Julie Bishop: when is a partner not a partner?
2015-2017
Julie Bishop claimed $32,000 in taxpayers’ money for “family” travel by her long-term partner but did not declare his financial interests because she claims he is not her spouse.
Julie Bishop says she was not obliged to disclose the financial interests of her partner David Panton on the parliamentary register because he is not her “spouse” or de facto partner. This means that details of his business interests and property holdings are not disclosed.
According to The Age and SMH, because Mr Panton is not listed as a spouse, Ms Bishop has never declared any complimentary travel, hospitality or flight upgrades he may have received while accompanying her around Australia or on missions abroad.
A 30-year veteran of the mainstream media, Liz was the editor of MWMuntil June 2021. Liz began her career in journalism in 1990 and worked at The Age newspaper for two 10-year stints. She also worked at The Guardian newspaper in London for more than seven years. A former professional tennis player who represented Australia in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Liz has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Letters (Hons).