Speaker Bronwyn Bishop Agrees To Repay Tax Payer's Money Spent On Her Travelling

Speaker Bronwyn Bishop has agreed to repay the $5000 of the taxpayer’s money she had spent in order to hire a helicopter in November, 2014. The recent controversy around the speaker for spending a huge sum of tax payer’s money for her travel needs had led Treasurer Joe Hockey to call on her to give an explanation of her tax payer funded extravagant travelling expenses.

Skynews reported that Mrs. Bishop said in a statement on Thursday that she had written to Michael Ronaldson, the Special Minister of State, expressing her willingness to reimburse the amount of expenditure linked to her November 5 travel on a chartered helicopter. "Whilst my understanding is that this travel was conducted within the rules, to avoid any doubt I will reimburse the full costs," she said.

Treasurer Joe Hockey told Macquarie Radio Network, that the public anger on the issue is justified and that the "Speaker needs to explain the matter." The controversy deepened with Mrs. Bronwyn Bishop being accused by the Opposition leader, Bill Shorten, for assuming that she was better than the ordinary Australians and ‘shamefully’ spending a whopping AU$5,000 of their hard earned money on her travel for attending a fundraiser for the Liberal Party.

"She thinks she is too important to drive down the Geelong road like hundreds of thousands of other Australians," Mr. Shorten commented on Thursday. He further said that the ‘shameful’ way that the Speaker funded her trip and the manner in which she behaved towards the Parliament at the time of questioning, show the arrogance of the Tony Abbott Government.

"They are wafting around above our heads in taxpayer-funded helicopters when you could have just driven down the road like the rest of us," he remarked.

The Speaker’s office had claimed that the Chartered Helicopter was arranged for Mrs. Bishop by remaining within the limits of the entitlement and according to the guidelines. It was also said on her behalf that the journey was made "because of her concern for the country."

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