Name: Politician Annika Wells defends ritzy taxpayer‑funded trip
Uploaded: 2025-12-07T06:34:11.320Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: The Communications Minister has been forced to explain business-class flights, lavish meals, and a family snow trip, all at taxpayers’ expense. Accused of being out of touch, Anika Wells insists the work trips are within parliamentary rules.

The Communications Minister has been forced to explain business-class flights, lavish meals, and a family snow trip, all at taxpayers’ expense. Accused of being out of touch, Anika Wells insists the work trips are within parliamentary rules.

Canberra

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that his office approved last-minute business class flights to New York for Communications Minister Annika Wells and two staffers, costing taxpayers nearly $100,000. The government justified the trip as necessary for promoting a global social media age ban, but questions have arisen regarding the cost and other travel expenses, including family travel and attendance at social events.

Annika Wells defended her actions, stating all travel was within parliamentary guidelines and that she was working during these trips. The opposition has called for a review and potential repayment of the expenses, drawing comparisons to previous cases where ministers reimbursed taxpayers for similar travel costs.

Politician Annika Wells defends ritzy taxpayer‑funded trip

The honeymoons over hey Though it's not his travel in the spotlight The Prime Minister's confirmed his office signed off on last-minute business class flights to New York for the communications minister and two staffers costing taxpayers almost $100,000 I don't you know ring up and make bookings myself The but you or your office had to approve of course that flight of course he could have said no He could have said fly premium economy fly economy Don't fly business class Annika Wells was initially scheduled to travel with the PM But delayed her departure because of Optus's deadly triple zero outage the federal government Justifying the trip to promote the social media age ban globally There's an important event that led to directly led to the European Union taking action It really was important and I stand by it But questions over her expenses don't end there forced to explain a trip to Adelaide where she attended a friend's birthday party a Lavish dinner in Paris during the Olympics and flights for her husband and children to join her at thread bow She was there for Paralympics Australia's adaptive festival and made a funding announcement Her family went skiing in each case. She insists she was working and within parliamentary guidelines Do I absolutely appreciate that people have a gut reaction to these figures? I don't resolve from that. I'm happy for mine to continue to be scrutinized But at the end of the day, I don't write these rules Of course just because it's above board doesn't necessarily mean it passes the pub test Particularly around the family reunion travel entitlements tonight the opposition's demanding Annika Wells expenses are reviewed even Repaid reminiscent of criticism leveled at Tony Burke. He eventually repaid taxpayers more than $8,600 the business-class airfares for his family to meet him at Uluru in 2012 ministers of the crown are paid very well Hundreds of thousands of dollars if she wants to take her family on a ski holiday She can pay for it herself Chloe Boris 10 news

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