OUR federal politicians are about to be asked to put their money where their collective mouth is.
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In the wake of a string of scandals about expenses and rorts, Fairfax has reported this week that politicians will face stricter tests before they can charge taxpayers for travel expenses under legislative changes to be introduced this week.
But before we applaud them for derailing the taxpayer-funded gravy train, there’s already a caveat and the legislation hasn’t even hit the floor of the house yet: MPs may still be able to attend party fundraisers and sporting matches on the public purse.
The government is reported to be finally moving to implement the recommendations of a major review of MPs entitlements – ordered in the wake of the Bronwyn Bishop "choppergate" scandal – more than a year after it delivered its report.
Fairfax reports that Special Minister of State Scott Ryan will introduce legislation this week that will, for the first time, provide a clear definition of what constitutes parliamentary business and also impose a new "dominant purpose test".
Under this test, MPs will only be able to claim expenses when the dominant purpose of their journey was for genuine parliamentary business.
A new independent authority will determine whether MPs pass the test, rather than MPs themselves.
But, as Fairfax reports, that does not mean MPs will be forbidden from attending party functions or sporting events on the taxpayer dime.
"If I happen to be in Sydney for a meeting of a committee, or parliamentary work, or ministerial work and I then did something in the afternoon that could be described as party political I don't think that would be an issue," Senator Ryan has said.
"As long as the dominant purpose – the real reason I was there – really was parliamentary business."
The legislation will apparently also establish new "value for money" provisions, to ensure trips are not a waste of public funds.
Senator Ryan says the bill will give the new Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority the "architecture" it needs to do its job.
The authority – modelled on a similar British body that Fairfax reports has been strikingly successful – will begin its work on July 1 after passing Parliament last month.
Senator Ryan is now in the process of setting up the authority and will announce the make-up of its membership in the coming weeks.
Reportedly, it will not oversee every trip, but will provide advice to MPs if they request it. If a claim proves controversial the board members can decide whether to investigate, with its binding rulings to set precedents similar to a court.
Under the new system, parliamentary expenses will be reported every month rather than every six months, in a bid to improve transparency.
While any moves to put the parliamentary hogs on reduced ratios around the trough are to be applauded, this does feel more like a sop than an honest overhaul of the system.
If this system is going to genuinely impress taxpayers with its fairness and honesty, a lot is going to be riding on the early decisions of the authority.
Frankly, unless the authority comes in and clamps down hard on politician excesses, it’s going to very quickly look like little more than a half-hearted attempt to trick the voting public into believing something is being done to rein in the rip-offs.