Tasmania has Senator Polley
Andrew Nikolic calls on Helen Polley to follow Bronwyn Bishop example and repay charter flights cost - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Federal Government whip Andrew Nikolic is using Speaker Bronwyn Bishop's promise to repay taxpayers for a short but costly helicopter flight to pressure a Tasmanian Labor senator to repay her own charter flight costs.
Mrs Bishop has agreed to a pay back at least $5,000 for a taxypayer-funded, 90-kilometre helicopter trip she took to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser last year.
Mr Nikolic would not be drawn on whether it was necessary or appropriate for the Speaker to repay the money but used the decision to reapply pressure on Tasmanian Labor senator Helen Polley to repay more than $20,000 worth of charter flights.
I challenge you to find any other politician in Tasmania that's used that extent of charter travel.
Andrew Nikolic
Between July 2011 and mid-2013, Senator Polley racked up a bill of $23,000 on eight return flights from Launceston to Hobart.
Mr Nikolic claimed the cost had not been adequately explained.
"Senator Polley should follow Speaker Bronwyn Bishop's example and repay the $26,000, absolutely she should," he said.
"At the time of Senator Polley's flights she had no portfolio responsibilities.
"I challenge you to find any other politician in Tasmania that's used that extent of charter travel."
No comparison to Speaker's expenses: Polley
Senator Polley insisted the charter flight expenses were incurred on legitimate electoral business and has indicated she will not be repaying the amount.
Last year, she said diary pressures meant she did not always have time to make the two-and-a-half hour journey between Launceston and Hobart by car.
Asked for a response to Mr Nikolic's comments, Senator Polley said the purpose of her expenses was different to Mrs Bishop's.
"It's interesting that Mr Nikolic's approach would be to justify Bronwyn Bishop's use of her allowance would be to put the focus on me," she said.
"Well, quite frankly, there's a big difference between me working and servicing my electorate and Bronwyn Bishop attending a Liberal Party function."
Mr Nikolic was not convinced.
"The distance from Launceston to the airport is 20 minutes," he said.
"By the time you wait to get onto a charter aircraft and fly to Hobart it's probably an hour, and then it's another half-an-hour from Hobart Airport to the centre of Hobart.
"There's a couple of hours gone. What are you actually saving in terms of time one way?"