[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":155},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":28,"person-\u002Fpeople\u002Fmeryl-swanson":83,"person-stories-meryl-swanson":154},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27],{"category":5},"follow-the-money",{"category":7},"cost-of-living",{"category":9},"government-waste",{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},[29,39,49,58,66,75],{"path":30,"title":31,"category":9,"date":32,"blowout":33},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":34,"originalCost":35,"currentCost":36,"announced":37,"note":38},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":43},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":44,"originalCost":45,"currentCost":46,"announced":47,"note":48},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":52},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":53,"originalCost":54,"currentCost":55,"announced":56,"note":57},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":61},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":62,"originalCost":63,"currentCost":55,"announced":64,"note":65},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":69},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":70,"originalCost":71,"currentCost":72,"announced":73,"note":74},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":78},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":79,"originalCost":80,"currentCost":81,"announced":47,"note":82},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",{"id":84,"title":85,"body":86,"career":101,"description":110,"draft":111,"electorate":112,"extension":113,"image":114,"meta":115,"name":85,"navigation":116,"party":117,"path":118,"role":119,"seo":120,"status":121,"stem":122,"trail":123,"updated":42,"__hash__":153},"people\u002Fpeople\u002Fmeryl-swanson.md","Meryl Swanson",{"type":87,"value":88,"toc":96},"minimark",[89,93],[90,91,92],"p",{},"Meryl Swanson's review was part of IPEA's series on family travel outside trips to Canberra. It looked at a Melbourne and Sunshine Coast trip in October 2022 and a Queensland trip in January 2023.",[90,94,95],{},"She told IPEA she went to Melbourne for a lunch of the Parliamentary Friends of Viticulture, which she co-chairs, before travelling on to the Sunshine Coast for a personal engagement. IPEA accepted the Melbourne leg but found the flights to the Sunshine Coast for her and her husband were personal. She repaid them plus a 25% penalty: $1,016.58.",{"title":97,"searchDepth":98,"depth":99,"links":100},"",2,3,[],[102,104,107],{"year":73,"event":103},"Elected Labor Member for Paterson (NSW)",{"year":105,"event":106},"2022","Chair, House Standing Committee on Agriculture",{"year":108,"event":109},"May 2026","IPEA finds one flight broke the rules; repays $1,016.58","The Labor MP repaid $1,016.58 after the expenses watchdog found she and her husband flew from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast at taxpayers' expense for a personal engagement.",false,"Paterson (NSW)","md",null,{},true,"Labor","\u002Fpeople\u002Fmeryl-swanson","Member for Paterson",{"title":85,"description":110},"current","people\u002Fmeryl-swanson",[124,134,141,146],{"date":125,"title":126,"category":127,"outcome":128,"who":129,"note":130,"source":131},"2022-10-30","Trip to Melbourne, with her husband, for a Parliamentary Friends of Viticulture lunch she co-chairs","family-travel","within-rules","Swanson and her husband","IPEA found this 'not inconsistent' with the rules: it accepted her explanation and found no evidence to the contrary. No cost published.",{"title":132,"url":133},"IPEA assurance review, Ms Meryl Swanson MP, published May 2026","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ipea.gov.au\u002Fsites\u002Fdefault\u002Ffiles\u002F2026-05\u002FAssurance%20Review%20-%20Ms%20Meryl%20Swanson%20MP%20-%20family%20reunion%20travel_0.pdf",{"date":135,"title":136,"amount":137,"category":127,"outcome":138,"who":129,"note":139,"source":140},"2022-10-31","Flights from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast for her and her husband, for a personal engagement",813.26,"breach","IPEA found the travel was for personal reasons, not parliamentary business. Amount before the penalty, calculated from IPEA's invoice of $1,016.58.",{"title":132,"url":133},{"date":142,"title":143,"category":127,"outcome":128,"note":144,"source":145},"2023-01-14","Trip to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, returning to Newcastle the next day","IPEA found this 'not inconsistent' with the rules. No cost published.",{"title":132,"url":133},{"date":147,"title":148,"amount":149,"category":150,"outcome":151,"source":152},"2026-05","Repaid the airfares plus a 25% penalty",1016.58,"repayment","repaid",{"title":132,"url":133},"BPqKIjjrhXCjraKEdjgdyP17-2z7LEaYsAuxZGcLj7E",[],1793703844336]