The 2016 Independent Review Committee’s Report of politicians entitlements is totally indefensible.

It not only failed to address the core issues, it further seeks to hide and disguise underlying problems such as, Gold Pass, Family Travel, obscene Payments to Former Prime Ministers, Golden hand shakes disguised as severance, Charter Travel abuse, Travel by politicians to attend political party meetings, meet executives and committee members of a political party all costs including travel, salary, travel allowances and accommodation expenses at taxpayers cost, ad nauseam. From Jan-June 2015 parliamentarians (MP’s and Senators) spent $48 million dollars on “Entitlements”!

None of these political party traveling junkets to ensure factional support could be remotely deemed to be “work-related-expenses”. This self-serving report at the same time expands the opportunities for continued future abuse, rorts and unethical practices.

This so called independent reviews report attempts to justify the continued self-regulation of travel expenses by applying the very questionable “principles-based” methodology (as the means to justify continued accountability of politician’s travel abuse and rorts) brings the Review Committee itself into disrepute.

Partially underpinning that assertion is yet another elephant in the room. Never discussed, mentioned or publicized, until now. It is the obscene almost seven million ($6,894,891.05) paid to former Prime Ministers as travel expenses, office hire etc.