BENAMBRA MP Bill Tilley has jumped to the defence of Liberal colleague and former treasurer Michael O'Brien for spending nearly $4000 on a private jet to visit Wodonga last year.
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Mr O'Brien has been likened to Bronwyn Bishop for hiring the plane at the expense of other modes of transport to travel to Wodonga in the lead-up to the state election last November.
Ms Bishop lost her speaker job in the federal parliament recently for misusing taxpayers' money on travel including an ill-fated helicopter ride between Melbourne and Geelong.
Mr Tilley said on Friday the trip by Mr O'Brien and his staff was justified.
"We had the Victorian treasurer come to this area," Mr Tilley said.
"Yes, the facts are it was during the caretaker period.
"But the important thing was to get him here to talk to a local business (Bertazzo Engineered) which received a $250,000 grant from the government.
"We made the most of the opportunity and we found things for him to do."
Mr Tilley said a private jet from Essendon airport to the border was
"To get him on the ground you couldn't use the rail.
"He could have driven.
"But that would have been eight hours spent on the road.
"He couldn't catch a commercial flight because we wouldn't meet the schedules of the businesses.
"He wasn't on his own.
"He had staff and they were here to work also."
Federal Labor candidate in Indi Eric Kerr was unaware of the controversy when approached for comment on Friday.
But state Labor MP Gavin Jennings went on the attack on Channel 7 on Thursday night.
"This just doesn't pass the sniff test," he said.
"Michael O'Brien is turning himself into the Bronwyn Bishop of Victorian politics."
Mr O'Brien defended his actions.
"The reason why I was up there was to visit businesses," he said.
"It is trying to make the best use of taxpayers' money and time.
"It is a long way up to Wodonga and I had a lot of responsibilities on the day."
Mr O'Brien opened Mr Tilley's campaign office on the day.
The former government also committed $4.3 million to Wodonga Middle Years College's Huon campus.
Labor has been under fire this week for allegedly diverting electorate office funds to campaigning.
