About this comparison
Compare the parliamentary expenses of Australian federal MPs and Senators side by side, and against the median politician. The data covers 403 politicians over 34 quarters (2018 Q1 to 2026 Q2) and comes from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA). Last updated 21 September 2026. Data and methodology.
Snapshot: 2026 Q2
In 2026 Q2 the median politician claimed $177,844 in parliamentary expenses (across the 270 politicians who filed). The median claim in each category was:
| Category | Median claim | Share of all spending |
|---|
| Office Administration | $55,364 | 30.8% |
| Office Facilities | $43,709 | 23.5% |
| Employee Travel | $29,891 | 28.2% |
| Scheduled Commercial Transport | $11,191 | 7.3% |
| Travel Allowance | $8,277 | 4.3% |
| Other Car Costs | $6,108 | 3.7% |
| Telecommunications | $539 | 0.3% |
| International Travel | $0 | 1.3% |
| Unscheduled Commercial Transport | $0 | 0.4% |
Largest claims in 2026 Q2
- Anthony Albanese – $954,091
- Don Farrell – $659,641
- Richard Marles – $534,696
- Madeleine King – $501,890
- Penny Wong – $483,169
- Clare O'Neil – $438,934
- Tim Ayres – $438,621
- Jim Chalmers – $420,681
- Patrick Gorman – $419,300
- Pat Conroy – $407,376
Frequently asked questions
What expenses does this compare?
Federal MPs and Senators claim parliamentary expenses and entitlements, which the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA) publishes every quarter. This tool groups the claims into broad categories: Office Administration, Office Facilities, Employee Travel, Scheduled Commercial Transport, Travel Allowance, Other Car Costs, Telecommunications, International Travel, and Unscheduled Commercial Transport. Each category is made up of smaller items such as printing, hire cars or commercial flights.
How do I compare politicians?
Choose "Politicians" to add up to four MPs or Senators, then pick a window (one quarter, the last four quarters, or the career average per quarter), a view (categories or trend) and whether to show dollars or each category's share of the politician's own spending. Each politician is shown next to the median politician. The address in your browser records your selection, so you can share it.
What is the "median politician"?
For every category, the middle value across all politicians who filed in that period. A politician with no claim in a category counts as $0, so the median can be much lower than the average. Because each category is a separate median, the category medians do not add up to the median total.
What do the quarter, last 4 quarters and career average mean?
Quarter is one reporting quarter's spending. Last 4 quarters is the average per quarter over the four quarters ending at the chosen quarter (a politician who filed in fewer than four is averaged over the quarters they filed in). Career average is the average per quarter served across all the data (2018 Q1 onward); the benchmark for it uses politicians with at least four quarters.
Are refunds and family travel included?
Refunds and credits are netted off, so a returned fare reduces a total. Family and nominee travel that the source files in a single pooled record under one name is not attributed to any individual: it is not a person, so it is excluded from the comparisons and medians.
Where do the party and chamber shown for each politician come from?
For current members, from They Vote For You, the same source as the politician summary pages. Former members use the party recorded in the IPEA data, which can label some minor-party members "Independent".
Does a higher figure mean something is wrong?
No. These are claims within entitlements, and they vary with role, the size and remoteness of an electorate, distance from Canberra and staffing. The tool shows the numbers; it does not judge them.
Can I download the data?
Yes. Use "Download this table (CSV)" under any comparison. The underlying JSON files, with field descriptions, are listed on the data and methodology page (https://politicalgadgets.com/expenses/data/). The data is free to reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0): please credit Political Gadgets.
How often is it updated?
After each IPEA quarterly release. The latest quarter loaded is 2026 Q2.
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