TASMANIAN Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck spent $38,000 on a week-long forestry mission to Asia.
Financial records of MPs for the six-month period between January and June this year show the North-West senator racked up about $157,000 in total travel allowances, the most of any Tasmanian federal politician.
Almost $90,000 of the spend was on international travel.
Department of Finance documents show Senator Colbeck visited Japan and China in April to “undertake a forest and forest industry market development mission” for seven days at a cost of $38,024.
Senator Colbeck, who was at the time the forestry parliamentary secretary, took Australian Forest Products Association chief executive Ross Hampton with him on the trip.
Mr Hampton said the trip had been a “longstanding request” of the industry.
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Senator Colbeck also visited India for Australia Business Week at a cost of $18,437.
Senate President Stephen Parry was the next big travel spender, with a total bill of about $153,000, with more than $100,000 on international travel.
Senator Parry visited Germany and the United Kingdom on official business for ten days to the tune of $43,400.
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Braddon Liberal MHR Brett Whiteley spent the most on office printing and consumables, claiming $71,000, including almost $6000 on personalised letterheads.
Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson took a $5500 charter flight from Latrobe to Waratah to examine 4WD tracks in the Arthur-Pieman area and any damage that was being caused to Aboriginal cultural sites.
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