The Canberra Times
Date: August 7, 2015
By: Tom McIlroy,Legislative Assembly reporter at The Canberra Times
An Assembly delegation led by Speaker Vicki Dunne has been cleared to visit Taiwan
Assembly ethics and integrity adviser Stephen Skehill. Photo: Richard Briggs
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later this month after an ethics review found it would not be in breach of official travel rules.
A meeting of the Assembly’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association branch held on Friday unanimously passed a motion that members refrain from accepting spouse travel funded by third parties until a further review is completed.
The advice from ethics and integrity adviser Stephen Skehill came after a week of debate about members’ travel and entitlements, prompted by Mrs Dunne’s decision to take her husband Lyle Dunne on a trip to Malaysia for a meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in April.
The Speaker sought the advice after accepting an invitation for the delegation, departing on August 17 and including Labor backbencher Chris Bourke and Liberal Andrew Wall. She has also been cleared to take her senior adviser, Clinton White, on the trip, which will be fully paid for by the Taipei government. [FULL STORY]