Sussan Ley's purchase of unit on taxpayer-funded trip 'not planned'

An impulse purchase is how Health Minister Sussan Ley is explaining her decision to buy an apartment during a taxpayer-funded trip to the Gold Coast in 2015.

Key points:

    Sussan Ley under pressure from Opposition over property she purchased in May 2015
    Purchase "was not planned nor anticipated," a spokesperson for Ms Ley says
    Labor MP Catherine King is calling for Ms Ley to explain further or hand in her resignation

Ms Ley is under pressure from the Opposition over the property she purchased in May 2015 while travelling to Queensland on ministerial business, accompanied by her husband — whose expenses were also covered by the taxpayer.

A spokesperson for Ms Ley said "the property purchase was not planned nor anticipated".

In a statement, the spokesperson said the Minister had travelled to Brisbane to announce health funding before meeting with "local health stakeholders" 80 kilometres away on the Gold Coast.

"Minister Ley's partner was invited to accompany her to a function in Sydney on the Friday evening," the statement read.

"He then travelled with the Minister to Queensland under family travel arrangements.

"The EMB [Entitlements Management Branch] was consulted at the time to confirm Ms Ley's partner's travel was within the rules.

"All travel undertaken was in accordance with the rules."

The property is described as an investment in Ms Ley's Register of Interests, where she also declares a mortgage for the property.
Ley 'has some explaining to do'

But Labor MP Catherine King is calling for Ms Ley to explain further or hand in her resignation.

Ms King told the ABC that the Minister should also release her diary for the period.

"I think she's got some explaining to do, to explain how purchasing a luxury apartment with her husband is in any way, shape or form official business," she said.

"Frankly, if she can't, she needs to resign."

Ms King said while it remains unclear if Ms Ley broke any parliamentary rules, the purchase and its claimed nature did not pass the pub test.

"In anyone's world, $700,000 plus is a lot of money," she said.

    "I don't know too many people who would spent that sort of money, even if they had it, on an impulse. It's a pretty unbelievable claim."

Ms Ley had the fourth highest expenditure during the period of the purchase — from January 1 to June 30, 2015 — including more than $105,000 on charter flights and $11,800 on family travel costs.

In total, she claimed almost $650,000 over the six-month period and $490,637 in the following six months.

Sir lastnail wrote on Jan 6^th, 2017 at 10:56am:



Does that apply to Labor MP's  with negatively geared property, or is it solely the province of the Coalition?

So the rule is that if you travel on the taxpayers tab or on a business tab you are not entitled to enjoy yourself or engage in any private business during the trip?