Speaker Vicki Dunne's controversial overseas travel with her husband could result in a change of rules for territory politicians on spousal and staff travel, with a review under way by the Assembly ethics and integrity adviser.
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Mrs Dunne announced the review on Wednesday, after reports in The Canberra Times on travel with her husband to Malaysia in April and May for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting.
In a separate development, a meeting of the association's ACT branch on Friday is expected to consider a motion blocking future spouse travel, ending the loophole for overseas trips which falls outside the authority of the ACT Remuneration Tribunal.
Mrs Dunne has defended taking her husband Lyle Dunne on a $2200 trip to Sabah for an association executive committee meeting. The trip, which came after a week's family holiday, was paid for by the association and followed contradictory advice from the Assembly clerk and the ethics and integrity adviser on whether Mrs Dunne's plans fell under a year-old ban on spouse travel.
Clerk Tom Duncan argued the association paid for travel with funds received from parliamentary bodies, including more than $14,000 from ACT taxpayers last financial year. Both sets of advice acknowledged the trip could attract media interest and controversy.
Mrs Dunne said the review would consider all third party gifts and travel, and if receiving and reporting by Assembly members should be better regulated. Ethics adviser Stephen Skehill will consult with Mr Duncan as part of the review and the advice will be released publicly.
This week Chief Minister Andrew Barr argued a ban instituted for taxpayer-funded travel was clear, saying spouse travel should be privately funded.
Liberal Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson, who heads Mrs Dunne's party, defended her actions on Wednesday but conceded the debate had been damaging.
"I think there has been a political price, there's no doubt about it," Mr Hanson said.
"This hasn't played out well in the media, I don't dispute that, but that doesn't call into question or suggest that Vicki Dunne has done anything wrong."
Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury said personal judgment about official travel was required.
Mr Rattenbury, a former Assembly speaker, said members should always be mindful about the use of public resources for travel and noted his personal preference was for economy airfares and bus travel to Sydney.
"With respect to the Speaker, I think the notion that a spouse should travel with you to these events is an outdated idea," he said.
Separately, Mrs Dunne is to lead a delegation to Taiwan this month, travelling with Liberal frontbencher Andrew Wall, Labor backbencher Chris Bourke and her senior adviser.
Mrs Dunne said the Taipei government, which is paying the full cost of the trip, invited a members from all parties, but Chief Minister Andrew Barr did not believe Mr Rattenbury, the only Green in the Assembly, should travel due to his status as a government minister.
Australia doesn't recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state and the federal government doesn't make official visits there, but Mrs Dunne said state governments regularly accepted invitations to visit. Mrs Dunne said the Department of Foreign Affairs had provided advice about the ACT trip, which said the visit "was not a problem". She did not release the advice.
Spouses were not invited on the August trip, which will also be subject to the upcoming advice from Mr Skehill.
