Full Breakdown
Mike Newman's Expense Claims Prompt Parliamentary Scrutiny
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Alleged Misuse of Taxpayer Funds
Documents released through a parliamentary call for papers on October 22, 2026 reveal that One Nation’s New South Wales leader, Mike Newman, charged the state for a dinner with a Japanese trade delegation that cost $7,790.50. The bill covered a three-course meal for 51 people at $109 per head, plus 71 beers and 23 bottles of wine priced at $59 each. The expense was billed to taxpayers despite senior public servants indicating that they had only been told alcohol would be served, not that Newman intended to pay for it in full.
Background & Context
Newman served a 28-month stint as a senior trade commissioner in Japan before becoming One Nation’s NSW leader and candidate for Cessnock. While awaiting travel clearance during the COVID-19 pandemic, he incurred $20,494 for a seven-month stay in a Meriton Suite in Sydney and later billed roughly $8,000 per month for a Tokyo apartment. Additional expenses include a $5,086 month-long stay at Meriton Suites in North Sydney and a $2,300-plus bill for a lunch at Glorietta that a senior official rejected as exceeding reasonable costs.
Data & Statistics
- Dinner with Japanese delegation: $7,790.50 (71 beers, 23 wine bottles).
- Meriton Suite stay in Sydney (pre-Japan): $20,494.
- Tokyo apartment rent: ? $8,000 per month.
- Additional Meriton Suites stay (North Sydney): $5,086.
- Rejected lunch bill: $211.
- Earlier hotel charge at Crystalbrook Kingsley (Newcastle, August 2023): ? $5,300.
Official Statements & Responses
Newman contended that the dinner’s alcohol component was pre-approved and that he hosted the event to foster “connections” and “investment opportunities” with the Japanese delegation, NSW officials, and academia. He also argued that he had personally funded many trips, citing a $10,000 outlay for an Australia-Japan Business Council event in October 2023 after the government declined to approve it. Newman claimed to have saved taxpayers by opposing a proposed $49 million net-zero office, asserting that his actions prevented wasteful spending. He further suggested that senior management used “technicalities” to target him because he challenged the status quo.
Criticism & Opposition
One official rejected a $211 lunch claim as unreasonable, while another highlighted that Newman’s 32-night hotel stay exceeded the approved 25-day limit, prompting a written inquiry. The same documents note that an unnamed official was forced to answer detailed questions about the dinner’s approval process. These internal rebukes underscore concerns that Newman’s expense claims may not have adhered to established government procurement and hospitality guidelines.