Anthony Albanese has billed Australian taxpayers a whopping $1 million for everything from international travel to office supplies.
The prime minister, who has been nicknamed “Airbus Albo” for his frequent overseas travel, billed Australians a total of $298,899 for overseas trips to Asia, the UK, the Middle East, Europe and the Pacific Islands between October and December 2023.
Documents released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority show one of the travel expense claims related to a seven-day trip to Malaysia, Fiji, Sri Lanka, the US, Singapore, Japan and India for the annual summit of Australia and India leaders.
Australians footed the $98,347 bill for the trip, which took place between March 8 and 15, 2023, but was charged in the final quarter of last year. The bulk of the cost appeared to be for ground transportation, which was worth $48,149 of the total.
Other trips include a $96,712 trip to the Philippines, India, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates for three separate summits – the ASEAN-Australia Summit, the East Asia Summit and the G20 Leaders’ Summit – between August 29 and September 11.
Albanese also met US President Joe Biden in October, attended the coronation of King Charles and the G7 summit in May, and flew across the ditch to meet Jacinda Ardern in July – costing him a total of $28,297.
The expense reports also listed a mysterious $1,000 “accident deductible” payment made in August under auto-related expenses.
But the most expensive claim involved the international and domestic travel of 62 of his employees, worth $660,701, while his inner-Sydney constituency office – currently overrun by protesters – cost $30,202 for the October-December quarter.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured with his dog, Toto) charged taxpayers more than $1 million in the last quarter of 2023
Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodi Haydon are pictured arriving in Delhi for the G20 summit in September
Daily Mail Australia reported on Wednesday that Albanese’s office in Marrickville has been unused since January after pro-Palestinian protesters set up camp there.
Staff have been informed that the office cannot function properly due to security reasons.
Australians are estimated to have paid $70,000 for the unused office alone in 2024, as Albanese refuses to evict activists from the site.
Mr Albanese’s US trip in October was his ninth since winning the 2022 election, and his 19th international trip in 19 months.
“The relationship between Australia and the United States is so important,” Albanese told reporters upon arrival in Washington.
‘In today’s turbulent world, it is a relationship that provides security and stability, based on our shared values and our position as great democratic nations working together to advance those values in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.’
He was invited because Biden canceled a trip to Sydney at the last minute.
Mr Albanese tried to time his visit to Washington so that he could attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco and travel to China to meet President Xi Jinping.
Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon are pictured on the left with US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill
The Prime Minister is on the far right of the picture at the coronation of King Charles in May 2023.
However, the proposed dates did not fit Mr Biden’s schedule, causing Mr Albanese to make four foreign trips within a month.
After his trip to the US, he spent only a few days at home before flying back to China for a historic meeting with President Xi Jinping, the first prime minister to do so since 2016.
During his trip to the ASEAN-Australia summit in September, the prime minister pledged almost $100 million to boost trade and investment ties with Southeast Asia, in a bid to reduce Australia’s economic dependence on China.
Other expenses in the last quarter of 2023 included $24,541 in auto-related expenses, including the $1,000 deductible for accidents on August 2.
Office administration costs were $87,532, of which $75,243 was for printing and $12,289 for office supplies, of which $138 was for wreaths and $2,439 for three flags.
A spokesperson for the prime minister told Daily Mail Australia that all expenses reported by Albanese were within regulations.
Anthony Albanese attended the special ASEAN-Australia summit last year
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese are pictured together during the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, in September
“The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority has strict rules,” the spokesperson said.
‘These rules have been followed at all times.’
Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton charged taxpayers $63,015 for three private jet flights on a two-day trip to “hard-pressed” cities in the region.
Mr Dutton also charged taxpayers $32,740 for a five-day trip to New Delhi for the India Australia Strategic Alliance summit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Other expenses included $36,977 for scheduled transportation between major cities, $10,389 in travel reimbursement for 28 nights, $3,848 in car-related expenses, and a staggering $116,911 in printing and communications.
