Sussan Ley row: 'Explain yourself or resign,' urges Labor

Sussan Ley is under the fire once again as Labor has asked the federal health minister to either explain her purchase of investment property, a luxury beach unit worth $795,000, in Gold Coast during her taxpayer-funded official trip in May 2015 or handover her resignation.

Labor’s health spokeswoman Catherine King has stated that either Ley should come forward today and explain the purchase of the property or resign. Furthermore, King urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to move her off his bench, if she fails to do so.

Meanwhile, Ley’s office issued a statement saying that she had not planned to buy the ocean view apartment. It was a spur-of-the-moment buy. “The property purchase was not planned nor anticipated,” Ley’s spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. “All travel undertaken was in accordance with the rules.”

Ley was accompanied by her husband during the trip. She had gone to the Gold Coast to meet the health stakeholders after addressing a conference in Brisbane hospital earlier that day. On that, her spokesperson said that there was nothing untoward as they both had travelled under “under family travel arrangements.”

While Ley claimed that she travelled under standard $370 travel allowance meant for the politicians, News Corp reported that the couple claimed $3,949 in flight costs for their two-day trip.

Labor asks Susan Ley to resign, doubts if she met the stakeholders

King has called on Ley to front up and explain, or else resign. “If she cannot do this, she has no choice but to resign, or Malcolm Turnbull must move her off his front bench.

“Sussan Ley's explanation that the purchase 'was not planned nor anticipated' is woefully inadequate and an insult to Australians.” Labor has asked Ley to explain as to which health stakeholders she met on her trip and if she used an official Comcar while purchasing the property.

Kristina Keneally takes a dig at Susan Ley on Twitter

Former NSW Labor premier Kristina Keneally took a dig at Ley on Twitter writing that a bag of “lollies” can be an unexpected purchase but not an “investment property.”

Labor backbencher Tim Watts also asks Ley to face media

Read More: Sussan Ley spent $12K on a private jet to attend conference