The latest quarterly expenditure reports for the country’s parliamentarians, released by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, show the region’s three federal lower house MPs outlaid a combined total of $267,313 across 10 expense categories between January 1 and March 31.

The expenses included everything from travel, office and telecommunications costs to those incurred by printing newsletters and reading newspapers.

Dapto-based Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones had the biggest expenses bill ($114,825) of the region’s three pollies, followed by Liberal Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis ($80,741) and Labor Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird ($71,747).

Mr Jones’ high expenditure could be attributed to the fact he is Labor’s federal spokesman for regional communications and regional services, local government and territories.

The Whitlam MP is the only one of the trio to hold a senior parliamentary position. He was also the only Illawarra MP to incur overseas travel expenses during the reporting period.

Mr Jones was part a parliamentary delegation of four MPs who visited Hanoi, Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in January – spending just over $5600 on costs associated with the overseas travel.

Meanwhile, the reports also outlined the costs of office consumables – including water refills, flags and stationery – as well as printing and distribution expenses related to documents such as newsletters and personalised letterheads. 

Also included were details of the newspapers and publications each MP subscribes to. Ms Sudmalis and Ms Bird are both prolific readers of a number of newspapers, including the Mercury. Mr Jones had no publication expenses listed in his report. 

The Mercury does not suggest any MPs’ spending was outside their entitlements.