Richard Marles: Golf-loving Deputy Prime Minister ordered to handover documents revealing $3.6million in secret taxpayer-funded flights

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has had nine days to hand over documents revealing the dates and cost of every flight he has flown on VIP planes over the past year.

The Coalition and the Greens joined the Senate on Tuesday in ordering the release of the documents amid questions about the $3.6 million cost of the 700 hours booked by Mr Marles on RAAF special aircraft flights since Last year.

Controversy also surrounded a private golf trip he took to King Island in Tasmania in April, accompanied by an Australian Federal Police security officer, at taxpayer expense.

Since 1967, MPs have had a habit of regularly publishing details of taxpayer-funded military flights, but Mr Marles, who is also Defense Minister, has not published where he flew or lists passengers, citing “security” reasons.

Mr Marles sought advice from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) late last year on the security implications of releasing the information and defended the decision.

He has until next Thursday at 3 p.m. to detail the dates and costs of each flight made since January 2021 as well as their origins and destinations.

It was also ordered to file guidelines provided to officials regarding the use of special flights.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said Australia deserved a “compelling explanation”.

“John Howard in his government has released details of flights made at public expense and we ask that the same rules apply here,” he told ABC radio.

“So for us, it’s…let’s just be transparent about it. This is a significant sum of money and previous governments have been upfront about how this money (was used) and how these costs were incurred.

“And we think the government should just continue the practice of previous governments and release this information.

“We have yet to hear a convincing explanation as to why this information will not be released, given that previous governments have done so.”

Coalition Foreign Affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the special planes performed an “essential function” for government ministers, but “reasonable transparency” was expected on how they were used.

“The changes made by the government, which no longer release any information about the routes taken or the passengers on these planes, are a complete subversion of the way transparency on their use should be applied,” Mr Birmingham said.

“They’ve changed the practices that have been in place since the 1960s and they’ve made it virtually impossible…to actually look at how they’re using these planes and ask questions.”

Mr Birmingham said the Coalition was submitting a motion to the Senate calling on the government to “provide its security advice which justifies these decisions” on a confidential basis to the Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee on Intelligence and Security.

“This will allow the opposition and some government MPs to verify whether or not the government is genuine in the way it acts based on these safety tips or if it uses these tips as a shield to get the most out of it. SPAs (special aircraft) aircraft,” he said.

Coalition defense spokesman Andrew Hastie took Mr Marles to task during Question Time on Monday, asking if he ‘took his golf clubs’ on one of his flights taxpayer-funded or if he had taken anyone outside of his family or staff.

Mr Marles said there had been instances of representatives of other governments on some flights before accusing the opposition of hypocrisy – pointing out they had benefited from many RAAF flights when in the air government.

“Let me be very clear, everywhere I have been, all I have done is in the performance of my duties as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense on behalf of this country. , and I absolutely support every flight I’ve ever taken on a special aircraft,” Mr. Marles said.

He also briefed Parliament on Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s recent request to use VIP planes to attend Matildas games.

Last week, Mr Marles was accused of ‘shaming’ former chairman Bronwyn Bishop following revelations he had taken RAAF flights to Avalon – near his home in East Geelong – instead of using a Comcar.

In 2014 MP Bronwyn Bishop chartered a helicopter to fly 80km from Melbourne to a golf course near Geelong for a Liberal Party reception.

She opted for a taxpayer-funded $5,227.27 charter flight to Clifton Springs Golf Club rather than using her Commonwealth car.

Estimated travel time by road is approximately 90 minutes each way.

Although the Coalition and the Greens politicized the issue of Mr Marles’ VIP flights last week, when Liberal leader Peter Dutton was defense minister, he too stopped reporting on SPA flights.

The last SPA calendar filed before the May 2022 elections covered the period from July 1, 2020 to December 30, 2020.