Last month, ZDNet revealed that Turnbull had repaid a massive of AU$13,608.04 for use of his mobile device after a stint in Hong Kong, France, Germany, and the UK in late 2011. The bill had originally been charged to the taxpayer, however Turnbull paid the full amount back and was left to negotiate with Telstra over the size of the bill.
In the most recent update of his declaration on the Register of Members’ Interests on January 31, Turnbull said that he received a “GlobalGig wi-fi base station” with 1GB of data allowance, which he intends to trial on his next visit abroad.
The declaration also revealed that Turnbull is also loaning a T-box from Telstra and a 4G wi-fi hotspot from Optus, which is currently used by his staff. The loan of devices is not that unusual for a telco. The companies frequently loan out devices to journalists and reviewers.
