Finance department officials have admitted that they have no oversight over what parliamentarians use their taxpayer-funded home internet connections for, including potentially for private business purposes.
Assistant treasurer Stuart Robert earlier this month paid back close to $38,000 to the Department of Finance after it was revealed he was charging taxpayers sometimes thousands of dollars per month for his home internet connection.
Robert justified the expense stating that it was a 4G wireless connection because he couldn't get an adequate fixed line internet at his Nerang home, 20 minutes outside the Gold Coast. He has now said he has arranged for the National Broadband Network (NBN) to be installed at his home.
Robert reported that his costs were far in excess of that of other MPs because of excess data charges for going over his monthly limit, in one case, using 300GB in a month.
The Department of Finance prepared a brief on the case for special minister of state Alex Hawke, who made no adverse finding against Robert. The Department of Finance said in Senate Estimates on Tuesday night that it had not conducted a separate investigation into Robert's internet usage.
Labor senator Murray Watt questioned Department of Finance officials as to whether there was any way for it to know what exactly Robert was using his taxpayer-funded internet connection for.
Under the Parliamentary Business Resources Act, there are "dominant purpose" and "value for money" tests applied to what parliamentarians can claim to ensure what they are claiming is for their work as an MP, and is of good value.
But costs for home internet services supplied to MPs are classified as remuneration and are not under the act, so no such tests are applied.
"It's quite possible that internet bill was run up by [Robert] pursuing his business interests rather than for work purposes or personal use, because nothing has been done to establish that," Watt said.
"I couldn't possibly comment, senator," finance department assistant secretary Katherine Jones said.
BuzzFeed News is not suggesting that this is what Robert has used his home internet connection for.
Jones indicated that the Department of Finance had little oversight over what MPs use their home internet connection for.
"It's a remuneration tribunal determination and under that determination it just sets out that expenses are payable for a member of the House of Representatives in relation to his or her private residence or residences, for the cost of up to two telephone services," Jones said in reply.
Watt said that Robert's home internet usage for the month of May equated to around 3,000 hours of playing Fortnite and asked whether anyone in the department had asked Robert why the bills were so high. Jones said that there was no assessment of the cost when the bills arrived at the department.
"He would submit to us the costs of the plan, and we would reimburse them," Jones said.
BuzzFeed News sought comment from Robert.