Where our politician can walk out and impulse buy a $700,000 apartment.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-06/ley's-purchase-of-unit…
Thought your impulse buy was epic, try to top this.
This is why I love Australia
tio on 06/01/2017 - 10:57
Last edited 06/01/2017 - 11:50 by 1 other user
Last edited 06/01/2017 - 11:50 by 1 other user
Comments
I'm pretty sure there was an ebay 20% of sale on that apartment. So its all good.
I impulse bought a Xiaomi Mi Max on the last deal for $223 - 7% cashrewards and it's a complete tax write off.
I still felt bad about my purchase.
"Government documents show Ley has one residential property and three rental properties."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jan/06/sussa…
Actually, the minister seems quite a restraint person. Only 3 rental properties. She must have done plenty of public funded trips. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be able to resist.
Someone should show her OzBargain - she might be able to save a couple of hundred thousand next time she feels a sudden spending impulse.
But is what she did actually a breach of some law or code of conduct? I doubt it.
If anything it might indicate we pay our pollies too much.
She conducted private business on a taxpayer funded official trip.
But she also conducted ministerial business on the same trip. I think what Bronwyn Bishop did with a helicopter trip was worse.
You haven't identified any law or rule she broke. I read one article which quotes a Labor MP as saying:
while it remains unclear if Ms Ley broke any parliamentary rules, the purchase and its claimed nature did not pass the pub test.
At the very least the portion relating to private business should not be funded. But it's always a bad look mixing private and official business.
@greenpossum: This is true, but how often have you gone on a business trip and while there taken the opportunity for some personal stuff? Pretty sure that is the normal thing to do and I don't begrudge pollies doing the same. Why wouldn't you take the opportunity to take a personal holiday on the end of a business trip (as an example)
However in this case it seems to be a bit of a rort if you are travelling to 'talk with a business person' at a NYE party 2 years in a row. Aligning your 'business opportunities' to match a personal opportunity is where the lines get murky. ie Trying to find a business excuse to go to the Gold Coast is not acceptable.
@Euphemistic: A public servant is not a businessman. A businessman spends their own or their company's money. Public servants spend ours.
@greenpossum: yes, but many public servants come from business where it is normal. I am a public servant and have seen the differences. Politicians think nothing of it becuase they used to do it in business
Doesn't it also indicate that the politicians are using taxpayer funded trips to do personal business? Whatever her story about it being an impulse purchase is totally rubbish.
But is what she did actually a breach of some law or code of conduct? I doubt it.
Well, she has just announced her resignation.
Maybe that was just on a whim too.
Let me know if you can pinpoint what is the specific rule she has actually breached by buying the apartment.
Maybe her charter flights were a breach though, but that was not exactly the subject of this thread.
Some rough figures to put things in perspective:
For period 01/01 - 30/06, 2015 : Her "travel" expenditure cost aprox = $200,000
(source: http://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/P36_LEY_Sussan…)
The property was bought in May (source: see OP article) = $167,000 pro-rata "travel" cost up to 30/05/2015.
Associated travel cost to facilitate the purchase of the said rental property that was bought on a "whim" = $0.00
Well, if you don't see any issue with that, then I envy you.
bring on a investigation Israeli style