Special Minister of State Don Farrell has conceded he does not know the rules of his own portfolio when quizzed about Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s travel expenses.

Hanson-Young spent almost $50,000 of taxpayer money flying her lobbyist husband Ben Oquist to and from Canberra, and has insisted she won’t repay it as the trips were within her family entitlement.

She has said she would no longer use the benefit due to the ‘stress’ from public scrutiny.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Farrell said it was up to MPs to interpret and comply with the guidelines.  

‘Each individual has to make their own decision about how they comply with the rules,’ he said.

‘Obviously Senator Hanson-Young has made a determination about how she will apply the rules.’

He noted the Albanese Government had recently tightened travel entitlements. 

‘The rules have changed, the entitlements or the travel arrangements have been reduced,’ Farrell said.

Don Farrell (pictured) said he was not aware if Hanson-Young’s travel was within the rules 

‘Obviously it’s an obligation on me and every other Member of Parliament to comply with those new rules.’  

Pressed on whether Hanson‑Young’s claims for her husband would be permitted under the new framework, Farrell said he wasn’t sure, despite being the minister responsible for the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).

‘I don’t know,’ he said.

‘I was negotiating a free trade agreement in Europe when this conversation took place and I must admit I haven’t caught up with the specifics.’ 

‘Each MP has to understand the rules and comply with the rules. That includes me and every other Member of Parliament.’  

Hanson-Young has repeatedly defended her use of the travel allowance, saying it allowed her to keep her family ‘together’ across two cities. 

‘We split our time between Adelaide and Canberra, that’s our life,’ she told Sky News on Thursday. 

‘You travel a lot and I want to be able to keep my family together as much as possible.’ 

Sarah Hanson-Young (pictured) spent $50,000 flying her lobbyist husband around the country

However, she acknowledged the political backlash had become too great.

‘I’ve made a decision that, going forward, I’m not going to use the entitlement because it’s just not worth the stress and attention that it brings onto families.’

Adding to the scrutiny, Farrell has faced criticism for claiming more than $100,000 in flights for his wife and adult children since 2022.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced stricter spousal travel rules in December, tightening entitlements and oversight following widespread anger at MPs’ use of taxpayer-funded family flights. 

Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells also came under fire late last year for using taxpayer funds to fly her husband to sporting matches and events, resulting in her referring herself to IPEA, which remains under investigation.

Wells has defended her use of travel funds, stating they were within the rules.