Tony Abbott upset after his $120,000 travel bill leaks
TONY Abbott has accused his Liberal colleagues of an "insider hatchet job" after it was revealed his extensive travel had cost taxpayers more than $120,000 last year.
The former prime minister defended his travel and questioned why he was "singled out for attention with the implication that I was somehow ripping off the taxpayer".
The Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday Mr Abbott spent almost $74,000 on domestic flights last year, nearly double the average of all MPs, as he spent more than nine weeks jetsetting outside his Sydney electorate.
In a letter to the Herald Sun, Mr Abbott said it was "hardly surprising" he would spend more than his colleagues given he is a "a busy former prime minister".
He accused other Liberal MPs of launching an anonymous hit on him and said: "Is it any wonder the government has trouble getting its message across when its members play these sorts of nasty games?"
