Cabinet ministers charge taxpayers for trip involving party fundraiser

Stuart Robert, Dan Tehan and Simon Birmingham say they were in Sydney for parliamentary business when they attended the lucrative Channel Nine event

Three cabinet ministers charged taxpayers more than $4,500 for an overnight trip to Sydney during which they mingled with mining and banking donors at a lucrative Liberal party fundraiser hosted by Channel Nine.

Stuart Robert, Dan Tehan and Simon Birmingham flew into Sydney on the day of the $10,000-a-head fundraising dinner last year before flying out again the following day, charging their flights and overnight accommodation costs to their parliamentary allowances.