Henderson urges Albanese to remove Wells over Adelaide travel claims

Sarah Henderson has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand down Communications Minister Anika Wells, alleging she lied to the parliamentary expenses authority about meetings during a taxpayer-funded trip to Adelaide. The dispute matters because those meetings were cited as official business supporting travel claims, although an audit by the authority accepted Wells’ explanation.

Wells travelled to Adelaide on 6 June 2025 and attended a friend’s birthday celebration the next evening. She told the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority that she met Trade Minister Don Farrell’s chief of staff and held a sideline meeting with South Australian minister Chris Picton at the celebration. Freedom of Information disclosures found Farrell’s office had no records of the first meeting, while Picton’s diary did not explicitly record the second; Farrell’s office nevertheless confirmed its meeting took place and said details had been given to the authority. The trip cost taxpayers $3,681.82, excluding Wells’ personally paid Saturday-night accommodation.