EXCLUSIVE: Labor Speaker Mark Monaghan secretly charged taxpayers for a late-night flight on Territory Day to the Solomon Islands for an exclusive international parliamentary get-together that involved a ceremony with a giant pig and young men in loincloths, while posting images to social media this week that make it appear he is still in Darwin, the NT Independent can reveal.

Mr Monaghan, who faced scrutiny at Estimates two weeks ago over his controversial decision to permit two Labor MLAs to charge taxpayers for their personal interstate holidays, was seen departing the Darwin International Airport in the wee hours of Territory Day to embark on the journey to the Pacific islands nation, which would have included a stopover in a major capital city.

Mr Monaghan did not respond to the NT Independent’s questions at the airport about his destination, however pictures and video of him and Clerk Mathew Bates have appeared on the international Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Facebook page, in which the two men can be seen engaging in ceremonies and parliamentary procedures in Honiara as part of the exclusive CPA event.

One of those ceremonies involved a giant pig tethered to a post, along with young men in loincloths lining up to shake visiting dignitaries hands after a performance. Mr Monaghan can be seen in videos on the page enjoying the festivities while wearing thongs.

The total cost of the latest trip is unknown and was not publicly announced.

Less than six weeks ago, Mr Monaghan charged taxpayers for a trip to the United Kingdom that was also not publicly announced and the total costs also not disclosed.

Mr Monaghan refused to explain yesterday why he does not publicly announce that he is on the junkets and why his staff continue to post to social media to make it appear he is in town.

His Facebook posts since flying out for the latest junket early Saturday morning include celebrating the opening of the new Guzman Y Gomez burrito shop in his Stuart Park electorate yesterday, writing, “come down and meet the friendly staff and snag the ripper deals”, despite being 3200km away.

He also yesterday posted apparent old photos of himself from an undated Parliament House ceremony involving US servicemen, in which he wrote that he was “wishing all of our American friends Happy 4th of July”.

The NT Independent revealed in May that Mr Monaghan created a new entitlement for politicians that permitted Attorney General Chansey Paech and Deputy Speaker Dheran Young to use their taxpayer-funded fuel cards to take personal interstate holidays over the Christmas period, racking up thousands of dollars in supposed fuel costs.

Monaghan (far right) enjoying the pig ceremony on the Solomon Islands. (Courtesy CPA)

While the rules for politician entitlements permits the fuel cards to be used in the NT, it does not state they can be used interstate for personal holidays. But Mr Monaghan secretly ruled they could be used interstate just days before Mr Paech and Mr Young disembarked on their holidays in December, in a decision that other MLAs were not made aware of.

Neither politician has paid back the combined $3400 in fuel costs they charged taxpayers for their personal holidays that was not specifically allowed under current entitlements and that judges and public servants are forbidden from claiming.

However, according to the entitlement rules set out in the Remuneration Tribunal Determination, Mr Monaghan’s junket to the Solomon Islands is permitted for any politician attending a CPA event around the world, with the Speaker’s permission.

That includes first class airfare and whatever accommodation the travelling politician finds suitable, the cost of which will never be made publicly available.

Mr Young also charged taxpayers for an undisclosed CPA trip to Edmonton, Alberta Canada last month.

Mr Monaghan would not say what benefit Territorians are getting out of his trip to the Solomon Islands or the last trip to his home country of the UK.

All Territory politicians were previously required to file a report to Parliament on their taxpayer-funded travel, that included costs, what was accomplished during the trips, and what benefit Territorians received for the expense, but that requirement was quietly scrapped by the Gunner Labor government in early 2018, just over a year after being elected on a platform of “restoring integrity to government”.

While the costs of Mr Monaghan’s latest junket were not disclosed, including accommodation and hospitality costs, the Federal Government advises those visiting the Solomon Islands to “exercise a high degree of caution in [capital city] Honiara”.

“Political unrest can happen in Honiara during sittings of Parliament, elections and times of political uncertainty,” the advisory states. “Demonstrations can turn violent quickly. Avoid protests and political gatherings.”