George Brandis pays back trip costs but remains unapologetic Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus (left), says George Brandis' expense claims were a "flagrant breach" of travel entitlements. Attorney-General George Brandis on Sunday repaid $1683.06 in taxpayer-funded entitlements he had claimed to attend the wedding of a close friend, radio presenter Michael Smith, despite saying he did nothing wrong in going to the private event on the public purse. Senator Brandis has spent years in opposition demanding strict adherence to travel entitlements and has never hesitated to call in the Federal Police for any imagined wrong. On Sunday Fairfax Media revealed the thousands of dollars Senator Brandis had claimed to travel to the central coast of NSW for the wedding, which was also attended by fellow government MP Barnaby Joyce. Favouring the taxpayer: George Brandis. Then a senator, Mr Joyce claimed a lesser amount for a Comcar to the hotel he was staying at near the wedding reception. "I remain of that view," he wrote. Senator Brandis said it was clear the relevant criterion for claiming entitlements was the purpose of the travel, not the nature of the event, but he said there could be "uncertainty" about the circumstances in which attendance at a private function for work-related purposes was within the entitlement. But Labor's former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said the expenses claimed were a "flagrant breach" of travel entitlements and Prime Minister Tony Abbott should remove Senator Brandis from the task of developing the new government's ministerial code of conduct. "Senator Brandis has spent years in opposition demanding strict adherence to travel entitlements and has never hesitated to call in the Federal Police for any imagined wrong," Mr Dreyfus said. Senator Brandis had told Fairfax Media that his attendance at the wedding was "primarily a professional rather than a social engagement" in order to "foster collaboration" with Smith over the radio presenter's work covering then-prime minister Julia Gillard and the Craig Thomson scandal. Senator Brandis was hot in his pursuit of former MP Mr Thomson, making the public case for prosecuting him as well as the former speaker Peter Slipper, who was later charged with misusing his taxpayer entitlements. The story, and Senator Brandis' repayment, lit up social media, with many asking how attendance at a private wedding could be deemed a professional engagement. Labor MP Kate Ellis tweeted: "Oooooh, so the taxpayers have to pay now whenever we're hanging out with journos?" and Paul Barry, presenter of the ABC's Media Watch, tweeted: "Joyce says many other pollies at Smith wedding. Did taxpayer pay for them too? Where's that guest list? He said he was in Sydney for a media appearance on Andrew Bolt's radio show, then took a Comcar to the central coast hotel where he was staying for the wedding. I never claimed for the hotel or airfares," Mr Joyce said. Mr Abbott was in Sydney on Sunday and not available for comment, despite pressure from media to make a statement on reported asylum seeker drownings off Indonesia. In footage that was widely posted on social media, Mr Abbott was chased through a car park by cameramen following his attendance at the AFL Grand Final breakfast on Saturday. A spokeswoman for Mr Abbott said it was not appropriate for him to do a door-stop interview about drownings at a sporting event.