Huge backflip over Richard Marles’ secret VIP flights

Exclusive

Defence Minister Richard Marles’ own department has done a humiliating backflip regarding the veil of secrecy imposed on taxpayer-funded VIP flights, by agreeing to release information under a Freedom of Information request.

In a stunning sequel to the scandal over the VIP flights, a long-running battle fought by former senator Rex Patrick has yielded a big backdown by the government. When the Defence Department refused his initial Freedom of Information request, he escalated that matter to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Under the deal, the Defence Department has finally agreed to release information about the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s travels, to avoid a precedent being set at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

But Mr Patrick has warned the victory is just the beginning, and the Albanese government must dump its refusal to detail who is on board the flights under spurious national security grounds, and return to the previous regime where the information was published regularly.

“Defence doing a full reverse thrust on VIP flight secrecy is a welcome outcome from my FOI challenge,” Mr Patrick told news.com.au.

“But I should not have had to challenge them. VIP flight details and passenger manifests have been disclosed to Australians for more than 50 years, and even though there’s been a change in the security circumstances that has now been explained, their reaction went way too far. They went from full transparency to total secrecy.

“There is still work to do. But at least for the moment we can see the type of individuals that are being given the VIP treatment, (and) ministers by name.

“Whilst there is still work to do, and I have submitted another FOI which will test the newly found reasonableness.”

How it all started

News.com.au first revealed in August, 2023 that the Deputy Prime Minister had run up a VIP flight bill of $3.6 million, after previously mocking former speaker of the House, Bronwyn Bishop’s, helicopter trip.

The Defence Minister’s globetrotting adventures were laid bare in Defence Department documents that were only released following a Freedom of Information request.

But the government refused to say where he went or who he took on the plane as guests, citing “security issues”, despite the fact the flights took place up to a year beforehand and the material was previously published for decades.

The Albanese government claimed that the material could no longer be published for safety reasons, after a review that was quietly initiated by the Morrison government, after it was repeatedly embarrassed by the VIP flight logs being published online. Those logs did, among other things, lead to the scandal that ended the career of Ms Bishop.

A spokeswoman for Mr Marles said she would not be revealing where he had travelled on the $3 million-plus worth of taxpayer-funded flights.

“All travel conducted by the Deputy Prime Minister, either in his role as Defence Minister or as acting Prime Minister, is in accordance with the relevant guidelines and security procedures,” she said.

But it was a different story nearly a decade ago when Mr Marles raged over Ms Bishop’s decision to use a VIP helicopter to fly to Geelong.

“Recently, the country dropped its collective jaw at the arrogance of Speaker Bronwyn Bishop using taxpayer money to fly in a helicopter from Melbourne to Geelong,” he wrote at the time.

“The notion of being so out-of-touch with how the rest of the country goes about life is one of the biggest breaches of faith a politician can commit.

“I’m not sure what circles Mrs Bishop moves in, but for the people that I have been speaking to, this saga represents what the community dislikes most about politics and politicians.”

Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who lodged the original FOI request to reveal the data, urged the Albanese government to return to the publication of all VIP flights in the interests of “transparency”.

“When people are facing serious cost-of-living pressures, having politicians tell them their flights are so special, expensive and secret that they can’t know the details really doesn’t cut it,” Mr Shoebridge told news.com.au.

“The idea that telling us where politicians flew last year is a serious security risk is hard to swallow. In most cases the politicians put up an Instagram post or media release when they land.

“These are meant to be ‘special’ flights, so if there is a repeating pattern of flights then this is an issue in itself. In previous years these ‘patterns’ have indicated potential misuse of the flights for personal or political campaigning rather than urgent public interest work.

“We will be pressing for the release of this specific information about flights because transparency protects those doing the right thing as much as it embarrasses those who step out of line.”

Defence refuses to hand over data to independent watchdog

In September of 2023, news.com.au revealed that the Defence Department had blocked the independent watchdog on politicians’ expenses from accessing documents detailing Mr Marles’ VIP flights and the details of every other minister flying on RAAF planes for nearly two years.

The failure to provide the passenger and flight details meant the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority was unable to recover funds from the offices of MPs who use the VIPs to ferry electorate staff and family across the country.

Since 1967 successive federal governments have adhered to a practice of publishing quarterly reports about the VIP flights after the so-called “VIP affair” nearly brought down the then prime minister, Harold Holt, and minister for the air, Peter Howson.

But the Albanese government has stopped that process after it was paused under the previous government, citing a security review.

Defence Department admits it got the numbers wrong

Then, in October of 2023, Defence chiefs revealed the VIP flight data on politicians travel published on its own website is “corrupted” and has underestimated and over-estimated the travel of federal ministers and MPs.

The extraordinary claim emerged under questioning at Senate estimates as defence secretary Greg Moriarty and Chief of the Airforce Air Marshall Robert Chipman AM CSC were grilled over the mess.

“In particular the AFP and ASIO have particular concerns,‘’ Defence Department secretary Greg Moriarty said.

“The environment has changed internationally in relation to designated persons, Members of Parliament, ministers.

“Our security agencies believe that the level of threat towards those people has heightened and we‘ve seen an increased number of threats, really uncivil, unpleasant discourse in social media.

“They have a very legitimate concern that we should, as government agencies, take steps to ensure that pattern of life data which might go to identify the movements or likely activities patterns in relation to important persons are protected.”

The Albanese government’s own talking points to Labor MPs, leaked to news.com.au last year, states the following under the heading “transparency”.

“The Albanese government is absolutely committed to transparency,’’ the talking points state.

“Appropriate oversight and transparency measures will be put in place, including the provision of manifests to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.”

Toto the flying dog and mystery VIP guests

News.com.au revealed last year that Anthony Albanese’s dog Toto is flying on a taxpayer-funded VIP plane – but ‘national security’ means the trips are shrouded in secrecy

Mr Albanese’s female cavoodle Toto has been flying high on the taxpayer-funded VIP plane, but the Defence Department won’t reveal where she’s being picked up or dropped off, citing national security concerns.

Confirmation that the Prime Minister’s dog has also been on the taxpayer-funded VIP plane follows his team’s refusal to respond to questions about whether the dog was travelling on the aircraft for three months.

The new documents reveal that Toto was listed on the flight request at 5pm on September 8, 2022. Notes on the manifest state “PM’s dog – Toto – will be travelling”.

In another exchange of emails this year, Mr Albanese’s office requested to book the VIP plane and the document notes “plus Toto”.

That flight request was made on May 24, 2023, when the Prime Minister was hosting the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Sydney.

Mr Albanese has previously shot down suggestion he calls his VIP airbus, Toto One after his female cavoodle

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie grilled Air Force Chief Robert Chipman on the Toto issue in October.

“Could you provide a list of all flights since the 21st of May 2022 on which animals – and specifically an animal called Toto – have been permitted on-board special purpose aircraft?” she asked.

The Air Force Chief was cagey. He confirmed that mystery pets had been known to travel on the special purpose aircraft primarily used by the Prime Minister for official duties.

“I am aware that there is a history of VIPs travelling with pets on VIP aircraft,” he said.

“But we do not keep comprehensive records of when animals travel on VIP aircraft.”