Tarneit MP Telmo Languiller had intended to make a Queenscliff property his primary place of residence, but family obligations prevented him from doing so.
A Parliamentary Audit Committee report tabled in state parliament this morning stated that Mr Languiller, who came under fire last month for claiming almost $40,000 in entitlements for living in on the Bellarine Peninsula, was facing “issues in his personal and family life” which he believed required him to move to the coast.
MPs are entitled to claim for a second residence if they represent regional electorates that require them to stay in Melbourne while parliament is sitting.
The report found that the Tarneit MP had changed his address on his driver’s licence and the electoral roll, and also purchased a car to get around Queenscliff.
“However, during the course of 2016 the member’s personal and family circumstances changed requiring him to spend more time in the Melbourne metropolitan area and staying in Queenscliff less frequently”, the report stated.
Access to underage children and the need to care for his elderly parents took priority.
Mr Languiller had not notified the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly when it became apparent that the intention to live in Queenscliff as his primary residence was no longer a reality.
He has since repaid the $37,800 he claimed.
The report also recommended changes to the current system, including members to only claim the allowance based on the geographic location of their electorate and remove all allowances and replace them with reimbursement for business related expenditure.
Mr Languiller is currently on leave due to high blood pressure, depression, and illness in his family.
In a statement posted on Facebook earlier this month he said: “My decision to get a place in Queenscliff came when I needed somewhere to stay following a difficult and distressing family breakdown in 2015. I had every intention to make it my home base and indeed I continue to retain it.
“However, I became increasingly uneasy as my family pressures and commitments meant that I was spending little time there. I ended my claim to the allowance.”
He resigned from his position as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly last month.
