The High Cost of Governing: Taxpayers Footing the Bill for MPs’ City Pads
It is a basic expectation that politicians representing regional areas need a place to stay when parliament sits in the capital. However, the sheer volume of taxpayer money currently funding secondary residences for 18 regional Victorian MPs is raising eyebrows across the state. Instead of billing taxpayers for hotel stays, these MPs—including Labor, Liberal, Nationals, and crossbench members—collect a generous parliamentary allowance to fund the upkeep of their city residences.
The Premier’s Portfolio
Premier Jacinta Allan, the member for Bendigo East, illustrates how lucrative these entitlements can be. Earning a base salary of $512,000 , Allan purchased a Melbourne CBD apartment in 2005 for $319,000. Through these taxpayer-funded allowances, the public has all but paid back her original purchase price.
Currently entitled to the maximum allowance of $56,000 a year , parliamentary records reveal she claimed $291,146.90 in just the six years leading up to the end of last year. As the data shows, for long-serving members like Allan, the cumulative cost to taxpayers for an allowance towards an owned property can easily outstrip the initial investment.
The Rules of the Game
Under parliamentary rules, MPs who live more than 80 kilometres away from Parliament House can claim an allowance to cover the costs of staying in Melbourne for official business. This goes toward the cost of maintaining a house they rent or own. Crucially, these payments are distributed regardless of the actual costs the members incur to maintain these second residences. Regional MPs who do not rent or own a secondary property can instead claim a nightly hotel allowance.
Transparency around this system hasn’t always existed. Disclosures of these allowance claims have only been mandatory since 2019. The state government overhauled the rules following an expenses scandal involving claims by two Labor MPs.
The Case of Georgie Purcell
Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, who represents the Northern Victoria upper house region, has claimed $74,771 toward a secondary residence during the current parliamentary term. Purcell previously claimed the sitting allowance towards a CBD apartment she owned. However, she sold it late last year and now claims the allowance for a rental property she shares with St Kilda-based federal Labor MP Josh Burns.
Purcell noted that the couple splits their time almost equally between Kyneton in her electorate and St Kilda, explaining that the arrangement is necessary due to their unique family situation and work requirements.
The Defense
Despite the sticker shock of seeing figures like Treasurer Jaclyn Symes claiming $132,000 toward a Collingwood apartment she owns , or Nationals leader Danny O’Brien claiming $103,000 since the end of 2022, many MPs defend the practice:
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Georgie Purcell argues that the policy makes being a parliamentarian accessible for people from diverse backgrounds. “It is better than staying in hotels and what comes with that,” she said.
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Wendy Lovell, a Liberal upper house MP who has claimed approximately $132,000 this term , noted that travelling home is not possible due to long hours in the Legislative Council. “Having that consistent place where you can go to is really important as a member of parliament,” Lovell stated.
Both the government and opposition maintain that all claims are made consistently and strictly within parliamentary guidelines.
Data: Secondary Residence Allowances (Current Parliamentary Term)
Note: The following data outlines the total claimed during the current parliamentary term by regional MPs.
| MP | Party | Secondary Residence Location | Total Claimed |
| Jacinta Allan | Labor | Melbourne | $170,166 |
| Wendy Lovell | Liberal | Melbourne | $132,646 |
| Jaclyn Symes | Labor | Collingwood | $132,646 |
| Mary-Anne Thomas | Labor | Northcote / Carlton North | $132,646 |
| Emma Kealy | Nationals | East Melbourne | $129,432 |
| Danny O’Brien | Nationals | Melbourne | $103,596 |
| Tim Bull | Nationals | Fitzroy | $90,478 |
| Melina Bath | Nationals | Melbourne | $88,438 |
| Michaela Settle | Labor | Melbourne | $88,438 |
| Cindy McLeish | Liberal | Southbank | $88,433 |
| Juliana Addison | Labor | Richmond | $88,433 |
| Darren Cheeseman | Independent | North Melbourne | $88,433 |
| Gaelle Broad | Nationals | Melbourne | $78,137 |
| Georgie Purcell* | Animal Justice | St Kilda / Melbourne* | $74,771 |
| Kim O’Keefe | Nationals | Melbourne | $66,185 |
| Bill Tilley** | Liberal | Melbourne | $60,652 |
| Annabelle Cleeland | Nationals | Melbourne | $56,922 |
| Jade Benham | Nationals | Melbourne | $48,661 |