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Embattled Speaker Bronwyn Bishop is facing the prospect of being forced out of her job as the fallout from the scandal over her travel expenses gathers momentum.
The Liberal Party stalwart has even drawn fire from senior ranks of her own party, with a stinging rebuke from Treasurer Joe Hockey and a pointed refusal by Social Services Minister Scott Morrison to back the under-fire Speaker, raising the stakes on her ability to survive.
Mr Hockey said Ms Bishop's use of a charter helicopter to ferry her the short distance between Melbourne and Geelong for a Liberal fundraiser last year was "not a good look" and agreed it did not pass the "sniff test".
Also asked how Mrs Bishop came to spend almost $300,000 on overseas trips in one year, Mr Hockey said: "I don't know, to be brutally honest. I think the Speaker needs to explain the matter."
Mrs Bishop promised on Thursday to pay back the $5227 cost of hiring the helicopter but has not admitted any wrongdoing. She said she believed the travel was within the rules but she was giving a refund to "avoid any doubt".
She will also pay a $1300 fine under rules introduced by the Abbott government in 2013.
But the two most-recent Labor Speakers, Anna Burke and Harry Jenkins, said that should not be the end of the matter and labelled the claims as "ludicrous".
"It's not good enough," Ms Burke told Fairfax Media. "She was attending a party fundraiser. How can she justify that as official purposes?"
Under current rules, Mrs Bishop was required to sign a form confirming that the charter was for her "office holder duties". The form states that "knowingly giving false or misleading information is a serious offence" under the Criminal Code.
Ms Burke said Mrs Bishop clearly knew the charter was to attend a party event.
"She signed that form to get the money paid. Since when has a party fundraiser been an official purpose?"
Labor frontbencher Tony Burke said: "No one makes an honest mistake to accidentally turn up to a Liberal Party fundraiser by helicopter. The repayment on this one doesn't end it."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said it was a "shameful" and "egregious" abuse of entitlements.
Ms Burke also raised fresh questions about Mrs Bishop's $90,000 European trip, undertaken last year and partly aimed at securing her a prestigious job with the Inter-Parliamentary Union based in Switzerland. She lost the vote to Bangladesh's candidate but left taxpayers with the hefty bill.
Ms Burke said the price tag was "huge" and questioned why Mrs Bishop was allowed to take two staff members with her.
"The Prime Minister approves if you can do the travel and who you can take with you," Ms Burke said. "Never before has anybody been allowed to take two staff members."
Fairfax Media has sought clarification from Mr Abbott's office on whether permission was indeed required or sought.
But Ms Burke later admitted she also had to repay money after taking her children on a trip she should not have.
"I got told by the department, I went 'oh, my bad' and paid it back straight away," she said.
In her first year as Speaker, Mrs Bishop spent significantly more on overseas travel — $309,000 — than Ms Burke, former Speaker Peter Slipper or their predecessor Harry Jenkins ever did in a comparable period.
On her European trip, Mrs Bishop and two staff members spent $25,400 on accommodation and food, $42,400 on airfares and almost $14,000 on ground transport over the fortnight. They also pocketed about $6000 in advances and for minor and related expenses.
Her office continues to defend the costs, even though they dwarfed those of her fellow Australian delegates. Labor is calling on her to justify her "extravagance".
The well-respected Mr Jenkins also weighed into the debate on Thursday and stressed the need for the Speaker to be impartial and show an even hand.
"Of course I never shied away from the fact that I was and am a proud member of the ALP but once taking the position of Speaker, I realised there were other considerations to take into account."
In opposition, the Coalition called for Mr Slipper to resign as Speaker after he was accused of misusing $900 in Cabcharge vouchers for three taxi trips. He complained that other politicians had been allowed to pay back inappropriate entitlements while he faced court. His conviction was overturned on appeal.
