INDI MP Cathy McGowan has splurged the equivalent cost of a family home in one of Wodonga’s most sought-after areas to establish two electoral offices after her historic election win last year.
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The $383,254.02 spent on rented offices in Wodonga and Wangaratta puts her at the top of the list for fit-outs undertaken by all federal politicians between January 1 and June 30 this year.
The figures are contained in Department of Finance documents released this week and also include an additional $103,838 for office facilities and administration costs.
Ms McGowan spent more than $500,000 in the six months to June 30 this year.
Most of that was spent on fit-outs in the Wangaratta office formerly occupied by Liberals Sophie Mirabella and Lou Lieberman and establishing a second office in High Street, Wodonga, which was opened in July.
Tasmanian Liberal backbencher Eric Hutchinson also spent up big on office fit-outs in his seat of Lyons.
Fit-outs totalled $325,220 and he spent a further $143,158 on facilities and administration costs.
In comparison, Farrer MP Sussan Ley spent $600 on her established offices in Albury and Broken Hill.
But Ms Ley is moving into new premises in Kiewa Street and those costs will be outlined in the next six-monthly figures from the finance department.
The $383,254.02 spent by Ms McGowan could buy a home in Cambourne Park, Wodonga with three bedrooms, two living areas and a pool, or an almost-new four bedroom brick veneer home in Wangaratta.
She said the expenditure figure was inflated due to the establishment of her second office in Wodonga.
“It has been really well used,” she said.
“People walking in off the street, people coming in for appointments and me meeting people in Wodonga about Wodonga issues.
“It has been a really good investment and the people of Indi would think it was long overdue that
Wodonga had its own modern, sophisticated office.”
Ms McGowan said the Wangaratta office had been overdue for a good facelift.
“It was dark, dingy and pokey,” she said.
“I’m hoping the people of Indi see it as a good investment made early in the piece which they will get long term benefit from.”
Ms McGowan is allowed to have two electorate offices due to the size of Indi — more than 25,000 square kilometres.
Her predecessor, Mrs Mirabella only had one office in Wangaratta before she lost the seat in September last year but had a second office approved at Alexandra in the southern part of the electorate before the election.
Other Victorian MPs to lash out on office fit-outs in the latest figures were Gippsland National Party MP Darren Chester ($256,906), Labor MP Rob Mitchell ($247,489) and Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson ($267,492).
