Anika Wells’ Expensive Travel and Public Scrutiny
Anika Wells, the Communications Minister of Australia, has found herself in the spotlight due to her significant travel expenses, which have been covered by public funds. According to reports, she spent a total of $100,000 on a trip to New York, with additional costs for trips to Adelaide and a family ski field. These expenses have raised questions about the use of taxpayer money and whether these trips were necessary for her role.
Wells first came under scrutiny when it was revealed that her business class flights to emcee an event at the United Nations General Assembly in New York cost taxpayers $34,426 in September. Her deputy chief of staff’s flights for the same trip, where she was promoting Australia’s world-first social media ban for children, cost $38,165. Additionally, an assistant secretary from the Department of Communications flew for $22,236.31.
It has also been reported that Wells flew to Europe three times in 2023 and 2024, costing nearly $120,000 in total. These trips have further fueled public debate about the appropriateness of such expenditures.
In addition to these trips, Wells used public funds to fly to Adelaide while a friend was hosting a birthday event, which cost $3,681 for flights, hotels, and chauffeur-driven transport. She also used government money to pay $1,389 for her husband and two of her three children to join her at Thredbo ski resort during a work trip.
During another work trip in Paris, Wells dined at a Michelin-starred restaurant, where her small group spent $1,000 on food and another $750 on drinks. This incident has led to more scrutiny of her spending habits.
Wells defended her actions on Sky News, stating that all the trips were for work and necessary for her role as Communications Minister. She acknowledged that people may have a gut reaction to these figures but emphasized that she is willing for her entitlements to be scrutinized. However, she pointed out that she does not write the rules and must follow them.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supported Wells, stating that she had not misused any money and was “doing her job as the Communications Minister who’s in charge of this world-leading legislation.”
Wells declined to say if she believed her spending passed the “pub test” but described the €1,000 ($1,750) Paris dinner with her staffer, the Australian ambassador, and another government official as an “orientation meeting.” She admitted to falling asleep at the table, not going to a second location, and walking home.
Wells was also asked about her trip to Adelaide, which coincided with the birthday of Connie Blefari, an adviser to former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the wife of South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton. She insisted the trip was for work but did not clarify whether it had been booked before or after she was invited to Blefari’s birthday bash.
On Sunday, it was revealed that Wells had taken her husband, Finn McCarthy, and two of her children to Thredbo in June under the ‘family reunion’ rules, which allow MPs to bring family members on work trips. Taxpayers forked out an additional $1,389.18 on flights for Wells’ family, and the total cost of the two-day trip was $2,845.50.
The ski trip was booked after Wells was invited by Paralympics Australia to its Adaptive Festival weekend, an event designed to encourage young people with disabilities to try snow sports.
Wells is not the only minister who books personal and work events around each other. However, for taxpayers to foot the bill, the “dominant purpose” of the trip must be official and related to parliamentary duties.
The saga surrounding Wells’ spending comes as she prepares to enforce a world-first social media ban from Wednesday. New legislation will prohibit children under the age of 16 from having social media accounts, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Robb Evans, the father of Olivia Evans, who took her own life at just 15 years old following a years-long battle with her mental health that was worsened by social media, is glad to see the legislation finally come into effect. He stated that this reform has been years in the making and represents one of the most significant child-protection shifts of our time.
He added that for too long, social media has operated as an unregulated psychological experiment on young people, and the data continues to show the cost. This ban signals that we are finally prioritizing children’s safety over platform profit, and that young lives matter more than engagement metrics.
Daily Mail has contacted Wells for further comment.