Just two of Tasmania's federal parliamentarians, Nick McKim and Andrew Wilkie, used their publications allowance to purchase books in the September quarter, according to the latest figures from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.
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McKim, a Greens senator, went on a children's book-buying blitz, purchasing a number of picture books including Travelling Tasmanian Tigers by Margie Kirk and Suzi P the Swift Parrot by Kate Morton. A total of five kids' books were purchased for $115.42.
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The senator also bought four copies of Paddy Manning's Inside the Greens for a total of $127.24, and four copies of activist wunderkind Greta Thunberg's No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference for a total of $21.78.
All up, Senator McKim spent $373.51 on books.
He was, however, close to the most prudent spender of taxpayer dollars among the state's federal members, with a total spend of $74,643.73.
Mr Wilkie, an independent MHR, bought just one book: Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others Into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely by Abraham Silvers and Ian Mitroff, which cost $36.52.
Former Tasmanian Labor senator Lisa Singh, whose term expired on June 30, purchased two copies of journalist Erik Jensen's Quarterly Essay, entitled The Prosperity Gospel, on June 26, setting her back $41.80.
The state's top-spending federal politicians were Liberal senators Richard Colbeck ($193,597.71) and Jonathon Duniam ($138,803.86) and Labor MHR Julie Collins ($151,228.97).
Senator Colbeck was appointed to the outer ministry following the Coalition's election victory.
His overall expenditure was the second-lowest among his colleagues in the outer ministry.