MP entitlements system to change
The federal government has moved to limit the damage from embattled minister Sussan Ley's travel expenses scandal by announcing changes to politicians travel entitlements, as health experts warned the minister's position was untenable.
Former Australian Medical Association president Brian Owler said Ms Ley had lost credibility in her role. As health minister, he said Ms Ley had warned doctors against overcharging or over testing for services covered by the Medical Benefits System but was now herself engulfed in an expenses scandal for charging taxpayers for trips to the Gold Coast.
"You can't credibly stand up and accuse others of rorts when there's a question mark over your own behaviour," said Mr Owler, a neurosurgeon.
"How can she suggest particularly vulnerable Australians who are sick and unwell have to tighten their belts and face increasing out of pocket expenses for seeing their GP when you're charging thousands of dollars to fly around the country to New Year's parties to seemingly unimportant and unrelated events."
![Health experts have questioned the credibility of Sussan Ley and her chances of returning as health minister.](/content/dam/images/g/t/n/6/2/a/image.related.afrArticleLead.620x350.gtotz0.png/1484052545386.jpg)
On Monday, Ms Ley was forced to stand aside as health minister after allegations she had used taxpayer funds to travel to the Gold Coast to secure an investment property and attend New Years Eve parties with Liberal donors, sparking talk of a limited cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Terry Barnes, a public policy consultant and former adviser to federal health ministers Michael Wooldridge and Tony Abbott, said he doubted Ms Ley would keep her job.
"When you are a minister your integrity is vital particularly if you're running an agenda that involves change and disrupting vested interests," Mr Barnes said.
"Whether its reviewing and reforming the Medicare schedule or whether it's looking at private health insurance and prostheses, for instance, or simply keeping the Medicare rebate freeze in place. You can't ask other people to tighten their belts if you're not appearing to be doing the same yourself."
As health minister Ms Ley instigated a review of the Medicare Benefits Schedule lists of medical services for which the Australian government provides a rebate. Under an indexing process the MBS fees are raised according to the Department of Finance's Wage Cost Index. An indexation freeze is in place until 2020 but this doesn't stop doctors raising fees and passing the out-of-pocket cost – the amount not rebated by Medicare – onto patients.
![Sussan Ley stood aside from her ministerial position on Monday.](/content/dam/images/g/t/o/e/d/r/image.imgtype.afrArticleInline.620x0.png/1484048598764.jpg)
The government has also been reviewing the cost of prosthetic procedures in private hospitals where the fees charged after often significantly higher than in the public system.
AMA acting president Tony Bartone called on the government to make the review of the travel scandal swift. "We're anxious because of what this presents to the portfolio in terms of lack of direction and activity."
The federal government has tried to quell the scandal surrounding politicians' travel entitlements by reaffirming a commitment to implement changes it promised in March 2016. This was dismissed as "political gobbledygook" by independent MP Andrew Wilkie.
The uproar around Ms Ley's expenses followed former MP Bronwyn Bishop's 'choppergate' scandal where she took a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong to attend a party fundraiser at a cost to the taxpayer of more than $5000.
Ms Bishop resigned and the government ordered a review of politicians' travel expenses, which was conducted by former by former secretary of the Department of Finance, David Tune, and Remuneration Tribunal chairman John Conde.
The review presented the government with 36 recommendations, including the need for a clearer definition of 'parliamentary business'.
It also recommended removing family reunion flights for private holidays and banning the use of chauffeur-driven Comcars for personal trips.
Minister for Revenue and Financial Services Kelly O'Dwyer said on Tuesday the government would implement the review's recommendations in the first half of 2017 with priority given to changes to the definition of parliamentary business.
At least three ministers have billed taxpayers to attend a New Year's Eve function hosted by Malcolm Turnbull at Kirribilli House in 2015 using the parliamentary business definition while the majority of other ministers did not.
Ms O'Dwyer said it was important that the government have "a clear and transparent expense system that gives the Australian people confidence".
Legislation to implement some of the recommendations was supposed to go through parliament at the end of last year but was delayed.
Cabinet Secretary Arthur Sinodinos is acting Health Minister. Mr Barnes has speculated whether the government may appoint Alan Tudge, Minister for Human Services, into the Health Minister's role. Other names that have been suggested include MPs such as Michael Sukkar, Linda Reynolds, Sarah Henderson and Lucy Wicks.
The Greens said the scandals demonstrated the need for a federal Independent Commission Against Corrpution while South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon has been calling for an independent watchdog where the public can make complaints and MPs would have to pay double the amount back if they made a wrong claim.