AN EXCLUSIVE club of Australia's five surviving prime ministers cost taxpayers almost $1 million last year in travel and office costs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Former PMs Bob Hawke, Malcolm Fraser, John Howard, Paul Keating and Gough Whitlam spent almost $50,000 on domestic travel for themselves and a further $16,000 on family travel.
The biggest cost involved their office facilities and administration, at $816,162. They also clocked up $115,914 for the year on chauffeured limousines.
Probably because he is the most recent prime ministerial veteran, John Howard was the most expensive of the five, with an annual cost totalling $307,936.
His former boss Malcolm Fraser spent $246,898, but the former Labor PMs came cheap. Mr Keating cost $158,571, Mr Whitlam $143,703 and Mr Hawke a bargain $138,953.
Former prime ministers are entitled to an office, a secretary and administration costs. They also qualify for the lucrative lifetime Gold Travel Pass as long as they served a minimum one year as PM. This Gold Pass entitles veteran holders a lifetime of 25 return business-class flights a year.
Other former federal politicians who have qualified for the pass spent almost $1.6 million on business-class travel last year.
The rort should have been curbed or abolished by now, based on an inquiry's findings this year, but as yet the Gillard government has not approved the reforms.
The Belcher inquiry concluded that the Life Gold Pass was "not to be considered an essential element of a parliamentarian's employment arrangements".
However, the inquiry stopped short of abolishing the rort, and has recommended that the number of trips available to ex-politicians and ex-PMs be cut back.
A much-sought-after public speaker and author of a bestseller on his years as PM, Mr Howard spent more than $30,000 on domestic travel for himself and family over the year, a further $23,000 on limousines and $254,141 on office facilities and administration.
Mr Hawke was the more grounded one of the five. He spent a mere $7000 on domestic travel for himself and family, while his former treasurer Paul Keating spent $8134.
Despite his age (81), Mr Fraser spent $18,000 for the year on domestic travel for himself and family. He spent a further $32,511 on chauffeured limousine hire - the most expensive of the five. Even the most prolific spender of the five former PMs, Mr Howard, spent only $23,000 on limousines.
