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Biggles flies again, but pays cash

Sep 11, 2015
Leon Bignell (left) at the "Adventures in Australia" exhibit in Hong Kong during his March trip, with SA chef Nigel Rich. Photo: Facebook.

Leon Bignell (left) at the "Adventures in Australia" exhibit in Hong Kong during his March trip, with SA chef Nigel Rich. Photo: Facebook.

State Tourism Minister Leon Bignell and his chief of staff paid potentially thousands of dollars in cash for all expenses incurred during a trip to Hong Kong in March, but details of what they purchased have yet to be declared six months on.

Costs for the trip to Hong Kong and Qingdao, in China’s Shandong Province, have been published on Bignell’s ministerial website under the Weatherill Government’s disclosure regime, with $16,417 spent for flights and miscellaneous expenses.

However, specific purchases cannot be ascertained because, according to his office, “the Minister and his Chief of Staff (Ruth Sibley) did not use credit cards throughout this travel” and “sundries were paid for with cash”.

“The total published amount of $16,417 includes flights and reconciled cash,” a spokeswoman told InDaily.

Further costs for accommodation, at Hyatt hotels in both locations, have been “invoiced to the ministerial office by PIRSA (Primary Industries and Regions SA), as they were part of a group booking for a delegation”.

Asked whether it was standard practice to pay cash for all expenses on ministerial trips, the spokeswoman replied: “No, it would depend on where you are”, and on the circumstances.

The same question to the Premier’s office received a one-word answer: “No.”

The disclosure document cites the purpose of the trip, which ran for four days from 10 March, was “to represent the SA Government at the official launch events planned for the opening of the Ocean Park ‘Adventures in Australia’ exhibit in Hong Kong, and to visit SA’s sister state and trade partner, Shandong Province”.

Bignell’s $150,000 yearly travel bill has been at the centre of a state debate on political perks, amid allegations of frivolous uses of taxpayer funds during official business, including chauffer-driven limousines to major sporting events and a $130 bottle of Argentinian wine that he shared with his adviser in Glasgow.

Premier Jay Weatherill this week flagged changes to MPs’ travel entitlements, which will see the global travel allowance scrapped, but crucially will not affect spending on ministerial travel or expenses.

Weatherill said ministerial allowances “will still be dealt with (by) proactive disclosure on a regular basis”.

He advocated an “enhanced disclosure regime”, arguing it would be “very hard to lay down rules for how ministers entertain guests”.

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant… the remedy for this is disclosure,” he told media this week.

“What’s happening for ministers is, if they’re incurring expenses in the course of their ministerial duties they’ll be up on a website and I’m sure you’ll be drawing attention to them if you don’t think they’re appropriate.”

His office confirmed today that under the proposed “enhanced disclosure regime”, ministers would be expected to reveal detailed spending incurred within three months. Asked what the current timeframe was, a spokesman replied: “As soon as possible.”

Bignell’s office insists “proactive disclosure” of his cash payments for the March trip “will be updated once the account is finalised, as per standard practice”.

Tourism Minister, Leon Bignell, has started talks on direct air links with Shandong

Tourism Minister Leon Bignell.

The proposed arrangements are set to make ministerial life even more appealing, with a 75 per cent loading on a likely $180,000 base salary.

While the final decision rests with an independent tribunal, state MPs have been briefed that they will likely receive a pay rise in the order of $25,000 to $30,000 a year. It’s expected to be roughly equivalent to the sum of the current global travel allowance ($13,500, which covers intrastate, interstate and overseas trips) and the loading for one committee position ($15,000).

At the same time, state MPs warn a crackdown on allowances for backbench and Opposition members will stop many of them travelling altogether.

That’s despite the Premier telling InDaily last month that his “general position on travel is there should be more of it”.

“SA members of parliament should be engaging with the world and ideas, and bringing them back for the benefit of SA,” he said in August.

This week, though, Weatherill conceded the move to revamp parliamentary entitlements could have the opposite effect for non-ministers.

“There’s a risk that might lead to less travel,” he said.

Family First MLC Dennis Hood told InDaily the likely impact on local travel to regional SA was “a real issue” for Upper House MPs, who serviced a statewide electorate.

“When you’re in a minor party you’ve got to go to places like Port Lincoln, Mt Gambier and so on pretty regularly,” he said.

He’s adamant he and colleague Robert Brokenshire would continue to visit the regions and attempt to claim back expenses through the tax office, “but there will be members that don’t travel, or travel a lot less, as a result”.

“There’ll be no overseas travel at all,” he said.

“I think there’s a case to wind back on overseas travel, but I’m concerned about intrastate…In our view there should be a very modest amount of $2000 to $3000 a year for Legislative Councillors to travel within SA to service our electorate and constituents.”

– additional reporting by David Washington

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