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| Bronwyn Bishop will hate being on 'probation', Tim Fischer tells Q&A | Bronwyn Bishop will hate being on 'probation', Tim Fischer tells Q&A |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A former deputy Australian prime minister has declared Speaker Bronwyn Bishop will “hate” being on probation by the prime minister and said she made a “massive error of judgment”. | A former deputy Australian prime minister has declared Speaker Bronwyn Bishop will “hate” being on probation by the prime minister and said she made a “massive error of judgment”. |
| Tony Abbott said on Monday he put Bishop on probation for racking up a $5,227 bill to the taxpayer while travelling about 100km by helicopter to a Liberal party fundraiser. Bishop has since repaid the money. | Tony Abbott said on Monday he put Bishop on probation for racking up a $5,227 bill to the taxpayer while travelling about 100km by helicopter to a Liberal party fundraiser. Bishop has since repaid the money. |
| Related: Bronwyn Bishop has never welcomed the kind of scrutiny she applies to others | David Leser | Related: Bronwyn Bishop has never welcomed the kind of scrutiny she applies to others | David Leser |
| Tim Fischer, a former leader of the National party who was deputy prime minister from 1996 to 1999, labelled Bishop’s use of the helicopter a “massive error in judgment” and said politicians’ expenses entitlements need to be clarified. | Tim Fischer, a former leader of the National party who was deputy prime minister from 1996 to 1999, labelled Bishop’s use of the helicopter a “massive error in judgment” and said politicians’ expenses entitlements need to be clarified. |
| “[The] Speaker is now on probation, she is a busy person, she supports many good causes such as navy, army, air force, reserve forces day, including in regional Australia, she travels a lot,” Fischer said on ABC’s Q&A program on Monday night. | |
| “What she did was unacceptable. What she did was a massive error of judgment and, yes, she must pay it back but this is still an ongoing investigation, I’m going to wait and see the outcome of the finance [review].” | “What she did was unacceptable. What she did was a massive error of judgment and, yes, she must pay it back but this is still an ongoing investigation, I’m going to wait and see the outcome of the finance [review].” |
| When asked how serious the probation was that Bishop was on, Fischer responded: “She will hate it, I can tell you. Cartoonists love it. She is on probation, that’s the words of the prime minister.” | When asked how serious the probation was that Bishop was on, Fischer responded: “She will hate it, I can tell you. Cartoonists love it. She is on probation, that’s the words of the prime minister.” |
| Fischer said there was a lack of clarity for politicians on what is included in their travel entitlements and it needed to be clarified. | Fischer said there was a lack of clarity for politicians on what is included in their travel entitlements and it needed to be clarified. |
| We don't want people living off the smell of an oily rag | We don't want people living off the smell of an oily rag |
| Conservative commentator Alan Jones also joined the calls for a review of political expense, saying the Bishop story was a symptom of the wider issue of political expenses, citing trips taken overseas by members of both sides of parliament which racked up tens of thousands dollars charged to the taxpayer. | |
| “Should we increase parliamentary salaries so that out of the salary you pay your own costs? We don’t want people living on the smell of an oily rag,” he told Q&A. | |
| “We want those who represent us to be well provided for so they can do the representation well. But the public need to know more about all of this and they don’t.” | “We want those who represent us to be well provided for so they can do the representation well. But the public need to know more about all of this and they don’t.” |
| The shadow environment minister, Mark Butler, was more cautious in his support of a review of the expense system but said politicians always welcomed a review when there was an issue that caused the public to focus on expenses. | |
| “We want community confidence in these issues. We want to be able to focus on our job,” he said. | “We want community confidence in these issues. We want to be able to focus on our job,” he said. |
| “We’d like to have a discussion about issues rather than whether or not staff are claiming living away from home allowances or someone should be able to take a helicopter ride. It is in all of our interests to have a review when this sort of controversy arises, work out what’s fair, what the proper reporting system is and move on.” | “We’d like to have a discussion about issues rather than whether or not staff are claiming living away from home allowances or someone should be able to take a helicopter ride. It is in all of our interests to have a review when this sort of controversy arises, work out what’s fair, what the proper reporting system is and move on.” |
| Jones also used the program to attack the federal government’s position on the proposed Watermark coalmine, operated by Chinese firm Shenhua, in the fertile agricultural land of the Liverpool Plains. | |
| The environment minister, Greg Hunt, gave approval on the $1.2bn mine earlier this month but the agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, has spoken out against the mine, which will be in his electorate of New England if it goes ahead. | |
| Jones said the mine could be a threat to vital water sources in the area, including groundwater | Jones said the mine could be a threat to vital water sources in the area, including groundwater |
| “Let’s get our head around this ... the disturbance we are talking about, get your head around this, is 14 times bigger than the city of London, it is 1.5 times bigger than Sydney, the disturbance area is 4,600 football fields and on this area, five times every week for 30 years there will be a detonation, a dynamite explosion. Five times a week,” he said. | “Let’s get our head around this ... the disturbance we are talking about, get your head around this, is 14 times bigger than the city of London, it is 1.5 times bigger than Sydney, the disturbance area is 4,600 football fields and on this area, five times every week for 30 years there will be a detonation, a dynamite explosion. Five times a week,” he said. |
| Asked what issue the Nationals would be willing to stand up to their Coalition partner, the Liberals on, Fischer said the party had to weight the economic benefits of the Shenhua mine. | |
| He said he was in favour of a proper scientific assessment of the mine proposal. | He said he was in favour of a proper scientific assessment of the mine proposal. |
| “The mix of the economy of this country, we’ve not got some endless ticket of boom and massive Sydney property prices that are going to keep this economy rolling forward for evermore. This is a fragile situation,” he said. | “The mix of the economy of this country, we’ve not got some endless ticket of boom and massive Sydney property prices that are going to keep this economy rolling forward for evermore. This is a fragile situation,” he said. |
| “That’s why the National party will go into bat for agriculture exports.” | |
| Butler stopped short of opposing the mine but said it was obvious the community did not feel involved in the decision-making process. | |
| “There is a very serious question mark over this whole process now ... community must have confidence that these decisions are being made with the best possible evidence and the best possible motivations,” he said. |