Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells has confirmed her intention to attend this year's AFL Grand Final, a decision made following a period where she was required to repay thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded travel expenses.
Speaking on ABC Insiders, Wells asserted that major sporting events present vital opportunities to connect directly with stakeholders from the sports and broadcasting industries. These engagements, she explained, are essential for her role.
"Whether the Lions get there or not, I will be there because it's a huge event in both the communications and sports stakeholder calendars," Wells stated. "I see dozens of my stakeholders in that room. It's a great opportunity for us to confer briefly rather than planning meetings months in advance."
She added that senior figures in media and sports organizations expect the Sports Minister to be present at such significant events. "Everybody, be it broadcast CEOs, be it national sporting organisation executives, expect to be able to see their Sport Minister and they expect their Sport Minister to be on the ground witnessing athletes' situations, and I'll continue to do that."
Wells' attendance at major sporting fixtures had decreased following a parliamentary watchdog's finding last year that she had breached travel rules related to family travel associated with the 2025 Grand Final. The watchdog ordered her to repay $10,000 for multiple trips that contravened family travel regulations, including the cost of a flight for her family home from the 2025 AFL Grand Final.
Wells was recently absent from the government's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a summit where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was expected to promote the government's social media reforms and online safety agenda, key responsibilities within Wells' communications portfolio. Wells had attended the previous year's UNGA, a trip that also drew scrutiny for its cost, with Wells billing taxpayers nearly $100,000 for the three-day visit in 2025. When asked about her absence from the current UNGA delegation, Wells declined to answer directly, with Albanese intervening to note her attendance the previous year for a "specific event."