 |
| Sussan Ley has resigned as Australia's health minister |
Australian Health Minister Sussan
Ley has resigned after using a taxpayer-funded trip to purchase an
apartment on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Entitlements scandals have engulfed Australian politics in recent years.
 |
| Malcolm Turnbull accepted Ms Ley's resignation on Friday |
"Australians are entitled to expect that politicians spend taxpayers' money carefully, ensuring at all times that their work expenditure represents an efficient, effective and ethical use of public resources," he said.
"We should be as careful and as accountable with taxpayer money as we possibly can be." In her resignation statement, Ms Ley maintained she had not broken any rules, "not just regarding entitlements but most importantly the ministerial code of conduct".
However, she said the saga had become a distraction for the government. "Whilst I have attempted at all times to be meticulous with rules and standards, I accept community annoyance, even anger, with politicians' entitlements demands a response," she said on Friday.
How the system will work now
- A new independent authority will oversee parliamentary expenses, replacing a government department
- MPs will have to update their spending monthly, rather than twice a year
- The system will be based on the UK model, with a searchable database
- There will be no "material cost" to the budget, according to Mr Turnbull
Ms Ley faced pressure over separate trips to the Gold Coast, where she purchased the A$795,000 (£473,300; $585,200) investment property in 2015 and attended New Year's Eve parties in 2013 and 2014.
She described the apartment purchase as an "error of judgement" that was "neither planned nor anticipated".
Mr Turnbull said he believed Ms Ley's resignation was the "right judgement" and thanked her for her service.