By Samantha Donovan Monday 20 July 2015
Video: Tony Abbott has warned Bronwyn Bishop is 'on probation' (Image: AAP/Lukas Coch) (ABC News)
Photo: Tony Abbott has warned Bronwyn Bishop is 'on probation' (AAP: Lukas Coch)
Related Story: Bishop should stand aside over 'arrogant misuse' of travel funds: Shorten
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is "on probation" after a storm of criticism over her $5,000 taxpayer-funded helicopter flight.
Mrs Bishop says she has repaid the money, spent on a trip between Melbourne and Geelong to attend a party fundraiser, but has denied breaching entitlement rules.
This morning Mr Abbott labelled her expense claim as a "serious error of judgement" and said he understood why people were up in arms.
"She does have my confidence but like everyone who has done something like this, inevitably for a period of time they're on probation," he said
"I can really understand why people are unhappy about this.
"Frankly, I'm unhappy about it as well. But I would ask for people to keep a sense of proportion here.
Bishop, Slipper travel claims compared
With two consecutive speakers having faced claims of misusing travel allowances, Eliza Borrello compares the cases of Bronwyn Bishop and Peter Slipper.
"She has repaid the money with a penalty."
Mr Abbott said Mrs Bishop had expressed an apology and made amends.
However, the public is yet to receive a formal apology from the Speaker.
"Bronwyn has a long and distinguished history as a servant of our country, as a servant of our party, and she will learn a very salutary lesson," Mr Abbott said.
"She has certainly copped a justifiable hiding over the last few days for all of this."
Mr Abbott said the matter was appropriately being investigated by the Department of Finance.
Code of conduct for MPs the solution: expert
The controversy surrounding Mrs Bishop's expenses has put the parliamentary entitlements system under scrutiny once again, but one governance expert says a code of conduct for MPs would solve any problems.
Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.
Professor Allan Fels, a former member of the Parliamentary Entitlements Review Committee, said the committee decided in 2010 it was not necessary to tighten the definitions relating to MPs' travel expenses.
"When we did the review we understood and accepted the rule that members of parliament can have travel entitlements for parliamentary business or electorate business or ministerial business, or in this case speaker business, but not for party business or party functions," he told AM.
"I don't think it's set out that clearly [in the rules], but it is well understood.
"And there is an explicit exception that regarding party business, members of parliament can be paid to attend the national conference, and we took that as meaning they could not get travel entitlements for party business other than the national conference."
If Australia and its House of Representatives have a code of conduct like the Canadians do with their conflict of interest code, it would make it very clear that parliamentary entitlements were only for use of parliamentary duties
Former Victorian Labor MP and parliamentary speaker Ken Coghill
Professor Fels said the committee chose not to define the rules further because "there are a number of slightly tricky boundary problems".
"For example, if someone attends say a parliamentary event and then uses their car to go onto a party event, we saw no problem with that.
"But what is required there is a degree of personal judgement and they would be answerable for that judgement to the public, preferably through everything being much more transparent."
As for Mrs Bishop's claim the helicopter charter was within the rules, Professor Fels said that would depend on the nature of the event she attended.
"If it's a purely political party function then no minister, speaker, or member of parliament can claim travel," he said.
'Incompetent' Bishop must resign
Bronwyn Bishop's offence is not so much that she is tribal or biased, or simply that she took a chartered helicopter trip. Her crime is that she is just not up to the job as Speaker, writes Paula Matthewson.
"If it's a function they're attending in their official capacity, it's clearly official speaker business, then she's probably OK."
Former Victorian Labor MP and parliamentary speaker Ken Coghill heads the Governance Unit at Monash University's Business School.
He said the controversy over Mrs Bishop's expenses again highlighted the need for a code of conduct for Australian MPs.
"If Australia and its House of Representatives have a code of conduct like the Canadians do with their conflict of interest code, it would make it very clear that parliamentary entitlements were only for use of parliamentary duties," he said.
"There would be a very clear separation between spending on party political activities such as party fundraising and carrying out official duties as a member of parliament or this case as the speaker."
- Shorten calls on Bishop to stand aside over "arrogant misuse" of travel funds
- Bishop calls travel investigation a beat-up
- Labor MP says Bishop being treated differently than Slipper
- AFP probe looking into Bishop travel claims
- Bishop agrees to pay back tax-payer-funded flight
- Bishop spends $5,000 on helicopter flight from Melbourne to Geelong
From other news sites:
- The Sydney Morning Herald: Speaker Bronwyn Bishop on 'probation' for expenses, says 'unhappy' Tony Abbott
- News.com.au: Tony Abbott puts Bronwyn Bishop on probation over expenses saga
- The Daily Telegraph: Big-spending Bronwyn puts Abbott in an impossible situation
- Australian Financial Review: Tony Abbott ignores calls to sack Bronwyn Bishop
- The Australian: Bronwyn Bishop on probation after justifiable hiding: Abbott
