A massive $728,000 in taxpayer funds were splashed by members of the Albanese Government in the first 91 days of the new financial year on high-flying commercial trips around the globe, despite a spiralling cost-of-living crisis crippling household budgets back home.

The rising bill of international travel expenses charged to Australian taxpayers by Labor MPs and Senators was released by the Commonwealth Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority this week.

It also comes as The Nightly can reveal a further $1.928m was slapped on the public purse by Commonwealth representatives in Special purpose flights managed by the Australian Defence Force between April 1 and June 30.

That brings the total spent on private jet flights on Defence aircraft to $8.228 million in the last financial year.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy was the biggest spender in the three months since July 1, handing out $132,615 in public funds for trips to Malaysia, Turkey, the United States and Palau. Meanwhile, House Speaker Milton Dick spent $64,330 during the same period.

The two senior government representatives beat Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the title of biggest commercial frequent flyer, after his office confirmed $48,696 in commercial bookings to East Timor, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Palau and the US.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong spent $48,035 on taxpayer-funded commercial travel across the globe, travelling to Niue, Samoa, India, Singapore, Fiji, Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Fiji, New Zealand and the USA.

Meanwhile, Peter Khalil spent $47,854 in the same period, as Andrew Charlton declared $47,123 in taxpayer funds for commercial international travel.

Declarations from the Department of Defence, released this week, also confirm the Prime Minister racked up $3.9 million in the last financial year on private flights on ADF aircraft.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles spent $1,671,463.30 in the 12 months to July 1 on private flights, while Senator Wong spent $814,657.30 during the same period.

ADF data also confirms Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen spent $214,866, while Immigration Minister Tony Burke spent $211,511.00.

The latest revelation of Labor’s international cash splash comes as the Prime Minister was slammed over the cost of sending a 192-strong delegation to COP31 climate summit in Turkey.

However, the bill for flights, accommodation and daily expenses won’t be revealed until later in the year through the public declaration process.

Meanwhile, Climate tsar Chris Bowen also faced backlash after it was revealed taxpayers forked out more than $2m in hospitality and hotel bills covering his attendance in yet to be published expenditure disclosures.

Shadow special minister of state, Senator James McGrath, hit out at the growing international travel bill, released by IPEA this week.

“Time and time again, Anthony Albanese and Labor Ministers like Anika Wells and Chris Bowen have shown they pay no mind to splurging extraordinary amounts of money on taxpayer-funded flights and accommodation,” Mr McGrath said.

“This comes at a time when Australian families are struggling to pay their mortgages, electricity bills and grocery costs. Meanwhile, Labor’s international jet setting to expensive international conferences and talk fests continues unabated.”

The Liberal Senator argued “spending almost $2 million on VIP flights in a period of 91 days equates to more than $21,000 every single day”.

“As part of its anti-transparency agenda, Labor has also reduced its disclosures relating to these VIP flights, denying taxpayers the ability to consider for themselves if these costs pass the pub test,” he said.

“Australians are entitled to ask what they’re actually getting in return for these extraordinary sums of taxpayer money, particularly when Labor has failed to deliver the cheaper electricity and lower cost of living it promised.”

A spokesman for Special Minister of State Don Farrell told The Nightly “parliamentarians are routinely required to travel when undertaking their duties”.

“They are provided the resources to support them in doing so and the individual expenditure of every parliamentarian is publicly reported every quarter to ensure accountability and transparency,” he said.

Revive Australia founder and Taxpayers’ Alliance representative Brian Marlow criticised the Government for spending “more than $8 million of your money flying Federal politicians around on Defence aircraft while families are sitting at the kitchen table trying to work out how they’ll make the next mortgage repayment”.

“I reckon those families would like to hear a Labor senator explain why they needed a military plane when the rest of us manage to get on a commercial flight,” Mr Marlow said. “The Prime Minister has genuine security needs, and Defence aircraft are there when the job calls for them.

“If a Labor MP wants to gallivant around the country feeling important, they can line up at the gate like everyone else. The ADF has a country to defend, and Australians deserve a government that spends their money with the same care they have to spend their own.”

Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority international commercial travel bills for the last financial year confirmed Labor Government members spent a total of $5.4 million — circumnavigating the globe more than 73 times.