Credit Card Controversy

I honestly don’t have a problem with ministers using their ministerial credit cards for personal expenses, and I don’t understand the current furore around it.

Obviously if you’re using your company card in order to avoid paying yourself, then that’s not kosher, and frankly you are a thief. But then we get the case reported by Stuff today :

… former associate corrections minister Mita Ririnui confirmed he bought a $600 set of golf clubs while in Australia on his ministerial credit card.

But Mr Ririnui said he reimbursed the spending within a week of his return home and used his ministerial credit card only because it was all he had on him at the time.

I see no problem whatsoever with ministers doing things like this. I propose a very simple, two step test.

1. Was the money paid back?
2. Was the money paid back on the ministers initiative (as in, they didn’t wait till the spending was queried)?

If the answer to both these questions is yes, then there is no problem. Nobody has lost anything, and the only thing anyone has gained is convenience.

By all means trawl the credit card records that have been released, but then run any unusual spending through the test above, and if it meets that standard, it’s not a story.

EDIT: I should add though that it’s probably not smart to put pornography on the ministerial card, even if you are paying it back. If you do that, I don’t think you are a criminal, but I do think you are a bit stupid – which to be fair you probably think about yourself right now.

EDIT TWO: I’ve now found that parliamentary services explicitly said that ministerial cards were not to be used for personal spending, regardless of whether it was paid back straight after. I still don’t have a problem with the Ririnui example above and don’t think it’s a story, but do get some of the furore now as a breach of procedure issue rather than a rort.