Labor Minister Anika Wells is under new scrutiny over a taxpayer-funded trip to Adelaide that coincided with the birthday celebration of a close friend.
Wells, who serves as the Minister for Communications and Sports, traveled to Adelaide on Saturday, June 7, for a series of official duties. Among her engagements was a meeting with South Australia’s Health Minister, Chris Picton, scheduled for the same evening his wife, Connie Blefari, marked her 40th birthday.
According to official records, Wells first met with a representative from Trade Minister Don Farrell’s office, followed by a scheduled meeting with Picton. These meetings occurred just prior to the birthday celebration.
However, Wells later informed the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) that the meeting with Picton was ‘delayed.’
“We instead conducted a sideline meeting during a function later that evening,” Wells explained, noting that her official responsibilities wrapped up at 7:45 p.m.
The function she referenced was, in fact, the 40th birthday party of her close friend, Blefari.
IPEA said that because the meeting with Picton at the birthday party was parliamentary business, it was a ‘reasonable’ excuse for Wells to remain overnight.
Wells has repeatedly refused to answer questions about whether the official meetings were planned before or after she was invited to the birthday party, or whether the IPEA asked that question.
Travel queen Labor minister Anika Wells is facing fresh scrutiny over a taxpayer-funded trip to Adelaide that coincided with a close friend’s birthday party
Wells has been flying her husband Finn McCarthy around the country at taxpayers’ expense – despite him being a highly paid lobbyist for insurance giant Suncorp
The birthday party was held at the ritzy Jade venue
Despite that, Wells’ birthday meeting trip has become the target of jibes in parliament, with Liberal MP Mary Aldred using Question Time to mock Wells.
‘In which room at the live music venue, The Jade, did the Minister hold her sideline meeting while at the 40th birthday party of her close personal friend – the bar, the garden kiosk, or the room with the pinball machine?’ she asked to laughter in the chamber.
Wells was quick to hit back.
‘As I have said to her on two previous occasions, I’ve given a full account of that to the IPA.
‘There is a full report available published online, and you can refer there for the full account of the trip, which was considered completely within the rules.’
The Sports and Communications Minister was ordered by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority to repay $10,116 after a five-month audit, released last Friday, found four breaches of parliamentary travel rules across multiple trips between 2022 and 2025.
Wells has faced mounting scrutiny since December, when it was revealed she spent $90,000 on a trip to New York to promote the government’s controversial social media ban. The controversy later widened to include a series of taxpayer-funded trips involving members of her family.
Among the expenses, Wells spent $7,000 flying her highly-paid insurance company lobbyist husband, Finn McCarthy, to three AFL grand finals at taxpayers’ expense.
Wells had a ‘sideline meeting’ with South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton at his wife Connie’s 40th birthday – who is a close friend of Wells – and charged you for the trip
Wells also charged taxpayers almost $1,000 for a chauffeur for seven hours on the day she attended the Australian Open in 2023, and more than $1,200 for nine hours on the day of the NRL and NRLW grand finals in 2022, according to the parliamentary expenses register.
The minister also spent $3,000 on flights and allowances for her husband and children to join her at Thredbo in June 2024 while she attended meetings with Paralympics Australia and Adaptive Festival organisers.
In another extraordinary expense, the minister had a secure communications facility installed in her electorate office in October 2024 while serving as Sports and Aged Care Minister – despite a similar facility already being available about a 20-minute drive away.
The opposition has also raised questions about why taxpayers funded seven trips to Canberra for Mr McCarthy, given he works for Suncorp Group as a government affairs manager – a role the company describes as ‘leading engagement with key government stakeholders’.
‘This is a Minister who has shown a constant disregard for taxpayers’ money since the moment she became a minister and has failed to answer serious questions about her abuse of family travel entitlements.’
‘Regardless of the way Labor try to spin and bury this one… between her lobbyist husband flying around on the taxpayer dime or Air Miles Anika conducting a meeting at a boozy birthday bash, in no circumstance does this pass the pub test.’
A spokesman for Wells said that Mr McCarthy travelled as the minister’s spouse in accordance with the rules.
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‘During those times he did not undertake any work for his employer,’ he added.
Under the Parliamentary Business Resources framework, MPs and ministers can claim expenses for travel, accommodation and family reunion travel – but only if the spending is primarily for ‘parliamentary business’.
Ministers can claim certain family travel costs if the trip is considered necessary to support ‘family life’ while carrying out parliamentary duties.
Trips involving official events, parliamentary sittings, stakeholder meetings or ministerial duties can qualify under the rules.
