Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question. I have travelled overseas, both in my capacity as a member of parliament and as shadow Treasurer, on numerous occasions in the three years leading up to now. As the member is very well aware, the moneys available to shadow ministers for international travel are not great; we just have the basic entitlement that every member of parliament has for one three-year period. So if you want to do your job as a shadow minister, if you want to get out there in the big, wide world—whether it is going to the United States, whether it is going to China or whether it is going to Britain—then you have to have some assistance.

I met this company some time ago. They did sponsor some of my travel. All of that has been disclosed. When I was travelling I was doing my job both as a member of parliament and as a shadow minister. Given the importance of China to the economy of this country, that is what I should have been doing. All of those matters have been disclosed. If the member has some allegation to make, let him make it and let him come clean on all the sponsored travel on the other side of the House.

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