But more immediately, independent MP Andrew Wilkie is wanting it to go further than just the Finance Dept investigating. He wants the Australian Federal Police involved and Bronwyn's entitlement claims investigated for fraud.
And why not? We'd get charged with fraud if we ripped off the gov. Like Centrelink, or the Australian Tax Office. The shoes on the other foot now isn't it. All this Abbott bla about cracking down on welfare fraud to save mega$, well what about cracking down on parliamentary fraudsters then? Talk about hypocrisy.
Choppergate will have far reaching consequences far the Abbott gov. They have lost any moral authority they might have had to tell us anything. Choppergate has made them all into a laughing stock. I'd guess these consequences will be felt all the way to the coming election next year.
Key independent Andrew Wilkie, who was prepared to co-sponsor a motion of no confidence in Ms Bishop if she did not resign as Speaker, said this morning he believed the Australian Federal Police needed to investigate any potential fraudulent activity.
“I am pleased that Bronwyn Bishop has finally seen sense and resigned from the Speakership, but that must not be the end of it,” Mr Wilkie told ABC radio.
“Some of the trips she has taken could be said to be fraudulent.
“I am not accusing Bronwyn Bishop of fraud I am simply saying on the face of it there is something very dodgy here and it really should be looked into by the Australian Federal Police not the finance department.”
Mr Wilkie said he had personally experienced his colleagues coming to Tasmania for private trips and then asking to meet with him for a coffee so they could claim the trip on entitlements.
“If any member of parliament including the Speaker has gone on a trip and paid for it at public expense, if that person was actually on a principally private trip and he or she signs a form at the time saying it was an official trip principally for official purposes then that is fraud,” Mr Wilkie said. more
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