& now its Pyne, boxing on.

Posted August 7, 201510 yr

and now its Pyne boxing on. to the tune of a lazy 5 grand !!! a x mas present, it seems.

$ 5000.00 of workers money, taken for granted, because Pyne deserves it, or so he thinks.

Christopher Pyne claimed $5000 expenses for Christmas family trip Date August 8, 2015 - 12:29AM

Education Minister Christopher Pyne and his family, claimed more than $5,000-00 in travel expenses, for a family visit to Sydney for the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Mr Pyne argues a private, apparently one-on-one meeting with Tony Abbott was justification for his family's Christmas trip, as scrutiny of MPs' expenses drags into its fourth week.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne has defended a family Christmas trip to Sydney. Photo: Andrew Meares

Mr Pyne's office did not provide details of any meetings held during Christmas week, other than with then opposition leader Tony Abbott.

"Mr Pyne undertook work as a shadow minister, including a planning day with the new leader of the opposition," a spokesman for the minister said.

"Neither Mr Pyne nor his family have ever seen the New Year's Eve Sydney fireworks."

MPs are allowed to claim a "family reunion" entitlement, paying for family members' airfares, but only when they are conducting official business

Mr Pyne found time to file an opinion piece for an Adelaide newspaper – lamenting rising government spending.

Under the headline "'Tis the season for jolly big spending", Mr Pyne criticised rising state and federal government expenditure, as families struggled with the cost of living.

"My family and many others will tighten our belts through January," Mr Pyne wrote. "Yet … the federal government is still expanding fiscal policy [increasing government spending] ".

The then-manager of opposition business in the lower house also issued a media release, about the Rudd government's changes to Commonwealth scholarships, unveiled in the May budget but which took effect in the new year.

No other interstate Liberal member of the shadow cabinet appears to have claimed a travel allowance in Sydney on the same days as Mr Pyne.

Deputy leader Julie Bishop was in Sydney for about a day on December 29, when she claimed an official business allowance.

Mr Pyne earlier this week defended another instance of family travel, when his wife and children flew to Canberra from Adelaide, at a reported cost of $7000-00

In this case, reported by The Australian, the Pynes flew to Canberra for the opening of Parliament.

"The truth is, if they are coming to join me, doing my job, then that's within the rules," he told Today show host Karl Stefanovic on Friday morning.

Edited August 9, 201510 yr by dee-luded

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