Federal politicians have been accused of paying off their own mortgages with taxpayer dollars.

Under the current rules, it is legal for MPs to use their travel allowance even when staying in homes in Canberra owned by themselves or their spouses. Unlike other Australian cities which have two rates for travel allowances, Canberra has a single flat rate, allowing politicians to claim the same amount even if they aren’t spending money on a hotel room.

“This is a very long-standing arrangement that’s existed under both sides of politics,” Environment Minister Murray Watt insists, adding that the government is seeking an independent review of politician entitlements by the Remuneration Tribunal.

MPs are given $322 a day in travel allowances to cover accommodation, food and incidentals during sitting weeks. Fifty-six MPs and senators and their spouses own homes in the nation’s capital and are able to redirect those funds into their own mortgages.

So, what do you think? Par for the course or gross injustice?

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