PM perks revealed: Price tags of our former prime ministers as taxpayers billed for travel expenses & offices

Taxpayers are forking out more than $1.8 million a year on flights and chauffeurs to transport former prime ministers around the country and to maintain offices on prime real estate, so they can continue their official post-parliamentary work.

An analysis of entitlements by The Nightly has revealed John Howard was the highest spending domestic traveller of Australia’s seven living former leaders, while the wealthiest former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had the highest overall expenses.

In the most recent year of available records, John Howard charged $26,362 worth of domestic flights and Commonwealth cars to the taxpayer.

Mr Howard’s expenses included family travel worth $1445, and rent for a Sydney office, pushing his overall taxpayer-funded costs beyond $347,000.

Between October last year and September this year, Mr Turnbull racked up almost ten and a half thousand dollars on flights and comcar travel and almost $3000 on family travel.

The former Liberal leader, who was estimated to be worth around $200 million when he entered politics, incurred taxpayer funded costs of over $430,000 which includes an office in Sydney’s expensive Governor Phillip Tower.

Australia’s first female prime minister Julia Gillard incurred total official costs of $133,651 during the same period, which includes her office in Adelaide, as well as flights and comcars worth $11,160.

Her longtime Labor rival and current Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, charged $4558 worth of transport in Australia over the past year, while maintaining an official office in his hometown of Brisbane, which cost taxpayers a total of $171,265.

Paul Keating, who left Parliament almost 30 years ago, did not charge taxpayers for any flights or comcars over the past year, but the cost of his Sydney office was $177,503.

Fellow Sydneysider Tony Abbott charged $342,621 worth of expenses to the Commonwealth last year, including $4160 for flights and comcar transport, but did not claim any family travel.

The most recent Prime Minister to leave office, Scott Morrison racked up $254,655 in total expenses in the past year, including domestic travel worth $10,920, but he too did not charge taxpayers for family travel.

Details of the expenses incurred by former prime ministers is maintained in quarterly reports compiled by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, the government agency that administers and advises on parliamentarians’ work.

It tracks spending on domestic travel, including airfares, private cars and fuel, and office expenses, including facilities, supplies and telecommunications of current and former parliamentarians.

Australia’s seven living former prime ministers are entitled to an office space and its running costs, as well as flights for up to 30 domestic trips per year, but details of their generous Commonwealth pensions or the costs of staff are not publicly available.

Under legislation, “official business” for former leaders is defined as activities undertaken in their capacity as former prime minister and may include parliamentary or vice‑regal meetings and events to which they have been invited.

Undertaking duties such as research, communication or administration connected with their role as former prime minister, is also considered “official business”, but activities with a commercial or private purpose for personal benefit is not.

Former prime ministers are also able to have international travel and other expenses paid for themselves and their accompanying spouses, but it must be approved by the current PM.