Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says she ‘acted in good faith’ when she billed taxpayers almost $50,000 to fly her husband around Australia
A high-profile Greens senator says she acted in good faith when she charged taxpayers almost $50,000 to ‘ferry’ her husband to and from work.
South Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young came under fire last year after she spent almost $50,000 to fly her husband, a lobbyist, to and from Canberra.
It was revealed in December the senator had claimed $49,902 in ‘family reunion’ travel expenses to fly her husband Ben Oquist to and from Canberra on 78 occasions.
Hanson-Young declared on Thursday she would sacrifice her entitlements after she was accused of causing ‘reputational damage’ to her party.
‘Look, as you know, it’s all within the rules and that’s been confirmed by the independent authority,’ she told Sky News.
‘It’s all been above board, but let me say, I’ve made a decision that going forward, I’m not going to use the entitlement because it’s just not worth the stress and the attention that it brings onto families.
‘I don’t begrudge anybody else for using it. That’s up to them, that’s their personal choice, but going forward, I won’t be.’
Hanson-Young was grilled by TV host Karl Stefanovic over whether it was appropriate to cover flights for her husband to ‘ferry him around’.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young faced scrutiny over her controversial use of travel entitlements after her use of it charged taxpayers nearly $50,000 to fly her husband Ben Oquist, a lobbyist, to and from Canberra, where he works (the couple is pictured at 2023 Midwinter Ball)
But Hanson-Young declared she will no longer use the entitlements as they are ‘not worth it’
But she said the expenses were legitimate: ‘I’ve had it all checked by the independent authority. I’ve always used the family reunion entitlement,’ she hit back.
Stefanovic doubled down, asking whether the senator had ‘taken the mickey in the past’ with ‘all those extra family flights’.
But Hanson-Young insisted she had acted within the ‘appropriate rules’.
Parliamentary rules allow politicians to claim travel expenses only if the trip’s ‘dominant purpose’ is official duties.
MPs and senators can also claim three ‘family reunion’ trips a year, designed to help politicians maintain family ties in the face of demanding hours and extensive travel.
Hanson-Young’s trips began in July 2022 – the same month Mr Oquist secured a job at DPG Advisory Solutions, a Canberra-based government relations firm whose clients include Wesfarmers, Rio Tinto, Ausgrid and Catholic Education.
It was also revealed Hanson-Young had claimed almost $3,000 for flights and accommodation to attend a Byron Bay music festival with a relative.
It included flights from Adelaide to the Gold Coast, plus two nights’ accommodation in Byron Bay where the Bluesfest music festival was being held.
The flights cost taxpayers $2,250.64, while the accommodation cost $718.
The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA), which reviews politicians’ use of family travel entitlements, said it was satisfied with the evidence and explanation Hanson-Young provided when asked for further information.
