Insurance claims show that Victorian MPs have been involved in 208 accidents in their taxpayer-funded cars between January 2013 and November 2016, resulting in hundreds of thousands worth in damages.
According to reports, members of the state parliament had met an average of nearly two accidents each in their electorate car, causing taxpayers to fork out $45,000 in excess payments to cover the claims.
Half of the recorded accidents were deemed the MPs’ fault, the excesses of which had to be paid by the politicians themselves, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.
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The data was based on documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws.
The accidents, which included politicians hitting trees, scraping posts, colliding with other cars while merging lanes, and hitting kangaroos, caused damages worth $532,431 to the taxpayer-funded cars and over $126,162 to other vehicles, the report said.
Both Premier Daniel Andrews and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy had been responsible for what their offices described as “minor” accidents, which prompted them to pay the $500 excess on their insurance claims.
The identity of other MPs who caused accidents were concealed by the Andrews Government, using privacy laws to protect their “personal affairs.”
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