Abbott racks up Parliament's greatest mobile phone invoice Tony Abbott AC Milan has set cash where his mouth is, shelling out far more than any other parliamentarian on cellphone bills in the 1st fifty percent of 2011.

The Opposition Palmeiras Jerseys Leader usually tells Prime Minister Julia Gillard to pick up the mobile phone and get in touch with the Nauru authorities and Qantas boss Alan Joyce, for instance.

But he's obviously been generating loads of calls himself, racking up shut to $28,000 in telecommunications costs among January one and June thirty - about $ten,000 more than the 2nd-ranked Barry Haase, a West Australian Liberal.

All round, MPs and senators expended far more than $one.five million on calls for the duration of the six-month time period scrutinised in a report on MPs' entitlements tabled in the Decrease Property on Thursday.

Independent Bob Katter, new Speaker Peter Slipper, embattled Labor MP Craig Thomson and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd also showcased in the prime 10 of phone get in touch with expenses.

Meanwhile, Mr Rudd racked up $690,601 in overseas travel expenditures in same period of time - 10 occasions much more than his predecessor Stephen Smith invested in the first 50 % of 2010.

The Prime Minister's abroad travel for the very same interval price a far more modest $461,595.

Mr Rudd's 6-month complete dwarfs the $69,784 Mr Smith spent in the 1st half of 2010.

Although he only grew to become international minister in September very last yr, Mr Rudd's bill for the preceding six-month interval was $426,306, bringing his twelve-thirty day period total to about $one,116,900.

Who's shelling out what

Abroad travel expenditures: January-June 2011

Kevin Rudd - $690,601Julia Gillard - $461,595Craig Emerson - $202,782Harry Jenkins - $153,182Warren Snowdon - $147, 816Domestic journey expenditures: January-June 2011

Barry Haase - $61,740Julie Bishop - $60,849Mark Butler - $56,561Jan McLucas - $50,837Mathias Cormann - $50,772

That is nearly three times the whole of $427,450 Mr Smith invested in the 12-thirty day period period to June 2010.

Other leading travellers for the interval integrated Trade Minister Craig Emerson ($202,782), previous Labor speaker Harry Jenkins ($153,182) and Treasurer Wayne Swan ($135,439).

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott ranked 102nd total, spending just $1,548 on overseas journey in the period.

Vineyard visits

In complete, parliamentarians incurred $4.22 million in overseas journey in the course of the six months.

Parliamentarians' Moncler Doudoune Homme domestic commercial flights value the public purse $four.59 million, whilst near to $one million was expended on charter transportation.

The report also reveals a federal Liberal MP took a 15-day taxpayer-funded trip to South The us and New Zealand to examine wine.

Adelaide-based mostly MP Patrick Secker left Australia on January one for 10 days of winery visits and meetings with winemakers in Argentina and Chile.

On his way home, Mr Secker had a two-day pay a visit to to Auckland's Oyster Bay winery.

Mr Secker advised Unique Minister of State Gary Grey, who tabled the report, that the journey was aimed at Moncler Doudoune Homme improving his information of the wines every single region produces and their processes for importing wine from Australia.

I will be imparting this new discovered knowledge to wine growers in the Barker electorate, with the see of hopefully aiding them by escalating the export of South Australian wine to the regions I visited, he stated.

Study journeys

Mr Secker used his Overseas Review Travel Entitlement - offered to all parliamentarians with a lot more than 3 years' services - for the journey which price $7,951.

MPs and senators took a complete of fifty study trips in the 6 months amongst January one and June 30 this year. Thirty-a single of these trips ended up taken by opposition members.

Lately retired former Howard government minister Helen Coonan used her entitlement to take an eighteen-day excursion to Singapore, the Uk, France and Germany to gain insights into the dynamics of the worldwide stock exchange market .

Ms Coonan held just 5 meetings in that time, in accordance to her report of the journey.

Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson invested far more than $twenty five,000 for 4 months in the United kingdom, Italy and Turkey, saying the main objective of the excursion was to show up at Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli.

He also had 14 meetings in London, Rome and Istanbul relating to his veterans' affairs portfolio.

Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi had 16 meetings relating mainly to migration and multiculturalism throughout 22 days in the United kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy in April.

AAP