Why not give The Onion Eater a helicopter trip. And when it's about a kilometre high throw him out the door. I'll chip in a few bucks to pay for the trip.

ttbn,

I missed the reports in the media, so I googled it and found http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/barnaby-bishops-8000-flights-to-drake/2989765/

It turns out that's his second helicopter trip to Drake, even though Drake is just 44km from one of his Tenterfield electoral office.

"Do you really expect the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for agriculture to drive for 9 hours to inspect a bridge the locals want repaired, visit a school and open a telecommunications tower?"
Of course not. But Drake is a 2 hour drive from Ballina and less than 3 from Armidale (where he got the helicopter from) so I don't know where you got your 9 hour figure from. And it's not just a media beatup: the opinion that it's a waste of taxpayers' money is shared by many of his constituents.

[Having reread the report I see that 9 hours could be the time taken to drive to and from Tamworth. But then why would he spend so little time in the northern part of his electorate?]

It's looking like the only winner from this will be Tony Windsor. Barnaby will not resign, but he's increasingly likely to lose his seat.

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onthebeach (and Hasbeen),

This has got nothing to do with the Greens, and ranting on about a two year old report in the Murdoch Press about a Greens senator having the SECOND highest office setup expenses in an unspecified period is a shameful attempt to deflect blame!

If office fitout expenses are an issue of concern, don't vote for the Greens and don't vote for the Liberals (as Anne Ruston claimed a higher amount than Larissa Waters did). I suggest you vote for the X-Men, as Nick Xenophon is the one who's most serious about keeping expenses low.

Aidan,

The only problem with his second electorate office being 44kms away is that he was NOT at that office, he was at HOME. I don't know where his home is, but I am assuming that it is 9 hours return drive from Drake. The money for the helicopter came out of his electorate allowance, which would be commensurate with his large electorate. I'll say to you what I said to Paul: good try, but it's rubbish. I hold no torch for Barnaby; don't know the man, don't want to. But,he has done nothing wrong. Bisop's escapade with a helicopter was a gross mis-use of our money; Barnaby's ride was not. He is perfectly entitled to service his electorate using his electorate allowance to do so.

You can always rely on Paul for a fatuous beat up.

What about SHY's $1000 000 of trips and Junkets? What about Juliar's $144 000 private jet trip to an ALP fund raiser? Not a word. But Joyce's $4000 hiring of aircraft to visit his far flung electorate? Shock Horror.

But the greens are unlikely to understand this, as their inner city electorates can be traversed by walking in a day. No wonder these out of touch morons are so roundly rejected in the country.

ttbn,

I'm not suggesting impropriety; merely inefficiency. Because his electorate is so big, he has a northern office in Tenterfield. But rather than combine his few minutes in Drake with a visit there, he flies up from Tamworth by helicopter. And this is the second time he's done it!

What Browyn did was pathetic. What Hanson Young did in accompanying likely rapist to Greece more than likely on tax payer money defies belief.