive social media ban.
The fallout quickly widened to cover questions over taxpayer-funded travel for Wells’ family members, intensifying criticism of her spending habits.
Following a probe by IPEA, Wells was ordered to to repay $10,116 in travel costs.
Despite these findings the regulator cleared Wells of any wrongdoing.
‘The independent watchdog declared all the trips were in accordance with the rules,’ a spokesperson for Wells told Daily Mail.
Wells was also under pressure last month when the Daily Mail revealed she failed to disclose that her husband worked as a lobbyist during the previous parliament.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: ‘All Ministers comply with the Prime Minister’s Code of Conduct for Ministers. The Minister made the appropriate disclosures.’
