Anika Wells re-opens Pandora's Box
How can the Australian government possibly be charged $38,000 for any flight?
While it has billowed into a broader scandal, it's worth going back to the origin of the brouhaha over the travel expenses of Communications Minister Anika Wells.
An answer to a question on notice from Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson during Senate Estimates in October revealed the cost of three return business class airfares to New York for Wells and two advisers to attend UN Week in September was $94,827. Wells' own flight cost $34,426, while her deputy chief of staff's flight cost $38,165.
Wells and her staffer flew Air New Zealand to New York and Qantas back to Australia. The breathtaking pricing reportedly arose when the Optus 'Triple Zero' failures delayed Wells' departure by a few days and she missed her planned ride to the Big Apple on Anthony Albanese's RAAF A330.
Even still, those airfares are quite literally unbelievable. I can absolutely understand airlines extorting retail punters buying last minute tickets in high season on their websites, but think about the purchasing power of the customer here.
