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After Coalition MPs spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on overseas trips on the eve of announcing their retirements from politics, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has vowed to drastically limit travel entitlements if elected.
An analysis of domestic and international travel disclosures conducted by The Age found more than half-a-dozen Liberal and National Party MPs have collectively claimed more than $65,000 this term on interstate and overseas travel – including trips across North America, Europe and Asia – only to announce their retirements shortly after landing back in Victoria.
By contrast, the vast majority of state Labor MPs who have announced they will exit politics in November haven’t made any interstate or international travel claims during the past four years.
In response, Wilson has pledged to treat taxpayer money “with respect” and rein in the perk by limiting the allowance to domestic travel, only if successful on election day.
“The international travel allowance is inconsistent with community expectations and if elected premier, I will scrap it,” Wilson told The Age.
Former treasurer Kim Wells announced his retirement just five days after returning from a 12-night taxpayer-funded trip to New York and Hong Kong that cost Victorian taxpayers $8635.
According to his travel report, Wells – who is currently a backbencher and the member for Rowville – said his reason for visiting the United States was to “investigate several areas relevant to my electorate business and work as a parliamentarian”.
As part of the trip, Wells said he was keen to meet law and “enforcement decision makers” to discuss antisemitism and view the Hudson Yards.
“Plan to walk down to the High Line and Hudson Yards to familiarise myself with the area and to compare it with the former Melbourne Lord Mayor’s [Sally Capp’s] plan for the Greenline project,” Wells wrote in his travel report.
But after landing in New York, his meeting with a representative from the Hudson Yards project “didn’t go ahead due to issues”.
Wells had also planned to meet his former Liberal colleague, Sam Groth, at Old Mates Pub – a Manhattan bar partly owned by TV hosts Andy Lee and Hamish Blake – but was stood up by the former deputy Liberal leader.
“We are keen to meet the owners and managers to get a first-hand brief on how New Yorkers view Victoria and Melbourne,” Wells wrote, before adding “meeting cancelled as Sam is unavailable”.
From New York, Wells flew to Hong Kong for four nights to meet with the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
On September 14, 2025, just five days after returning to Victoria, Wells announced his intention to quit at the November 2026 election.
“After discussions with family, good mates, friends, branch members and supporters, I have decided not to contest the next election,” Wells wrote on his Facebook page.
Under Wilson’s proposed changes, which will be introduced if she wins the election on November 28, Victorian MPs would still be able to use their allowance to travel domestically. Overseas ministerial travel, which is funded by government departments, would remain at the discretion of the premier.
Three sources speaking to The Age on the condition of confidentiality to discuss internal party matters said that more retiring Coalition MPs have taxpayer-funded trips planned for between now and November.
However, one senior Liberal source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters freely, said the policy had not gone to shadow cabinet or the party room and was unlikely to be supported.
In August 2025, less than four months before his early exit from the Victorian parliament, Groth booked a trip to the US that cost taxpayers $11,153. However, he was forced to cancel last minute due to undergoing foot surgery. Parliament is currently seeking reimbursement for the amount from an insurance claim.
The then member for Nepean’s disclosure said the trip included “parliamentary business meetings with key stakeholders” linked to his shadow portfolios of tourism, sport events and hospitality.
In June 2025, former deputy Liberal leader David Hodgett also claimed taxpayer-funded interstate and overseas travel – six weeks before announcing his retirement on August 6.
The trips to Japan and Singapore were to “investigate research and explore political business and economic issues and opportunities as electorate business”, per Hodgett’s disclosure record, and cost Victorians more than $7000.
Following his retirement announcement, Hodgett has continued to use taxpayer-funded travel entitlements for trips to Sydney in October 2025 ($1580), and Darwin in March ($2436) for what he described as “electorate and business meetings”.
Liberal MP Bill Tilley has also continued to claim taxpayer-funded trips since his announcement in 2024 that he would retire at the November election. Last year, the member for Benambra claimed almost $10,000 to join Hodgett on his Japan trip.
Tilley also billed taxpayers almost $2660 last July for return flights to Queensland to “undertake research, attending meetings, and carrying out administrative activities connected with boating and fishing”, as well as a two-day trip to Darwin for $4300.
In January, Upper House Liberal MP Wendy Lovell travelled to Barbados for a conference held by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, where she delivered a presentation on accessibility improvements to Parliament House.
“Many of the MPs present at the session approached me during the conference to say how much they enjoyed my presentation. I also received feedback from one of the participants about disability access to our building,” Lovell noted in her post-travel report.
“The MP who spoke to me pointed out that even the sign, to say disability access is via the side entry, is positioned at the top of the steps rather than at street level, and I have passed this feedback onto the deputy clerk of the Legislative Council,” she wrote.
The 10-night trip cost taxpayers $11,410 and came three months before her exit from politics was announced. The clerk of the Parliament of Victoria, Bridget Noonan, as well as Labor MP Dylan Wight, also attended the conference.
Just weeks before he announced his decision to stand down as the member for East Gippsland, Nationals MP Tim Bull travelled to France and Belgium, with his allowance disclosure stating the trip was undertaken to visit every known grave on the Western Front of soldiers from his electorate. His international airfare claim totalled $1932.
Upper House MP Joe McCracken also claimed more than $900 to travel to Queensland to meet “with Queensland MP’s and government officials” in July last year. Six months later, he announced he would not recontest his seat.
In its current form, the allowances scheme reimburses MPs for travel undertaken as part of their parliamentary or electorate duties, but contains no separate rules for members who have decided to retire.
Parliamentary disclosures show six retiring Labor MPs – Jackson Taylor, Steve McGhie, Jordan Crugnale, Mary-Anne Thomas, Gayle Tierney and Natalie Hutchins – made no interstate or international parliamentary travel claims in the years leading up to their retirements.
Outgoing Nationals MP Peter Walsh, Greens MP Tim Read, and former Liberal leader Michael O’Brien also made no interstate or overseas parliamentary travel claims before or after announcing they would quit politics at the next election.
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