Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have faced criticism for using taxpayer funds to fly their family members to Canberra for Budget Night. The flights for relatives, who hold well-paid professional positions, have drawn scrutiny as the country grapples with a cost-of-living crisis.
Taxpayers were billed over $4,200 for the travel. Albanese utilized the parliamentary family reunion allowance to bring his wife, Jodie Haydon, and son, Nathan Albanese, from Sydney to Canberra. Each one-way flight cost $647.83, with return flights totaling $2,591.32. Both Haydon and Nathan Albanese hold senior roles; Nathan works in Commonwealth Bank's institutional banking division, and Haydon held a senior executive position at Teacher's Mutual Bank as of May 2025.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers also used the family travel allowance for his wife, Laura Chalmers, and their son to attend Budget Night. The travel bill for the Chalmers family amounted to $1,641.14, covering two flights from Brisbane to Canberra ($618.46 each), a $20 non-refundable airline fee, and two return flights costing $192.11 each. Laura Chalmers is the editor-in-chief of News Corp Brisbane's weekend magazines.
In contrast, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor did not claim the family travel allowance for the same period. Taylor's wife, Louise Clegg, reportedly drove from their home in the Southern Highlands to Canberra for his Budget reply speech, with no parliamentary travel entitlement claimed.
Political commentator Peter van Onselen noted that while the claims were permissible under parliamentary rules, they were politically insensitive given the ongoing cost-of-living challenges. He stated that while families are struggling financially, asking taxpayers to fund flights for relatives in well-compensated jobs is an unnecessary expense and creates a poor public image.