A disgraced former NT politician who was appointed to the body that sets MLAs’ pay and benefits by the CLP after corruption findings were made against her, says she has no idea why remote politicians are given $450 a night to stay at their own homes in Darwin, despite personally recommending that entitlement late last year, while also demonstrating a deep lack of understanding over how the travel allowance works.

The comments follow public uproar over the generous entitlement that sees politicians from outside Darwin access the $450 tax-free daily travel allowance to attend the city for parliamentary business, regardless of where they stay. That includes embattled Labor MLA Manuel Brown, who Labor said on Friday claimed roughly $25,000 in tax-free travel allowance on top of his $198,000 salary to stay at a home he owns in Palmerston for 54 days in the 2025 calendar year.

It was revealed other politicians, including Speaker Robyn Lambley and CLP Minister Jo Hersey also claim the allowance to stay at properties they own in Darwin when in town on business, which is part of their entitlement package set by the Remuneration Tribunal.

Former speaker Kezia Purick, who currently sits on the Remuneration Tribunal that determines pay and benefits for politicians, said on ABC Radio on Thursday that she did not know why politicians from areas outside Darwin are given the $450 travel allowance despite being one of three people who reviewed and recommended those entitlements last year.

She also incorrectly claimed the daily travel allowance is not tax-free, while raising issues around the questionable use of her own electorate allowance when she was the member for Goyder for 16 years, admitting to having to pay the Australian Taxation Office for pocketing part of her allowance that was meant to service the electorate.

When asked why the NT Legislative Assembly doesn’t pay politicians a reduced travel allowance if they own their own home in Darwin, similar to Queensland, Ms Purick said “I can’t answer that”.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“I’ve only been on the tribunal for one-and-a-half years. I don’t know what’s gone before it. I mean, the membership of the tribunal changes over the years, but if there are issues that people want, you know, the tribunal to look at, you know, when every year…the members’ entitlements are reviewed.”

She was not asked by host Lara Stimpson how she could possibly be unaware of why politicians get the $450 travel allowance – or how that figure was arrived at – when she reviewed that entitlement and recommended approving it late last year, that took effect from January 1. The tribunal reviews all entitlements every year and its recommendations are signed off by each member.

“We also have to be conscious of what’s happening interstate in regards to members of Parliament and their entitlements,” Ms Purick said, contradicting her previous comment that she was unaware of Queensland’s entitlements.

“So, it’s not like [the sum] is something that is just whipped out of the air. But if there are people out there that have a strong view about this, then they should put pen to paper and put a submission in.”

Ms Purick was appointed to the Remuneration Tribunal by the Finocchiaro CLP Government in December 2024 and was paid more than $15,000 for 21 meetings in a span of nine months last financial year. The tribunal is chaired by former CLP leader Gary Higgins with former Labor deputy leader Lynne Walker as the third member.

Ms Purick also incorrectly stated on ABC Radio that the travel allowance was subject to income tax – it is not. The $450 a night is tax-free, the Legislative Assembly confirmed on Friday, and no receipts or acquittals are necessary to show where the money is spent.

“So people think it’s just $450 in your pocket – no, that’s not correct,” Ms Purick incorrectly stated on the public broadcaster. “It’s an allowance that forms part of your salary package, remuneration package.

“If you want to, you know, and I’ve got an exceptional accountant, and I was cranky every year – it’s my brother by the way – and I thought he’d do a good deal for me. But every year, because my allowance was a little bit higher than what I could show, how I justified it, then I’d get [it] put onto my salary and I had to pay [the] taxman back money.

“So, that has to be made very clear. It’s not money in your pocket straight.”

The travel allowance is in fact tax-free money in the politicians’ pocket “straight”, with no acquittals necessary.

Ms Purick’s comments are confusing as she never qualified for the $450 travel allowance while an MLA due to her residence falling within the Greater Darwin region.

She was most likely referencing her electorate allowance, which every politician is paid annually in a lump sum to service their electorate. If that money is not spent on the community – including on community events – then politicians need to declare it as income with the ATO.

The last year that Ms Purick represented the electorate of Goyder, her electorate allowance was $74,000.

Mr Brown’s electorate allowance this year is $94,000

There is no current obligation for MLAs to publicly disclose where they spend their electorate allowance and can pocket it if disclosed to the ATO.

Mr Purick was paid a ministerial salary of more than $250,000 for the nearly eight years she held the Speaker chair. She was forced to resign from the role in June 2020 when an ICAC investigation found she engaged in corrupt conduct and misused public resources, while misleading investigators and lying under oath.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has never explained why she appointed Ms Purick to the Remuneration Tribunal.

Her office on Friday declined to answer questions, including if she would have the controversial $450 travel allowance entitlement reviewed by a proper independent body and if she was concerned about Ms Purick’s ignorance in relation to how MLAs’ entitlements and rates of pay are determined.

The tribunal has been viewed as semi-independent in the past, but was filled solely with ex-politicians by Ms Finocchiaro. Last November, the tribunal recommended a $5,000 pay increase for all MLAs, on top of an $8,200 pay increase the year before, resulting in an eight per cent pay rise in 12 months amid the Northern Territory’s record debt.

The tribunal said in the latest determination that the pay increase was necessary to “attract appropriately qualified people”, but provided no evidence that tactic was working.