The Defence Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, and navy, army and air force bosses Vice Admiral Russ Crane, Lt-Gen Ken Gillespie and Air Marshal Mark Binskin used two Navy Agusta helicopters to fly from a retreat they were attending in Bowral to the welcoming home parade for Iraqi veterans in Canberra on November 29 last year.

 

A third helicopter was used to fly aircrew to provide safety briefings and flying helmet fittings.

 

When the chiefs arrived in Canberra they were met at the airport by Air Chief Marshal Houston's chauffeured car, which had driven ahead that day to meet them.

 

Air Marshal Houston has defended the use of the aircraft saying it was the only way the chiefs could attend both events.

 

He said the Kokoda Retreat had involved discussions over strategy in Afghanistan with high-ranking US officials.

 

``Those helicopters have an allocation of flying hours and essentially we use those flying hours, there are no additional costs associated with this at all,'' he said.

 

Bowral, in NSW, is 187km from Canberra and the journey takes about two hours by car.

 

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, Liberal Senator Russell Trood, slammed the use of the choppers.

 

``On the face of it, it's an outrageous use of taxpayers' money,'' Senator Trood said.

 

Victorian RSL president David McLachlan said the use of the aircraft seemed ``like a costly exercise'', but was reluctant to criticise the ADF without knowing the full circumstances.

 

An ADF spokesman defended the use of the aircraft.

 

``The commitments at the Kokoda Foundation retreat on November 21, and the requirement to attend the Operation Catalyst welcome-home parade and return to the retreat immediately afterwards, meant transport by road to and from Canberra was not a viable option,'' the spokesman said.