Growing Calls for Anika Wells to Resign
Anika Wells, the Sports and Communications Minister, is under increasing pressure to step down following revelations that taxpayers have funded thousands of dollars in flights for her husband, Finn McCarthy, who works as a banking lobbyist. The Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) has ordered Wells to repay $10,116 after an audit found four breaches of parliamentary travel rules across multiple trips between 2022 and 2025.
The audit revealed that several of McCarthy’s trips were approved under family reunion rules, including six Canberra trips. McCarthy, who works for Suncorp Group as government affairs manager, is responsible for engaging with key government stakeholders. However, the Opposition has raised concerns about whether these trips should have been paid for by McCarthy himself, even though Wells’ office claims he did not undertake any work for his employer during the trips.
Shadow Special Minister of State James McGrath criticized Wells for what he described as a lack of regard for taxpayer money. He stated, “IPEA can only work with the information they have been given,” and added that it is up to Wells to confirm that every time the taxpayer has paid for her husband’s travel, it was in a private capacity as her spouse, not as a lobbyist.
A Closer Look at the Travel Claims
The IPEA audit included several specific dates and details regarding McCarthy’s travel:
- September 5, 2022: A Canberra trip where IPEA accepted Mr McCarthy’s travel was primarily to ‘facilitate family life’. MET THE RULES
- September 21, 2022: A trip to Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne for the Queen’s memorial service, FIBA Women’s Basketball Championships, WADA meetings, and the AFL Grand Final, with spousal travel approved. MET THE RULES
- June 18, 2023: A week-long Canberra trip where Mr McCarthy accompanied the minister. MET THE RULES
- March 22, 2024: A Melbourne and Canberra trip linked to the Australian Grand Prix and stakeholder meetings. MET THE RULES
- May 10, 2025: A trip to Canberra with her family and children. DID NOT MEET THE RULES
- June 20, 2025: A Canberra trip for parliamentary business involving Wells, her spouse, and dependants. MET THE RULES
- June 24, 2025: A separate Canberra trip where Mr McCarthy attended a function at the Speaker’s invitation, which IPEA ruled complied with parliamentary travel rules. MET THE RULES
McGrath emphasized that this is a Minister who has shown a constant disregard for taxpayers’ money since the moment she became a minister and has failed to answer serious questions about her abuse of family travel entitlements.
Additional Scrutiny on Minister’s Expenses
Wells has faced mounting scrutiny since December, when it was revealed she spent $90,000 on a trip to New York to promote the government’s controversial social media ban. The controversy later widened to include a series of taxpayer-funded trips involving members of her family.
Among the expenses, Wells spent $7,000 flying McCarthy to three AFL grand finals at taxpayers’ expense. She also charged taxpayers almost $1,000 for a chauffeur for seven hours on the day she attended the Australian Open in 2023, and more than $1,200 for nine hours on the day of the NRL and NRLW grand finals in 2022, according to the parliamentary expenses register.
In another extraordinary expense, the minister had a secure communications facility installed in her electorate office in October 2024 while serving as Sports and Aged Care Minister—despite a similar facility already being available about a 20-minute drive away.
Wells also conducted a ‘sideline meeting’ at a 40th birthday party during a $3,681 taxpayer-funded trip to Adelaide on June 7 last year. She told the parliamentary watchdog that when a meeting with then-South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton fell through, it was rescheduled to take place at his wife Connie Blefari’s 40th birthday party at The Jade.
Government Response and Public Reaction
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later moved to restrict family reunion travel entitlements following backlash over the expenses scandal. Despite the audit report’s findings, Albanese rejected calls for the minister to resign.
‘She referred herself to it, which was appropriate, and it was appropriate that she paid back the money,’ Albanese told reporters on Friday in Melbourne. ‘She has done what the rules require. Anika Wells is a very good minister doing extraordinary work.’
Under the Parliamentary Business Resources framework, MPs and ministers can claim expenses for travel, accommodation, and family reunion travel—but only if the spending is primarily for ‘parliamentary business’. Ministers can claim certain family travel costs if the trip is considered necessary to support ‘family life’ while carrying out parliamentary duties.
Trips involving official events, parliamentary sittings, stakeholder meetings, or ministerial duties can qualify under the rules.
