A report outlines how $206,000 was paid to former Member for Eden-Monaro Peter Hendy for January 1 to June 30 last year, with some earlier payments included. 

Dr Hendy, who at the time was based in Queanbeyan, was given $6200 for 15 nights as travelling allowance, as politicians are allowed to claim overnight stays in locations other than their home base. 

He spent $10,200 on domestic flights, flying from Canberra to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide on different occasions, as well as a return trip to Perth via Sydney in April, which cost close to $3300. 

When it came to car costs, he spent $7700 on fuel and leasing a private-plated vehicle, while also spending almost $2000 on COMCAR payments. 

Dr Hendy said all expenditures were appropriate and within entitlement. 

“You will recall that I was an Assistant Minister in the later part of the last Parliament and that helps explain a lot of the expenditures.

“My recollection is that travel outside the electorate was related to my ministerial duties which included my position of Assistant Cabinet Secretary,” he said.

When Mike Kelly was Member for Eden-Monaro in 2013, he was given over $470,000 of expenditure for January 1 to June 30, with some earlier payments included. 

In January 2013, he spent $29,500 on a trip to the US to represent the government during the open debate on United Nations Peacekeeping in the UN Security Council where he signed the UN Arms Treaty on behalf of Australia.

Throughout the six month period he claimed over $12,000 on domestic flights, mostly between Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. 

Dr Kelly spent about $9000 for private-plated vehicles, $11,000 on COMCAR and $6500 on a travelling allowance over 18 nights. 

But a large bulk of payments – nearly $250,000 – was made for office fit-outs before and after January. 

Dr Kelly said entitlements were given to MPs to conduct their business as elected representatives.

“I exercise the greatest care not to incur any greater expense than is necessary to do my job,” he said.

He said the $250,000 for office fit-out was “out of my hands” and conducted by the Department of Finance for a new electorate office in Queanbeyan. 

Dr Kelly said the change of office was necessary because he was evicted from his former office in a building that was sold and redeveloped into a retail store. He said when Dr Hendy took over the offices in Queanbeyan and Bega he made no alterations other than signage.