Goff tops MPs expenses bill
The first disclosure of expenses claimed by MPs as well as ministers shows that Labour leader Phil Goff ran up the most expenses as an MP, while Foreign Minister Murray McCully's travel gave him the biggest bill of any minister.
Speaker Lockwood Smith and Prime Minister John Key today released the expense bills from both Parliamentary Service and Ministerial Services for the first six months of the year.
It is the first time that all individual MPs' expenses funded from the Parliamentary Service have been revealed.
Mr Goff's travels around New Zealand made him the biggest claimant outside of Cabinet, running up $124,480 in bills.
This was made up of $79,027 in surface travel, $35,035 in airfares, $10,294 in Wellington accommodation and $124 in out-of-Wellington accommodation.
His spending was dwarfed by the overseas travel of Mr McCully with $263,284 in international travel expenses from ministerial services.
Mr McCully also racked up $84,326 in internal ministerial expenses for accommodation and travel, as well as $6000 from Parliamentary Service in Wellington accommodation.
Mr Key and Dr Smith said in a statement that the release of information on expenses would be held every three months following a decision to provide more transparency.
Back to home
Back to top
Print
Email
Share
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
Scoopit
NBR SERVICES
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Sign up for NBR subscriber content or email alerts
Latest
Comments and questions10
Even though Labour are in opposition they still manage to bleed the tax payer dry.
Phillis Goof has a very grandiose idea of his importance as he temporarily holds the position of leader of the Loser Party. How could he spend so much when he has nothing important to do or say??
Reducing the Parliament to 20 would have a fantastic effect on spending!
Why in the world has Phil Goff spent so much on himself? He isn't even in power and still manages to outspend everyone.
This is the same guy who as Defence Minister bought a whole fleet of new ships that can't return from sea without losing their life rafts.
Thanks for nothing Phil!
Poor old Fill-in Rush-in Goofs has become so accustomed to spending other peoples earned income, that now as an insignificant Opposition Party, he can't break the habit.
I thoroughly agree with the comments of Mary.
Hey Phil Goofy- heard of research- time to find out
Phil Goff and John Key are Leaders of the two main political parties. They have to travel. What beats me is our general from an acting party that has as fellow who travels to London to check if he still has his knoghthood and claims 90%. His body lanuage on TV news this evening shows a stuttering man , caught out visiting who in London town.Poor Phil has only travelled in New Zealand of late. When , as moniter of Foreigh Affairs and his more than one cabinet holding, last goernment, we would happily like to compare lessor important MP's spending. Don't confuse the purchase price of warships with personal spending. Rather look at Mon MacCully and lets have some more bradown. Goff's breakdown appears that he has tried to be travelling and back in parliment without sleeping away at night.This all hoing to be very interesting, London town , here we come.
Interesting to note that Carter all things to all people who introduced rainbow scholarships to schools when Labour were in full flight in their social engineering policies,spent 87OOO DOLLARS IN 6 MONTHS ,yet refused to be interviewed on the matter,i believe as with taxpayer money to people on the dpb ,politicians should be responsible and accountable ,appears to me Carter has a taxpayer funded open cheque book or credit card,lets not forget we have a MinisterForeign Affairs ,Murray Mc CULLY,isnt Carter from the inept inane Labour Party now in denial that the NZ public booted them out .
The article's title, while technically correct, gives the impression that Phil Goff spent more than anyone else, when infact what it means is that of MPs who are not also ministers, he spent the most. That fact would be easy to predict, and it is good that he has, because if he wasn't allowed to that would impede our democracy.
Post new comment or question
To share this article, click on a service below