Anika Wells faces fresh criticism after spending $4000 to fly husband to the cricket

Federal minister Anika Wells is facing a fresh wave of scrutiny over mounting taxpayer bills which critics say don't pass the pub test.

Wells – who has already been forced to defend her $100,000 flights to New York and a $3000 family ski trip over the past week – now has a $4000 bill to explain.

It has been revealed the minister for communications and sport spent thousands of dollars on flying her husband Finn McCarthy to several cricket events, including the Boxing Day Test on two separate occasions.

READ MORE: Firefighter killed in NSW bushfire zone

READ MORE: Footage shows person near burning car with body inside in NSW

Under the federal government's "family reunion" rules, a federal MP's family members may use Commonwealth expenses to accompany or join them "when they are travelling within Australia away from their home base to conduct parliamentary business".

Wells logged the $4000 cricket expenses in 2022 and 2024 under this provision.

Frontbench colleague and Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth defended the pricey cricket trips and said it was all "within the rules and guidelines".

"She did follow the rules, it was for work purposes," Rishworth told Today.

"I think the rules very explicitly talk about work being the dominant purpose. And that's really important.

"And of course, Minister Wells has answered extensively yesterday that these were work-purpose flights."

Wells attended the cricket events and a Paralympian event at Thredbo in June in her capacity as sports minister.

Fellow frontbencher Tanya Plibersek told Today that Wells used the funds appropriately as she was travelling for work.

READ MORE: How Australia's world-leading social media ban will be enforced

"There are so many weekends away from home, and if you're sports minister, a lot of those are very deliberately weekend events that you're required to attend because that's when people watch sport," Plibersek said.

"That's when people play sport.

"She was in Thredbo to highlight the extra investment we're making in the Paralympics."

Wells also defended her own Olympic-sized expenses last week, saying "every parliamentarian has family reunion entitlements".

This defence was echoed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who told the ABC's Insiders today that "all of the travel was within guidelines".

The hefty bills have faced criticism from the opposition, after Shadow Industry Minister Alex Hawke said, "whether it's New York, whether it's Paris, whether it's Thredbo, these are expenses that would make the royals blush".

"If she wants to take her family on a ski holiday, she can pay for it herself," Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson added.

Nine.com.au has contacted Wells for comment.

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.