For you Bazz its all indefensible!

Now moving on, the trough gets bigger! Another Liberal heavyweight aka Julie Bishop, is she related to our Bronnie? has been caught out claiming $2716 to attend the POLO at Portsea, claiming it was "official ministerial business"! Did they fly in the horses by helicopter, we may never know!

We shall add her to the list!

I've always found it odd that Julie Bishop would find an official reason to be in Sydney or Melbourne whenever her footy team was playing in those cities.

Likewise, "lifter" Joe Hockey would charge the taxpayer to transport his family to visit his Queensland Hobby Farm when he was on "official business" nearby.

Tony Abbott used to charge the taxpayer for attending his charitable events, despite them often providing meals and accommodation and making Travel Allowance claims technically fraudulent.

No doubt there are politicians on both sides with their snouts in that very deep trough.

As someone who had experience in Public Service Travel Allowance years ago, I know how potentially easy it could be to cash in that gravy train if you're high enough up the ladder.

For people in my humbler position, entitlements were well policed and some offenders were dismissed and some even imprisoned for what politicians openly do today.

There's probably a good a reason that the highest Daily Rate TA allowance in the country is in Canberra - higher than Sydney or Melbourne but it can't be for accommodation or meals.

Funny too how Parliamentary sessions last the same time that this Daily Rate lasts before it goes onto a more tightly policed Review Rate.

Something very significant that the media have failed to mention is that these allowances are totally tax-free and are not included as income.

Likewise, where do those massively accrued Frequent Flyer Points end up?

Hi Foxy,

I have to agree with you. if its not the LIBERALS with their snouts in the trough, its LABOR members. To be fair to the Labor Party, who are not squeaky clean in regards to wroughting the system, they tend to do it less in government, than Liberals. Why is this, the Liberals feel they have a divine right to rule, to them it is their class responsibility as the betters in society to undertake the tiresome and somewhat irksome task of ruling the riff-raff. Consequently these Liberals feel a senses of entitlement, small recompense for performing this odious duty, of ruling that is!

Paul,

When you can't defend the indefensible actions of the greens then you deflect onto the libs.

On this issue the greens have their noses as deep into the trough as either the libs or labor.

Two morons pursuing this from Labor are Burke and Shorten whose unexplained travel expenses far exceed those of Ley.

Dear Is Mise,

I did not say that all politicians are the same.
However candidates endorsed by
major parties benefit from an established organisational
structure and secure financial backing. Hence these
measures have a greater impact on party endorsed
candidates due to their higher level of representation.
They receive additional support of entitlements ranging
from staffing entitlements and other allowances.

Dear Paul,

You may find this interesting:

MPs forced out of parliament or the party in the
last 31 months:

Scott Driscoll (Lib. National Qld)
Troy Buswell (Lib. WA)
Chris Spence (Lib. NSW)
Darren Webber (Lib. NSW)
Gary Edwards (Lib. NSW)
Andrew Cornwell (Lib. NSW)
Tim Owen (Lib. NSW)
Craig Baumann (Lib. NSW)
Bart Bassett (Lib. NSW_
Peter Dowling (Lib. Natl. Qld)
Marie Ficarra (Lib. NSW)
Billy Gordon (Labor Qld)

These are MPs sacked from the Executive Government:

Barry O'Farrell (Lib. NSW)
Arthur Sinodinos (Lib. Fed)
Greg Pearce (Lib. NSW)
Mike Gallacher (Lib. NSW)
Chris Hartcher (Lib. NSW)
Jo-Ann Miller (Labor Qld)
Adem Somyurek (Labor Vic)
Mal Brough (Lib. Fed)
Jamie Briggs (Lib. Fed)

MPs sacked from Speaker roles:

Adam Marshall (Natl. NSW)
Bronwyn Bishop (Lib. Fed.)

And so it goes...