OZschwitz: Taxpayers the losers in election flights count

TAXPAYERS picked up a $1.3 million tab for flying political leaders about the country in Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during last year's federal election campaign.

Figures tabled in Parliament this week show Kevin Rudd spent significantly more than John Howard criss-crossing the nation during the campaign.

The figures show that Labor frontbenchers and Mr Rudd took VIP flights valued at $753,907 over the six weeks. Mr Howard and Coalition ministers took flights worth $562,669.

Mr Rudd's flights cost $324,780 compared with the $263,385 spent by Mr Howard.

Labor's deputy leader, Julia Gillard, was the third-biggest user of VIP flights, spending $224,463 compared with $80,861 spent by the then deputy prime minister, Mark Vaile.

The disparity reflects the different natures of the two leaders' campaigns.

Mr Rudd travelled more than Mr Howard, visiting more marginal seats and often attending several election events a day. This reflected Labor's strategy of generating a national swing and targeting a large number of seats nationwide.

By comparison, Mr Howard ran a more defensive strategy and spent more time in Sydney, where he was fighting to hold his own seat of Bennelong.

LNK
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ANCAPS Forum, Ancapolis, Aqua-Terra Atlantis Division.

OZschwitz parasites cashing in on an immoral system!
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"Taking money without permission is stealing unless you work for the IRS then it's taxation. Killing people en masse is homicidal mania unless you work for the Army then it's National Defense. Spying on your neighbors is invasion of privacy unless you work for the FBI then it's National Security. Running a whorehouse makes you a pimp & poisoning people makes you a murderer unless you work for the CIA then it's counter intelligence." R. Wilson. ANCAPS Forum Headquarters, Ancapolis