Anthony Albanese’s taxpayer-funded travel bill topped $4million last financial year, with new disclosures revealing the cost of flights taken by the Prime Minister and members of his ministry.
Data released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) shows Mr Albanese’s total included both commercial airfares and Australian Defence Force (ADF) special purpose flights.
The latest figures detail more than $76,000 in expenses linked to the Prime Minister’s official visits to Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia in April.
His six-day visit to Singapore, from April 6 to April 11, cost taxpayers $31,459.61.
That amount included $5,878.39 for employee travel, $9,958.94 for accommodation and meals, $5,533.62 for ground transport and close to $10,000 in incidental costs.
Mr Albanese then continued on to Brunei and Malaysia between April 11 and April 17, with that leg of the trip costing $44,616.17.
The Brunei and Malaysia expenses comprised $14,777.57 in staff travel, $13,821.74 for accommodation and meals, $6,039.46 for ground transport and $9,725.40 in incidentals.
The Singapore stop took place alongside regional meetings and official functions, while the Brunei and Malaysia visits were centred on bilateral discussions.
The Prime Minister and his office has spent over $4million on travel in the last financial year
During the April to June 2026 quarter, 60 staff members in the Prime Minister’s office travelled at taxpayers’ expense, racking up $753,541.83, broken up $732,885.87 on domestic travel and $20,655.96 on international trips.
In the previous quarter, 62 employees undertook domestic travel, costing $629,665.18.
Labor ministers together spent $5.4 million on commercial international travel over the year, plus another $6.3 million on domestic and international flights operated through the Defence Force’s special purpose fleet.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles recorded one of the highest totals, spending more than $522,000 on commercial travel and $1.29 million on ADF special purpose flights.
An Australian Defence Force special purpose flight, often referred to as the government’s ‘VIP fleet’, is used to transport the Governor-General, Prime Minister, ministers, senior military officials and visiting dignitaries on official business.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong logged almost $690,000 in commercial travel expenses for visits to the United States, Singapore, Japan, Canada, India, Qatar, China, Denmark, France and Germany, and a further $511,381 in ADF flight costs.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen spent more than $340,000 on commercial international travel, with an extra $212,880 in Defence-managed flights.
Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell’s commercial travel bill came to roughly $370,000.
Penny Wong (pictured) spent more than $1million on travel during the last financial year
Treasurer Jim Chalmers spent $235,359.50 on international trips, according to IPEA.
Resources Minister Madeleine King clocked $203,647.44 in commercial travel expenses and a further $65,028 in Defence-managed flights, while Assistant Climate Change Minister Josh Wilson recorded $169,522 in commercial travel.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s bill included $211,511 in ADF flight costs and about $96,000 in commercial travel.
The government insists the trips delivered substantial diplomatic, security and economic benefits for Australia.
Following Labor’s election victory in 2022, the Coalition sought to brand the Prime Minister as ‘Airbus Albo’, arguing Albanese spent too much time out of the country as he embarked on a string of high-profile diplomatic meetings and international summits.
The government has repeatedly rejected the criticism, saying the travel was necessary to rebuild Australia’s standing in the region after what Labor describes as a decade of neglect under the Coalition.
Ministers have also emphasised the importance of face-to-face diplomacy in the Pacific, where Australia is intent on countering strategic competition and strengthening links with neighbouring nations.
Government figures say overseas visits by Albanese and his ministers have delivered a string of diplomatic, security and economic outcomes.
The government has defended travel costs, pointing to a number of new treaties and deals
This includes treaties and agreements with Indonesia, Fiji, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Vanuatu, and ongoing negotiations on a new arrangement with the Solomon Islands.
Ministers argue the travel has advanced Australia’s national interests, backing a regional defence initiative designed to bolster cooperation across the Pacific and progressing the next phase of the AUKUS partnership with the United States.
