AFL grand final flight among travel costs repaid by Anika Wells

Sports and Communications Minister Anika Wells has repaid more than $10,000 to the taxpayer. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore) Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells has repaid more than $10,000 in parliamentary travel costs, including a family flight home from the AFL. A separate audit has ordered a former staffer to Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie repay $11,000. IPEA has introduced new oversight measures for high-cost travel bookings. Link copiedShareShare articleA family flight home from an AFL grand final is among $10,000 in parliamentary travel costs repaid by Communication and Sports Minister Anika Wells found to be in breach of rules. Ms Wells has apologised for what she described as "mistakes" in her travel claims identified in a 268-page audit released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) on Friday. "I chose what I thought was the more sensible, cheaper option, but those choices were not allowed according to the rules, which I accept and respect," she said. The IPEA report confirmed Ms Wells had returned $10,116 to the taxpayer, including $8,093 for "elements" of inappropriate travel expenses and a 25 per cent penalty totalling $2,023. Ms Wells had referred herself to IPEA in December after scrutiny of her use of family travel entitlements, which later sparked changes to rein in entitlements for all parliamentarians. Anika Wells's travel expenses sparked intense media attention. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) IPEA assessed about 250 travel claims and found four breaches mostly related to use of family travel either in the days before or after Ms Wells was in a location for parliamentary business. The authority has also released an audit of expenses claimed by a former staff member of Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie who has been ordered to repay more than $11,000 in inappropriate travel costs. A 2025 trip to Thredbo accompanied by Ms Wells's husband and two children was specifically found to have "met the requirements" of travel rules. Ms Wells had also been criticised for spending more than $190,000 on flights to New York, accommodation and expenses for herself and staff when Australia hosted an online safety event at the United Nations last September. Anika Wells took her husband and children to a Thredbo ski resort in a case that attracted travel cost scrutiny. (ABC South East: Adriane Reardon) IPEA found this overseas trip was within rules and noted Ms Wells had "very limited" flight options available by the time her travel was finalised. But in light of Ms Wells's case, IPEA has decided to establish a mechanism where "higher cost bookings" made for parliamentarians by travel agents are flagged with the authority prior to their finalisation. "This enables IPEA to discuss the proposed booking with the parliamentarian to ensure they were fully aware of their personal accountability and for meeting the value for money obligation," the report said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed Ms Wells and her overseas travel, saying the UN trip promoting Australia's social media age limit laws had been worth it. "We have an independent parliamentary expenses authority who's in charge of this," he said. "She referred herself to it, which was appropriate, and it was appropriate that she pay back the money. That has been done." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other Labor frontbenchers attended the UN General Assembly in New York. (AP: Andres Kudacki) The four breaches in Ms Wells's expenses were related to travel deemed not predominantly for parliamentary purposes. This included $1,208.98 for flights between Brisbane and Canberra taken by her husband in February 2022. Ms Wells had contracted COVID and her husband's travel was related to collecting one of their children who had been staying with her. In its report, IPEA said while it found the "misinterpretation" of the family travel allowance "understandable" repayment was still required. Parliamentarians' use of travel entitlements has come under scrutiny. (ABC News: Matt Roberts) Another breach related to $5,513.37 in Brisbane to Canberra flights and a hire car for her husband and children on May 10 last year. The family were due to accompany Ms Wells's swearing in to the ministry on May 13, but the travel broke rules as it occurred three days before the official event. The third expense repaid was a $726.29 flight her husband had taken from Melbourne to Brisbane on September 28. The day before he had travelled to Melbourne where Ms Wells was attending the AFL Grand Final lunch in her capacity as sport minister. Ms Wells and her husband then attended the grand final game at the MCG. His flight to Melbourne was deemed within the rules, but the return flight to Brisbane was not as it occurred a day after Ms Wells's parliamentary business had concluded. The final breach occurred on October 3 last year with Ms Wells asked to repay $644.25 in hire car expenses after IPEA found about 55 per cent of the vehicle's

AFL grand final flight among travel costs repaid by Anika Wells

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AFL grand final flight among travel costs repaid by Anika Wells

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