Jacqui Lambie blasts Albanese government on lack of special-purpose flight details

In the past, the Defence Department published bi-annual reports on politicians' use of the VIP jets with details such as destinations and passengers on individual flights.

But the department stopped publishing those details in 2021 due to security concerns. It has also been revealed that the department was no longer providing passenger details to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.

In a fiery speech on Tuesday, Senator Lambie said there was "absolutely no reason" to withhold the names of passengers unless it was national security matter.

"That is taxpayers money you're using to fly around up there and they want to know who's in there, and why they're in there," she said.

"And if you can't tell us ... I have to ask what are you hiding?

"Had too many family members running around? You have people on there that you don't want [people] to know that you're associated with ... got union members, golf buddies ... what's going on here?"

Senator Lambie also accused the federal government of failing to deliver on their promise of accountability.

"Goodness me, what a disgrace the Senate has become, what a disgrace because of both these major parties," she said.

"And you wonder why Australians absolutely have no trust in us whatsoever up here, have no respect for us whatsoever, which is what I thought you people were coming up here to do, to install those values back in the Australian people and you had failed to do so."

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"You might want to do what you promised the Australian people ... some transparency and honesty because there's absolutely not one excuse, not one excuse - and don't use the excuse national security - why these names can't be out there."

Earlier this year, documents released under freedom of information showed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese charged taxpayers more than $3.75 million for special-purpose RAAF flights from April 2022 to June this year while Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles racked up a $2.9 million flights bill during the same period.

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