Wells spends thousands on Comcars to attend grand finals, but has plenty of company
Labor’s Anika Wells allowed a Comcar to wait while she attended sports events on three separate occasions, a move that cost taxpayers thousands, the ABC has uncovered.
Yet these pricey trips aren’t unusual for MPs across the spectrum, with many others racking up similar bills in recent years.
Ms Wells has faced a wave of inquiries this week about whether her use of taxpayer entitlements meets public expectations. The scrutiny covers overseas travel, travel with family, attendance at birthday celebrations, and the use of Commonwealth vehicles.
Disclosures show the sports minister racked up sizable Comcar bills on three days tied to major sporting events:
- $1,288 for a Comcar in Sydney on October 2, 2022, when she attended both the NRL men’s and women’s grand finals at Olympic Park;
- $1,063 over two days in Melbourne on September 29–30, 2023, when she went to the AFL grand final at the MCG; and
- $959 for a Comcar in Melbourne on January 28, 2023, when she attended the women’s singles final at the Australian Open.
A government spokesperson told the ABC the travel to the Australian Open, initially reported by Nine newspapers, was “in line with the guidelines” and that Wells attended in her role as sport minister.
The spokesperson did not confirm details of the other two trips, but the minister listed two tickets to each event on her gifts register. https://www.aph.gov.au/-/media/03SenatorsandMembers/32Members/Register/47P/SZ/Wells_47P.pdf
Comcars are billed per minute, currently at $2.22, which includes waiting time and implies the cars were in use for at least seven hours on each of the four occasions. The rate at the time of those events was slightly lower. https://maps.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-06/COMCAR%20Charging%20Structure%20July%202025.pdf
It isn’t possible to determine exactly how much of this time was spent waiting at events since disclosures show only dates, not times, and the minister could have had other engagements the same day.
Hundreds of substantial Comcar bills
Parliamentarians may use Comcars if the dominant purpose of travel is work-related and the option represents value for money, according to official guidelines. https://www.ipea.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-09/ipea_qrg.pdf
Expensive Comcar trips are common. Since detailed records began in 2017, there have been 683 Comcar trips costing taxpayers more than $1,000, involving 88 politicians. This year alone, there have been 108 such trips, roughly half of which involved Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton—often during election campaigns and likely tied to security needs.
Among the year’s top charges is a Brisbane trip by independent MP Bob Katter in March, totaling $2,896. Katter is a frequent Comcar user and has exceeded $1,000 nine times this year, reflecting a larger travel budget tied to his substantial electorate.
Several ministers have logged multiple four-figure trips this year, including Anne Aly, Tim Ayres, Chris Bowen, Mark Butler, Matt Keogh, Catherine King, Richard Marles, Clare O’Neil, Tanya Plibersek, and Amanda Rishworth, though Wells is not among them.
Coalition frontbenchers Darren Chester, Jonathon Duniam, sports spokesperson Anne Ruston, and Susan McDonald have also surpassed $1,000 at least once this year.
While Wells’ case has focused on specific trips rather than overall spending, disclosures show she is not alone in overseas travel, family reunion travel, or total expenditures.
Over the previous Parliament, Wells ranked 18th in Comcar spending, behind 15 ministry colleagues plus Bob Katter and David Littleproud. She placed 34th for family-reunion spending, 17th for international travel, and 23rd overall.
