A senior Victorian Liberal MP charged taxpayers $7722.92 for flights to Europe during a trip in which she held four meetings over two days and spent 15 days on a cruise around the North Pole, according to a report in the Herald Sun.
Upper house Opposition Leader Bev McArthur travelled to Europe in the last week of June and returned in late July, claiming the cost of premium economy seats to London. The Herald Sun reported that her parliamentary disclosure showed meetings on three days during her time overseas, two days in London and one in Greenland.
Mrs McArthur was abroad for three weeks before conducting her first recorded meeting. According to the report, she met Danish teacher and former headmaster Jimmy Hymøller to discuss school attendance and educational outcomes, which she said offered “insights potentially relevant to supporting Indigenous and regional students in Victoria”.
In the two days before returning to Melbourne, she met Shell’s Vice President LNG Portfolio and Growth, Kelli How, to discuss “the politics and economics of energy”. She also had a briefing with author and journalist Helen Joyce to discuss “women’s rights”, and met three opposition MPs to discuss women’s rights and transitioning issues, local government and regional development. A further meeting was cancelled.
The Herald Sun reported that Mrs McArthur spent 15 days on a cruise around the North Pole during the trip. It is understood her daughter travelled with her for much of the time and that the itinerary included brief visits to France and Italy.
Mrs McArthur declined to answer questions about the trip but said: “The travel costs incurred relate to formal business and have been disclosed in line with relevant Members of Parliament travel guidelines. No taxpayer money has been spent in relation to personal travel.”
No accommodation or meal allowances were claimed. However, senior Liberal sources, including colleagues of Mrs McArthur, told the Herald Sun the trip had raised concerns about whether the flights should have been claimed given the private component of the travel.
The matter adds to ongoing scrutiny of parliamentary travel disclosures, with members required to report expenditure in line with established guidelines.
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