Updated ,first published
Communications Minister Anika Wells has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 after the parliamentary travel watchdog found four trips she charged to taxpayers broke travel rules, including a trip her husband took to the 2025 AFL grand final.
According to audit documents published by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority on Friday, Wells was ordered to pay $10,116 to the public purse – $8093 of inappropriate travel expenses and a $2023 penalty.
The minister referred herself to the expenses authority after an ongoing scandal stemming from revelations she spent $190,000 on a trip to New York to spruik the government’s social media ban. Wells, who is also the federal sports minister, came under further pressure when it became clear her husband had travelled to three AFL grand finals at a cost of $9000 to the taxpayer.
Wells said in a statement released on Friday: “These were four cases where I chose what I thought was the more sensible, cheaper option, but those choices were not allowed according to the rules, which I accept and respect.
“I accept [Independent Parliamentary Expensees Authority] assessment and I am sorry for making these honest mistakes. I have repaid the money with a penalty loading.”
On February 16, 2022, Wells’ husband Finn McCarthy travelled between Brisbane and Canberra to collect their child, as the minister had contracted COVID. The expense was charged as family reunion travel, however as McCarthy was unable to physically meet Wells she was ordered to pay the $1209 for her husband’s trip.
On May 10 last year, Wells’ family travelled to Canberra to visit her; however, she was not conducting parliamentary business at the time, and was ordered to refund taxpayers $5513 for the trip.
Wells had travelled to Canberra on May 9 to attend a Labor caucus meeting, while McCarthy and their children flew to Canberra from Brisbane the following day to attend her swearing-in ceremony at Government House on May 13. The family stayed with friends, so did not claim accommodation allowances.
On September 27, 2025, McCarthy travelled to meet Wells in Melbourne for the AFL grand final. This trip was deemed appropriate. However, McCarthy’s return flight to Brisbane, was deemed to have broken the rules because Wells took an earlier return flight to Brisbane, meaning her parliamentary business in Melbourne had concluded. Wells was made to pay $726.29 for McCarthy’s return flight.
The two other AFL grand finals McCarthy attended were not deemed to have broken expenses rules.
On October 3, 2025, Wells hired a car which she used for a mix of parliamentary and personal business. She paid back a section of the cost, which totalled $644.25.
The trip to New York was deemed appropriate by the expenses authority as the minister had “very limited flight options available to her through the contracted travel services provider”. The authority said Wells had taken “due regard to her obligation to ensure value for money”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday rejected assertions that Wells should resign, saying the social media policy was worth spruiking in New York.
“She’s paid back the money. We have IPEA. We have an independent parliamentary expenses authority, who’s in charge of this. She referred herself to it, which was appropriate, and it was appropriate that she pay back the money that has been done, and she has paid back the money in accordance with the rules,” Albanese said.
Read more on Wells’ expenses
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Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
James Massola is chief political commentator. He was previously national affairs editor and South-East Asia correspondent. He has won Quill and Kennedy awards and been a Walkley finalist. Connect securely on Signal @jamesmassola.01Connect via X or email.
