Peta Credlin has taken aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for billing taxpayers to fly his wife and adult son to Canberra for Budget night, insisting they should have paid their own way.
Appearing on News24 on Thursday, Credlin said she was stunned by the Daily Mail's revelation that Albanese used a parliamentary family reunion allowance to fund flights for his wife Jodie Haydon and their son Nathan from Sydney for the May Budget.
Both Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers are under fire after taxpayers were charged more than $4,200 to fly family members to Canberra for Budget night, even though their relatives hold well-paid professional jobs.
Expense records show Albanese claimed $2,591.32 for return flights for Ms Haydon and his 25-year-old son between Sydney and Canberra, covering travel from May 12 to May 14.
Each one-way fare was $647.83, with the public covering both outbound and return trips.
Nathan Albanese works in the institutional banking division of Commonwealth Bank, while Ms Haydon was a senior executive at Teachers Mutual Bank as of May 2025.
Credlin questioned why taxpayers should foot the bill.
'It looks like he used a family reunion provision to bring his adult son down to Canberra for the Budget,' she said.
Peta Credlin (pictured) criticised Anthony Albanese for using the family travel allowance
'Now, I think this is pretty extraordinary. The son is 25, as I understand it. He's working now. Why on earth are taxpayers paying for this?'
Sky News contributor James Morrow argued the move would infuriate Australians already battling cost of living pressures.
'Well, I have absolutely no idea. But as a taxpayer, this is the sort of thing that absolutely infuriates me,' he said.
'Every month when I get paid, and everyone else who's a PAYG taxpayer gets paid, the government takes a huge chunk of your money and says, "Well, we need it for all these important things".
'And apparently, one of those important things includes flying the 25-year-old son of the Prime Minister down to Canberra.'
Morrow said the Prime Minister or his son should have paid for the flights themselves.
'Canberra is not the most expensive flight in the world,' he said.
'Why can't the Prime Minister put his own hand in his own pocket, or Nathan put his own hand in his own pocket, and pay for a ticket down to Canberra?
Nathan Albanese and Jodie Hayden's return flights to Canberra (left) cost taxpayers $2,591.32
Sky News contributor James Morrow argued Albanese's decision would infuriate Australians already battling cost of living pressures
'Or just get in the car and drive?'
Morrow said that the allowance was an example of what infuriated voters.
'It is absolutely infuriating. It's these little things, much more than billions of dollars lost in the NDIS or elsewhere, that really get under people's skin. These are the things you notice. You look at it and think, "Why is he doing this?"' he said.
'He's on $500,000 a year. It's infuriating.'
Credlin went further, reiterating that Nathan is financially independent and should not be supported by the taxpayer.
'And [Anthony Albanese has] two luxury homes, a taxpayer-provided car, I could go on,' she said.
'The Prime Minister costs us millions of dollars each year. The son isn't a dependent. He's 25.
'I left home at 18. Come on, mate, grow up. Put your hand in your own pocket and pay your own way.'
Angus Taylor's wife Louise Clegg (centre) travelled to Canberra without taxpayer funds
Chalmers also relied on the family travel allowance to fly his wife Laura and their son from Brisbane for Budget night, with taxpayers charged $1,641.14.
The bill included two flights from Brisbane to Canberra at $618.46 each, a $20 airline fee and two return flights costing $192.11 each.
Mrs Chalmers is editor-in-chief of News Corp Brisbane's weekend magazines.
By contrast, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor did not claim any family travel entitlements.
Daily Mail understands his wife, Louise Clegg, drove from their Southern Highlands home to Canberra to watch Taylor's Budget reply speech, with no cost to the public.
Source link
