Minister racks up $1000 bill at the tennis. But it's not against the rules

Tuesday, 9 December 2025 12:40

Anika Wells is under the microscope for her big spending.

Anika Wells is under the microscope once again for her taxpayer bills after she spent $1000 on a government-funded car to wait while she watched the tennis.

The frontbencher is already under fire for spending nearly $100,000 on flights to New York, $3000 on a family ski trip and another $4000 on flying her husband to the cricket.

Now, it has been revealed Wells billed taxpayers a grand to have a Comcar idle for seven hours while she enjoyed the Australian Open tennis final in January 2023, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport Anika Wells ahead of an address to the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra on Wednesday 3 December 2025. fedpol Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

It has also been reported that Wells claimed $8500 in family travel expenses on flights to Melbourne for the AFL grand final weekends in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The Communications and Sport Minister, like every federal MP, is allowed to use the public purse on work-related expenses – but in a cost of living crisis, critics say her spending doesn't quite pass the "pub test".

So what exactly are the rules?

Parliamentarians like Wells can use public resources, including taxpayer money, for travel which falls within parliamentary business.

The term parliamentary business means anything that relates directly to their role.

In Wells' capacity as Sports Minister, she and fellow frontbenchers have argued that attending major sporting events such as the Australian Open, Thredbo for a Paralympics event and the AFL grand final is part of her job.

However, the fact Wells' husband and children have accompanied her on some of these trips may seem like a grey area.

But there is something known as "family reunion travel" that means this falls perfectly within the rules.

Wells defended her expenses last week, saying "every parliamentarian has family reunion entitlements".

What are 'family reunion' entitlements?

Under this entitlement, MPs can be joined by their spouse, a nominee or their children at Commonwealth expense if they are travelling within Australia for work and their loved ones are coming to meet them.

Conversely, Wells can use this entitlement to fly back and forth between Canberra and Brisbane.

Between July and September this year, Wells has spent $3056.77 on family travel.

According to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA), this travel is covered if it is "facilitating the family life of the parliamentarian's family".

For all other major travel expenses, like the trip to New York, there are certain provisions.

International travel must be approved by a presiding officer or the prime minister.

The budget for each presiding officer is $250,000 per year.

The condition of spending taxpayer money is that every parliamentarian must be prepared to be "personally responsible and accountable" for it.

Every politician's spending is publicly available on the IPEA website.

Wells may have followed the rules, but the opposition has claimed she should have reined in her spending.

"Whether it's New York, whether it's Paris, whether it's Thredbo, these are expenses that would make the royals blush," said Shadow Industry Minister Alex Hawke.

"If she wants to take her family on a ski holiday, she can pay for it herself," Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson added.

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