Small Business Minister Anne Aly has come under fire over a $150,000 taxpayer-funded travel bill after visiting nine countries in 17 months as Aussie businesses struggle to stay afloat.
Expenditure records show Aly undertook four overseas trips between June 2025 and November 2025 in her role as Minister for International Development and Multicultural Affairs, spending a total of 27 days abroad.
The travel included visits to Spain, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Among the most expensive trips was a week-long visit to Spain, which cost taxpayers $42,907.20.
During the trip, Aly attended the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Spanish Government aimed at deepening co-operation on gender equality.
She also charged taxpayers $18,649 for a visit to Indonesia focused on development assistance programs.
Another five-day trip to India and Bangladesh cost $34,516.74.
Her October-November trip to Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates included almost $4,000 in accommodation and meal expenses alone, according to expenditure disclosures.
Anne Aly (right) charged taxpayers over $150,000 for overseas travel to nine countries
Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson seized on the figures during an appearance on News24 on Thursday.
‘Ministers do have to travel internationally occasionally to do their jobs, but nine trips in such a short period of time is a heck of a lot of travel, and $150,000 is a lot to spend,’ Paterson said.
‘I think one of those trips to Spain on its own cost $40,000.’
‘Most small business people work their entire lives and would never dream of being able to afford one trip like that in their retirement.’
Senator Paterson also argued the government had failed to support struggling operators at a difficult time for the sector.
‘At a time when small business is struggling, at a time when this government is smashing small business with credit card surcharge bans, banning the payment of tax debts to the ATO, hitting them with so many other taxes and regulations, including right now before the parliament, tax changes to trusts, which will really harm the small business sector,’ he said.
‘They need a small business minister in Australia fighting for them, but Anne Aly obviously has no interest in fighting for them.’
Aly has defended her travel, rejecting criticism of her engagement with small businesses and arguing her ministerial responsibilities are closely interconnected.
Aly (right) visited countries including Spain, Spain, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Bahrain
‘I’ve owned a small business myself,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘Any suggestion that small business, multicultural affairs and international development don’t belong together shows a pretty limited understanding of Australia’s economy,’ she said.
The criticism comes amid growing backlash from business groups over changes to card payment rules.
Since October 1, businesses have been prevented from imposing surcharges on customers using eftpos, Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards.
While the Reserve Bank of Australia did not formally outlaw surcharges, card networks have introduced rules preventing merchants from passing the costs on directly to customers.
Industry groups have warned the change forces businesses to either absorb transaction costs themselves or increase prices elsewhere.
Further backlash intensified after the Australian Taxation Office announced plans to stop accepting credit card payments for tax debts, arguing it could no longer wear the cost of processing fees.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers intervened following the announcement, delaying the change and allowing the ATO to continue accepting card payments until June 30, 2027.
Business Sydney’s executive director Paul Nicolau told The Daily Telegraph businesses were facing ‘rising operating costs, high energy bills, insurance premiums, wages, rent and increasing regulatory and compliance burdens’.
He added while business owners are ‘incredibly resilient… resilience can only go so far’.
‘Changes to credit card surcharges and the Australian Taxation Office’s proposed restrictions on using credit cards to pay tax are two important examples of why governments need to carefully consider the practical implications of their decisions.’
Daily Mail has contacted Small Business Minister Anne Aly for comment.
