The Western Advocate revealed last week that taxpayers had been billed for thousands of dollars for federal Labor MPs including leader Bill Shorten and Senator Penny Wong to deliver the address at the annual Labor Party fundraiser.

And the news got worse for local branch members on Saturday when The Australian newspaper ran a report saying former Treasurer Wayne Swan had chartered a flight for almost $8000 to come to Bathurst when he was the Light on the Hill speaker in 2009.

Mr Swan justified the expense by saying the fundraiser was “part of my official duties” and “the flight was within the guidelines”.

“Bathurst is 1000 kilometres away from my electorate and I had commitments in the electorate on both the Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Mr Swan did not reveal what those commitments were, but there was no mention of them in the Western Advocate at the time of his visit.

But not even the ongoing community concern over the abuse of travel entitlements has convinced Mr Albanese to rule out making a claim for his trip to Bathurst to deliver this year’s Light on the Hill address at Bathurst Panthers on September 19.

The $85-a-head dinner will provide a significant boost for the Labor Party coffers but Mr Albanese is leaving his options open when it comes to whether or not the taxpayers should pay to bring him here.

Following queries from the Western Advocate about his plans, Mr Albanese issued a single line response.

“I’m still finalising my visit to the region but I’m looking forward to having the honour of presenting the Ben Chifley lecture in honour of a great son of Bathurst,” he said through a spokesman.

Mr Albanese has been one of Labor’s most vocal critics of former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop’s misuse of travel entitlements, with the scandal costing Ms Bishop her job over the weekend.

A buoyant Mr Albanese called for Ms Bishop’s resignation on Channel 9’s The Today Show last Friday morning, a day after she had apologised for misusing her travel entitlements.

“An apology that’s got out with a crow bar is not taken seriously and what we see is like a very bad movie – this is four weddings and a political funeral,” Mr Albanese said. “This is the case that Bronwyn Bishop was the wrong person for the job.”