Details of $25m in Australian taxpayer-funded VIP flights to stay secret

The details of more than $25m in taxpayer-funded VIP flights for Australian ministers and dignitaries will be kept secret, fuelling calls for the federal government to fully explain why it no longer publishes the information.

A Guardian Australia analysis of data between 2021 and 2023 for what are known as special purpose flights data shows the total cost for using the defence aircrafts has risen to $26.6m over the period, including $10.3m in 2023 alone.

Unsurprisingly, the largest bill in 2023 was from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who spent more than 750 hours in the air at a cost of nearly $4.1m. Albanese is followed by the defence minister, Richard Marles, who charged taxpayers $1,915,094 in 2023 for 432.8 hours in domestic and international flights.

The governor general, David Hurley, charged $908,397 for the year, followed by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, whose bill was worth $767,716.

Marles said last year the changes were as a result of national security advice. Concerns had been raised that releasing the data exposed patterns of behaviour that made politicians vulnerable.

Kershaw added that reports of harassment, nuisance, offensive and threatening communications against Australian parliamentarians has increased by 160%.

Rex Patrick, a former independent senator for South Australia, is fighting the federal government for its secret flight logs in the administrative appeals tribunal.