Senior Government frontbencher Eric Abetz has argued politicians need to fly business class so they have the privacy to read confidential documents while they are in the air.

The Federal Government has promised a review of parliamentary entitlements in the wake of Bronwyn Bishop’s resignation as Speaker over her travel spending.

Mrs Bishop’s chief critic in the Labor Party Tony Burke has been at the centre of his own entitlements saga after he charged taxpayers more than $8000 for business class flights so his family could accompany him on a work trip to Uluru.

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The Manager of Opposition Business has conceded his children should not have travelled business class.

He has asked the Finance Department to review the Central Australian trip but maintains it was “100 per cent within the rules”.

Government Leader in the Senate Eric Abetz said it was important any changes to the travel rules that stemmed from the Government review continued to allow MPs and senators to take a premium travel option.

“There are requirements that you read confidential documents on aeroplanes,” Senator Abetz said.

Tony Burke says it is a “justifiable expectation” his children should not have flown business class. Photo: ABC

“With great respect, you can’t do that sitting in the middle of, you know, three or four people.”

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said he supported the continuation of allowances for “family traveller” flights.

“You know we have fly-in fly-out workers in this part of the world who go to work for 14 days and then they come home and have seven days with their families,” he said.

“Members of Parliament go off to Canberra for 14 days but they don’t get seven days off when they come back to be with their families.”

A number of Coalition critics have accused Mr Burke of hypocrisy, given his fierce attacks on Mrs Bishop.

“I don’t want there to be any argument whatsoever where somebody claims that I’m not willing to be held to the exact same standard as anyone else,” Mr Burke told reporters in Sydney.

“While I am completely confident that the questions in particular relating to Uluru and Cairns have been 100 per cent within the rules, they have also been completely beyond community expectations.

“No one can satisfy an argument that says that kids should have been flying business class and [I] accept that argument absolutely.

There is a justifiable expectation that that was unnecessary and shouldn’t have happened.”

Mr Burke said he would not repay the money at this stage, but he has asked the Finance Department to review his use of family travel over the past five years.

At the same time Mr Burke has decided to refund the $90 cost of travelling by Commonwealth car to a Robbie Williams concert last year.

Mr Burke defended the trip as parliamentary business but said he would pay back the money to avoid a “tit for tat” argument with a concert promoter about whether they had an official meeting.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has backed his frontbench colleague.

“There is no comparison between what Mr Burke has done and what Bronwyn Bishop did,” the Labor leader said

“He has done everything within the rules.”

The Prime Minister said the Coalition had already placed restrictions on family travel and the entitlements review will investigate further changes.

Tony Abbott would not be drawn into specifically criticising Mr Burke’s travel claim

“Some people have done things that with the wisdom of hindsight shouldn’t have been done,” he said.

“The problem is a system under which things have been inside the rules but outside community expectations and that is why we need root and branch reform and that is exactly what will happen.”

– ABC