THE member for Farrer has described suggestions she used her skills as a pilot to travel as a minister as “ridiculous” and “laughable”.
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Sussan Ley said she had been a licensed pilot since the age of 19 and flew a single-engine Cessna across Farrer at times.
But allegations about her piloting flights as a minister were rejected.
“Claims suggesting I booked ministerial charter, between capital cities in order to maintain flying hours as a pilot are ridiculous,” Ms Ley told Parliament.
“Yes, as a pilot myself I may have sat next to the pilot on some of these charters, and yes, I sometimes tweeted from the cockpit, all perfectly legitimate.
“However, the simple fact is I am not endorsed to fly any of the aircraft that were ever booked for ministerial travel or travel to Canberra and the thought that I might have logged or even have been able to have logged flying hours on such flights is laughable.”
Ms Ley’s comments came during a speech responding to a Department of Finance report done into her Gold Coast travel as a minister.
She was found to have broken rules when she travelled to an auction by COMCAR and bought a unit.
“I had a few hours where I was at a loose end,” Ms Ley said.
“I had been considering purchasing a property for some time. In mid 2014 I had received preapproval from Hume Bank in Albury for such a purchase.
“So on Friday night, when my attention was drawn to something suitable and when I was going to be on the Gold Coast as a matter of course, I went along to the auction.
“The first time that I saw the apartment was 20 minutes before the auction commenced and the first time that I spoke to an agent about this property was when I registered, as I walked through the door.”
Ms Ley said of her 15 overnight stays on the Gold Coast as a minister six were related to conferences, six to hospital and/or sporting events and two were to transfer to northern NSW.
She opted to repay money for three nights where she chose to stay on the Gold Coast instead of Brisbane, two flights to Canberra from Coolangatta rather than Albury, a flight home after a business meeting in Brisbane which had been followed by personal leave and $200 for taxi trips not noted by diary.
