Travel queen Anika Wells is facing fresh scrutiny after it was revealed taxpayers funded thousands of dollars in flights for her highly paid insurance lobbyist husband to travel to and from Canberra.

The Sports and Communications Minister was ordered by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority to repay $10,116 after a five-month audit, released last Friday, found four breaches of parliamentary travel rules across multiple trips between 2022 and 2025.

But the parliamentary expenses watchdog also approved several other taxpayer-funded trips involving Wells’ husband, Finn McCarthy, including six Canberra trips claimed under family reunion rules.

Mr McCarthy works for Suncorp Group as government affairs manager, a role described by the company as ‘leading engagement with key government stakeholders’.

The Opposition has raised concerns that Mr McCarthy should have paid for the travel himself, although Wells’ office insists he did not undertake any work for his employer during the trips.

Shadow Special Minister of State James McGrath said Wells has no regard for taxpayer money.

‘IPEA can only work with the information they have been given,’ he told Daily Mail.

‘Considering Minister Wells has a track record of flouting the rules, it is up to her to confirm that every time the taxpayer has paid for her husband’s travel, it was in a private capacity as her spouse, not as a lobbyist.

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The parliamentary expenses watchdog approved multiple flights to and from Canberra for Anika Wells’ husband Finn McCarthy (pictured together above) under family reunion rules

HOW YOU PAID FOR ANIKA WELLS’ HUSBAND TO FLY TO CANBERRA

September 5, 2022: Canberra trip where IPEA accepted Mr McCarthy’s travel was primarily to ‘facilitate family life’. MET THE RULES

September 21, 2022: Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne trip for the Queen’s memorial service, FIBA Women’s Basketball Championships, WADA meetings and the AFL Grand Final, with spousal travel approved. MET THE RULES

June 18, 2023: Week-long Canberra trip where Mr McCarthy accompanied the minister. MET THE RULES

March 22, 2024: Melbourne and Canberra trip linked to the Australian Grand Prix and stakeholder meetings. MET THE RULES

May 10, 2025: Trip to Canberra with her family and children. DID NOT MEET THE RULES.

June 20, 2025: Canberra trip for parliamentary business involving Wells, her spouse and dependants. MET THE RULES

June 24, 2025: Separate Canberra trip where Mr McCarthy attended a function at the Speaker’s invitation, which IPEA ruled complied with parliamentary travel rules. MET THE RULES

‘This is a Minister who has shown a constant disregard for taxpayers’ money since the moment she became a minister and has failed to answer serious questions about her abuse of family travel entitlements.

‘Regardless of the way Labor try to spin and bury this one… between her lobbyist husband flying around on the taxpayer dime or Air Miles Anika conducting a meeting at a boozy birthday bash, in no circumstance does this pass the pub test.’

A spokesman for Wells said that Mr McCarthy travelled as the minister’s spouse in accordance with the rules.

‘During those times he did not undertake any work for his employer,’ he added.

Wells has faced mounting scrutiny since December, when it was revealed she spent $90,000 on a trip to New York to promote the government’s controversial social media ban. The controversy later widened to include a series of taxpayer-funded trips involving members of her family.

Among the expenses, Wells spent $7,000 flying McCarthy to three AFL grand finals at taxpayers’ expense.

Wells also charged taxpayers almost $1,000 for a chauffeur for seven hours on the day she attended the Australian Open in 2023, and more than $1,200 for nine hours on the day of the NRL and NRLW grand finals in 2022, according to the parliamentary expenses register.

The minister also spent $3,000 on flights and allowances for her husband and children to join her at Thredbo in June 2024 while she attended meetings with Paralympics Australia and Adaptive Festival organisers.

In another extraordinary expense, the minister had a secure communications facility installed in her electorate office in October 2024 while serving as Sports and Aged Care Minister – despite a similar facility already being available about a 20-minute drive away.

Wells also conducted a ‘sideline meeting’ at a 40th birthday party during a $3,681 taxpayer-funded trip to Adelaide on June 7 last year.

Join the discussion96 comments

Should politicians’ families enjoy taxpayer-funded travel perks, or is it an abuse of privilege?

What’s your view?

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The Sports and Communications Minister was ordered to repay $10,116 to taxpayers after an audit found four breaches of parliamentary travel rules

Should Anika Wells quit over the travel row?

Yes – taxpayers deserve higher standards

No – she repaid the money and followed the process

It looks bad, but firing her would be over the top

She told the parliamentary watchdog that when a meeting with then-South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton fell through, it was rescheduled to take place at his wife Connie Blefari’s 40th birthday party at The Jade.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later moved to restrict family reunion travel entitlements following backlash over the expenses scandal.

Albanese rejected calls for the minister to resign following the audit report’s findings.

‘She referred herself to it, which was appropriate, and it was appropriate that she paid back the money,’ Albanese told reporters on Friday in Melbourne.

‘She has done what the rules require. Anika Wells is a very good minister doing extraordinary work.’

Under the Parliamentary Business Resources framework, MPs and ministers can claim expenses for travel, accommodation and family reunion travel – but only if the spending is primarily for ‘parliamentary business’.

Ministers can claim certain family travel costs if the trip is considered necessary to support ‘family life’ while carrying out parliamentary duties.

Trips involving official events, parliamentary sittings, stakeholder meetings or ministerial duties can qualify under the rules.