WANNON MP Dan Tehan says successful campaigns to save the Portland smelter and Warrnambool’s Deakin campus were behind his high telecommunications costs of $12,000 between June and December last year.
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Mr Tehan had the highest telecommunications bills for a federal MP during that period.
He said other reasons for his big bill were because he ran two electorates offices – one in Warrnambool and another in Hamilton.
Mr Tehan said the bill also included the cost of listing his office phone numbers in several White Pages directories, which he did to make sure people could contact him.
The bill was revealed in the latest batch of federal MPs' expenses reports released by the Department of Finance last week.
Meanwhile, Mallee MP Andrew Broad has billed taxpayers more than $2300 for three charter flights on the day of the federal election.
Mr Broad chartered a small plane and pilot to take him from Mildura to Stawell and then to Horsham followed by a flight back to Mildura on July 2.
Mr Broad met with election campaign volunteers and voters during his journey.
“As the Federal Member for Mallee, Mr Broad is entitled access to charter within and for the service of the Electorate of Mallee,” a statement said.
“It is not required for Federal Members to specify reason for charter travel within their own electorate, as long as the charter is within and for the service of that electorate.”
Federal politicians are also in the spotlight for a two per cent pay rise they are scheduled to receive from July 1 along with a cut to their tax rate.
The two per cent pay rise was ordered by the independent Remuneration Tribunal this month.
The change will take effect on the same day that every MP benefits from a drop in the top marginal tax rate from 49 per cent to 47 per cent when the deficit repair levy ends.
