Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has defended spending almost $2.2 million of taxpayer funds on travel in seven years, including charter planes and flying on VIP jets.

News Corp reported on Monday that since mid-2008 the manager of opposition business and opposition finance spokesman had racked up almost $600,000 in overseas travel.

Mr Burke, who was a minister in the Rudd and Gillard cabinets, was also a regular charter flight user, claiming more than $400,000 in domestic travel.

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The investigation found the Sydney MP, who led the attack on former speaker Bronwyn Bishop’s hiring of a helicopter to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser, claimed more than $1.1 million on domestic fares, travelling allowance, car costs and family travel.

Mr Burke defended his costs, saying his roles as minister for agriculture, environment and immigration between 2007 and 2013 required extensive travel.

He hired cars and drove himself between meetings and visits when possible.

“These jobs cannot be done properly from behind a desk in Sydney and any minister not out engaging with community groups and taking a hands-on approach to their portfolio, isn’t doing their job properly,” he said in a statement.

Mr Burke said he was required to travel extensively in regional areas to conduct consultation on drought reform, environmental agreements and the Labor government’s refugee resettlement agreements with Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

He also defended his office expenses, saying he had to relocate twice and always remained “well within the budgets allocated to all MPs”.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced a review into the parliamentary entitlements system which is expected to report back to the government in the first half of 2016.

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said Mr Burke’s duties as minister required significant travel.

“I dare say if you examined every member of parliament’s travel since 2008, Tony Burke would not be top of the list,” he told ABC radio.