April 7, 2010 2:00pm by David Farrar

The gift that keeps on giving

Labour MP Chris Carter is tonight defending a planned two-and-a-half week trip to Europe as just doing his job.

Mr Carter was much-criticised for his hefty travel bills when he was a minister, but now Carter is off to observe the upcoming UK elections.

And that is not parliamentary work. Chris is Opposition Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, and overseas travel to meet with foreign Ministers and MPs on international policy issues is a legitimate work expense.

But spending over a week observing the UK elections is not – that is party political.

If the election observing was just for a day or two, of a trip with legitimate parliamentary purposes, then I don’t think it would be an issue. But observing (which really means learning campaign strategies to try back home) an election is not a legitimate parliamentary purpose.

Mr Carter was dubbed the ‘Minister for Overseas Travel’ when he was in office, spending $131,000 over a year. Now in opposition and with the spotlight on MPs’ spending, Mr Carter has had to be more careful.

No wonder Whale has dubbed Chris the gift that keeps on giving. On top of his huge number of trips as Education Minister, we’ve also had many trips in Opposition – few having anything to do with his parliamentary duties.

Mr Carter told 3 News the only taxpayer-funded part of the trip is the heavily-subsidised return airfares to Europe he’s entitled to as a long-serving MP, and he’s likely to fly business class.

Which is by fat the biggest cost.

Mr Carter says the trip is all work.

Eight days observing the UK elections is not parliamentary work. It is Labour Party work.

I empathise with Chris. I love foreign elections. I’ve even been to a couple, and would love to be in the UK for their elections. A mate of mine has in fact gone there. But he has taken unpaid leave from his job, and paid his own way. And when I have travelled to observe elections, I have funded my own way.

If Chris wants to observe the UK elections for Labour, then Labour should fund his travel.

Mr Carter told 3 News he would be disappointed if we did this story about his European trip. He pointed out he hadn’t been overseas this year, and as Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesman, travel was part of his job.

Well that is a lie, and I am amazed Three News did not pick it up. Chris was in the Carribean and New York for two and a bit weeks earlier this year.

And travel is part of the job for a Foreign Affairs spokesman – I agree. But only for portfolio related events, and observing the UK election is not a parliamentary task.

As I said, if the UK elections was just for a day or two, then no big fuss – people get weekends off – even on overseas trips. But as far as I can tell, the UK elections are the main rationale for the trip, and the fleeting visits to other countries are secondary.

He says 3 News is unfairly targeting him because of his past spending, and says other Labour MPs have indeed been overseas on holidays this year without media attention.

Of course Chris gets more scrutiny, which is why he should be more restrained. It’s just like people notice a reformed alcoholic having a drink, but in this case a travelaholic.

Mr Carter wouldn’t say who, but it is understood David Parker went to Cuba for more than two weeks and David Cunliffe was hosted by the Japanese government last week.

Dobbing his colleagues in won’t go down well with them I suspect.

But Mr Carter says the scrutiny won’t stop him doing his job, and he intends to go to Pakistan and India later in the year.

And if he is there not to observe elections, but discuss regional security issues, trade policy, foreign policy etc then I support such travel. But the UK trip should not qualify, and I am amazed Phil Goff approved it.