Brief
One Nation NSW leader Mike Newman's $211,000 taxpayer‑funded travel and hotel spend revealed
Expense records show Newman's seven‑month Sydney hotel stay and overseas travel cost taxpayers over $200,000.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Expense reports obtained by the Sydney Morning Herald via freedom‑of‑information laws detail that One Nation NSW leader Mike Newman incurred $211,000 in taxpayer‑funded flights, five‑star hotel stays and restaurant and bar charges during his 28‑month appointment as senior trade commissioner in Japan.
What happened
The documents show Newman billed the government for luxury accommodation in Seoul’s Grand Hyatt, Four Seasons and Marriott, as well as a seven‑month stay in a Meriton Suite in Sydney that cost $20,494. While based in Japan, he also paid $8,000 a month to rent an apartment in Tokyo. Additional Australian expenses include a $5,300 bill at the Crystalbrook Kingsley hotel in Newcastle (August 2023) and charges at Sydney CBD venues Avenue and Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe, listed under “drinking places, bars, taverns, nightclubs etc.”
What was said
Newman, who has long criticised public‑service waste, defended the spending by citing COVID‑related travel restrictions that forced him to remain in Sydney at the start of his appointment. He also claimed he used personal funds for a $10,000 Australia‑Japan Business Council event in Melbourne in October 2023 after the government declined to approve the trip. Newman said he saved taxpayers $150,000 in 2022 by terminating a PR team hired for a visit by then‑premier Dominic Perrottet, describing the team as “hopeless.”
How it came about
Newman was appointed senior trade and investment commissioner in Japan in September 2023, receiving an annual salary of roughly $450,000. His expense claims surfaced amid his rise to NSW One Nation leadership, a role in which he has repeatedly called for claw‑backs of alleged public‑service waste. The revelations arrive weeks after the Supreme Court cancelled a meeting with the One Nation One Election panel, highlighting heightened scrutiny of the party’s activities.
Key facts
- Mike Newman’s expense reports show $211,000 in taxpayer‑funded travel, hotels and bar bills. (smh.com.au)
- Newman spent $20,494 on a seven‑month stay at a Meriton Suite in Sydney. (smh.com.au)
- He claimed $8,000 a month for a Tokyo apartment and paid $5,300 for a Newcastle hotel stay in August 2023. (smh.com.au)
- Newman said he saved $150,000 by firing a PR team in 2022. (smh.com.au)
- He defended the spending as necessary due to COVID‑related travel restrictions. (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Mike Newman: One Nation leader’s seven-month Sydney hotel stay that cost taxpayers $20,000”
