Greens senator’s lobbyist husband gets free pass on $50k of taxpayer-funded flights

A watchdog review of Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s expenses did not investigate the almost $50,000 she billed taxpayers to regularly fly her lobbyist husband to Canberra, where he works.

The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) routinely reviews politicians’ use of family travel entitlements when entitlements have been flagged as potentially misused, but exempts family travel to Canberra from investigation.

The agency waived through Hanson-Young’s family travel claims, made between mid-2021 and mid-2023, as “consistent with the legislative framework” and within the rules.

The watchdog launched the assurance review into the senator’s spending in February 2025 as part of its “ongoing, systematic analysis” of politicians’ expenses. The report was released last month – a week after it was publicly revealed Hanson-Young was regularly using family travel entitlements to ferry her husband Ben Oquist to the capital since mid-2022.

The agency declined to say why family travel to Canberra was excluded from the assessments, and how those claims were regulated instead.

“IPEA does not comment on individual matters, including assurance matters,” a spokesperson said.

MPs are required to travel regularly for work, including between their electorates and Canberra for the 16 to 18 sitting weeks per year. Under family reunion rules, politicians are allowed to fly their partners and children to join them to help support their family life.

But questions over whether the rules were being used in good faith were raised when it was revealed Sport and Communications Minister Anika Wells had used the perk to take her husband to successive premier sporting events, and her children on a ski trip to Thredbo.

The rules require politicians’ expenses must be for the “dominant purpose” of doing parliamentary business, must represent value for money, and family member’s travel must be for the dominant purpose of facilitating family life.

Wells and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland referred their travel claims to IPEA for investigation late last year, the outcomes of which have not been published. Rowland agreed last month to repay $10,000 – part of a $22,000 trip she took to Western Australia with her family.

Hanson-Young became embroiled in the spending saga when it was revealed she had charged taxpayers $49,902 for flights to Canberra for Oquist, a senior lobbyist for lobby firm DPG Solutions, whose clients include Wesfarmers, Rio Tinto and Catholic Education.

IPEA’s report into Hanson-Young’s expenses said it had flagged for further investigation two interstate trips with a family member. The watchdog requested details from the senator, but was ultimately satisfied with the evidence and explanation she provided.

One of those was a trip to the Gold Coast in 2023, for which Hanson-Young claimed flights, ground transport and three nights’ accommodation, the report said.

IPEA accepted the dominant purpose of Hanson-Young’s travel was for parliamentary duties because she attended the Screen Forever Conference in her capacity as the Greens arts and communications spokeswoman, and as chair of the Senate Environment and Communication References Committee.

“I participated in the formal program as guest speaker and panelist, and attended the various conference dinners and events. I also engaged in a number of side events and meetings with various industry representatives and stakeholders,” Hanson-Young told IPEA.

IPEA’s report accepted the dominant purpose of the travel was parliamentary business, “specifically parliamentary duties, and that her spouse accompanied her for the dominant purpose of facilitating family life”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last month proposed changes to MPs’ taxpayer-funded family travel following the Wells saga. Albanese said he had asked the Remuneration Tribunal to consider limiting MPs’ taxpayer-funded family travel to economy class flights and restricting it to either Canberra or their electorates. Albanese said the tribunal, which oversees the MP entitlements, would consider the changes in the early weeks of January.

Hanson-Young declined to comment.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.