Minister resigns over scandal for doing private business on state-sponsored trip

An ongoing expense scandal which is brewing in Australia has seen the resignation of Health Minister Sussan Ley.

She threw in the towel after allegedly using a taxpayer-funded trip to purchase an apartment on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

According to the embattled minister, the decision to purchase the A$795,000 (£473,300; $585,200) investment property during a ministerial trip in May 2015 was “neither planned nor anticipated”.

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Her resignation was however accepted by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who pledged to set up an independent body to oversee parliamentary expenses, similar to what exists in the United Kingdom.

“Australians are entitled to expect that politicians spend taxpayers’ money carefully, ensuring at all times that their work expenditure represents an efficient, effective and ethical use of public resources,” Mr Turnbull said.

“We should be as careful and as accountable with taxpayer money as we possibly can be.” He added.

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