I think it's time for The Liberals to do the right thing. With Abbott on one arm, and Pyne on the other, they should escort the old bag from the house to the nearest Canberra bus shelter, chuck her on the seat, leave her with a '$2.50 pensioner ticket', and say "Brommie, the next bus is in 2 hours, so, hasta la vista baby, love ya big time, good riddance, that's it sister, on ya bike! She might protests; "Where's my helicopter? Where's my helicopter?"

SM,

You'll enjoy this...

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/18/1058035200830.html

"John Howard, too, was busy overseas last year, you'll remember.Very busy. And, like Trudy Clark and Heather Ruddock, Janette Howard went along as well, also at public cost. You'll likely be a bit stunned to learn what that cost was. That is, the cost during the calendar year 2002 of the overseas travels of the Prime Minister, wife and entourage. Total: $3,551,035. Yes, I blinked, too. For this the Howards went to the United States twice last year - for 10 days in January-February ($1.15 million) that included Singapore and Indonesia, and a week in June ($467,480). They also went to Britain twice, in March and April (total cost: $323,730), which included the Queen Mother's funeral.

Then there was the trek through Europe - Germany, Greece, Italy, Belgium and France - in the first fortnight of July. That was the trip that got all the publicity a few months back after we learnt, at Senate estimates, that our own Kirribilli royal couple had paid $171,000 - including a $10,000 late checkout fee - to spend four nights in the so-called royal suite of a swank Rome hotel. Those two weeks in Europe ended up costing Australian taxpayers a tick over a million dollars - $1,025,638. We got the final cost a few weeks ago on Parliament's last day before the winter recess."

(No I haven't been trawling - just happened to note it on twitter)

That is....."the cost during the calendar year 2002 of the overseas travels of the Prime Minister, wife and entourage. Total: $3,551,035."

We elect governments and give them the power to make laws that govern us.
One mistake we made though was allowing them to make laws that govern themselves.
I think "we the people" should make those laws and they should be set in stone, so that no elected government can change them.

I agree with David F and CH.
But I believe we should go one step further and put imprisonment for wrongdoing on the table for politicians to keep them honest.
Paying the money back is no deterrent for someone who gets a lifetime of entitlements, and I want to see them keep their election promises - the campaign they made to win office with - by law.

Right now, if Labor is in no position to criticise, because of its own past wrongdoings, then what we have to accept is that our system of government is not working for us.
- Its not working in our best interests.

Toni Lavis,
While I disagree with you in that I think that the witch-hunt against BB is at least somewhat valid, that I think if she treats her job as speaker with bias and therefore contempt for the Australian people then its only fair the Australian people have every right to treat her with contempt when she does wrongdoing herself... That said, In the bigger context you are right.

Going after these politicians for doing the wrong thing is really a pointless exercise if we aren't going to take steps to prevent if from happening.
In fact, getting mad detracts from doing what needs to be done and changing the system.

Really, its not the politicians fault.
We've done this to ourselves.

It's our fault for giving them the tools that enabled them to take us for a ride in the first place.

Its really only fair you know.
If they have the power to make the laws which govern us, then there should be a balance of power and we should make laws that govern them.

They should not have the power to make laws which govern themselves.

AC

We the people do not have the power to spontaneously make laws, how do you propose we overcome that?

Poirot, too right, King Johnny and Queen Janette were easily our biggest spenders both in and out of office. I think it has something to do with The Liberals belief that they have a divine right to rule.

Hmmm...there appears to be no level to which Abbott won't sink in his attempts to hang onto the services of his most biased Speaker.

According to Emperor Tones - Bronnie is now "on probation". (oddly something that suggests some sort of conviction!)

"Tony Abbott says embattled Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is on probation after copping a "justifiable hiding" over her travel expenses.

"She will learn a very salutary lesson, a very, very salutary lesson," he told reporters in Sydney amid renewed Labor calls for her head.

Mr Abbott confirmed the Speaker still enjoyed his confidence.

"But like everyone who has done something like this, inevitably, for a period of time, they are on probation."

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/07/20/bronwyn-bishop-probation-abbott-0

Lol! - not just a very salutary lesson - but a "very very" salutary lesson!

Heaps of shock, horror over the Speaker's indiscretion, now repaid in full plus a penalty.

Nothing from Labor on Struggle Streets though. It is all a question of priorities, apparently.

<[Ex-Labor Leader Mark Latham] said the biggest social issue facing Austalia was unemployment, drug use and homelessness in suburbs such as Mt Druitt which was the focus of the SBS documentary, Struggle Street.

“If you are interested in equality and social justice in Australia then what was the really big event in the month of May,” he said. “We had the Struggle Street documentary which revealed that in the nation’s public housing estate, most notably in Mt Druit people live in conditions that you wouldn’t wish upon your dogs. Absolute chaos, despair and hopelessness in their lives.

“And surely, you would have expected a serious national response from the party of social justice?

“We didn’t hear anything.

“They’re obsessed, instead, by gay marriage.” (and pursuing 'that' woman)
http://tinyurl.com/p6kts6c