My leftward leaning side is screaming that politicians allowances such as this should be means-tested, and those who can afford it (as Turnbull so obviously can) should be required, for the good of the nation, to pay their own way.

My rightward leaning side counters that (a) anyone sufficiently wealthy can get around a means test, (b) there will inevitably be edge-cases of people who test as being able to afford to pay their own way, but for whom the cost becomes prohibitive, and (c) the extra administration overhead would almost certainly balance any cost-savings.

But, that’s not what got me riled. It’s the fact that he wasted such a good opportunity to score some cheap points, and instead made statements guaranteed to offend most people.

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There is nothing as despicable as a man who quotes himself. — Zhasper, 2005

And I will guarantee that he is not the only one to claim for money he hasn’t spent. Many MP’s have another residence down there, or stay with spouses etc.

Maybe they should only bill (up to a certain amount) for the actual accomodation that they use?

Then again…. considering Malcom’s net worth (quite a few million) it really is quite ludicrous!