Among the South Australian Parliament’s the majority of senior office holders is declining to release information of any allowances paid to him and other local MPs in the middle of concerns over his eligibility to claim.
Bottom line:
- Liberal MP Terry Stephens has been questioned by the ABC over his property arrangements
- He rejects misbehavior and insists he has followed Parliament’s code of conduct
- A political expert is requiring more transparency around an accommodation allowance
Terry Stephens openly declares to reside in Victor Harbor, but an ABC investigation has actually uncovered proof which raises the concern whether paying occupants have remained at his previous registered voting address.
The ABC has actually also observed the long-serving Liberal MP costs substantial time at his 2nd home in Adelaide’s inner east.
Mr Stephens denies any misbehavior, insisting he has actually followed all parliamentary guidelines.
South Australian state MPs who live further than 75 kilometres from the Adelaide General Post Workplace are entitled to payments of $234 for each night they spend in Adelaide on official company.
However unlike other parliamentary allowances, information about the payments are not publicly available.
A trip to Victor Harbor
In politics, where you live counts.
The town of Victor Harbor is nestled on the stunning southern shoreline of the Fleurieu Peninsula, an hour’s drive from Adelaide.
Its unwinded, seaside vibe makes it a popular place for holiday-makers and retired people seeking a total change.
Because 2014, it has been the openly declared house of long-serving Liberal MP Terry Stephens.
Elected to State Parliament’s Legal Council in 2002, Mr Stephens remained in February appointed to the Council’s a lot of senior position: President.
But an ABC News examination has raised concerns about Mr Stephens’s ties to Victor Harbor, and his eligibility to claim a travel entitlement.
Mr Stephens and his other half were early investors in the Breeze, a modern-day apartment block developed on prime waterfront property on Flinders Parade, in the heart of Victor Harbor.
From 2011, Mr Stephens listed homes 10 and 21 at the Breeze on his parliamentary register of interests, along with a home at Stonyfell in Adelaide’s eastern residential areas.
The following year, he offered his Stonyfell house, deciding on a $1.085 million dollar townhouse in close-by Norwood on the same day.
While that home appears to have actually been his main home till 2014, that year Mr Stephens changed his website to state that he was residing in Victor Harbor.
What makes a house a home?
Searches of the electoral roll confirm Mr Stephens and his other half had been enrolled to vote at Apar