Labor Ministers Rally to Defend Sports Minister Over Travel Expense Row

Expenses for dinner in Paris, visiting a ski resort, and flying across the country to a friend’s birthday party were all reported transparently, ministers said.

Minister for Communications Anika Wells at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Dec. 3, 2025. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior Minister Tanya Plibersek have both defended the spending of embattled Communications and Sports Minister Anika Wells, as information continues to emerge about her travel spending, which runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The scrutiny began when it was revealed last week that it cost taxpayers more than $100,000 (US$66,500) for flights to send her, a staff member and a public servant to New York to promote Australia’s social media ban.