Travel expenses are again under the microscope but both sides of federal politics are preferring to leave the MPs’ entitlements row to a system review.

Joe Hockey ducked questions about the appropriateness of his colleague Christopher Pyne flying his family to Sydney for a Christmas holiday, instead focusing on his plan to create jobs.

• Hockey’s plan to nab investment cheats 
• Pyne’s travel claims under the microscope

The federal treasurer was asked on Saturday about the education minister’s 2009 trip while addressing reporters in Sydney.

A review of travel expenses is under way, he said, before turning to what he described as a week of “terrific economic data”.

“Retail sales were double market expectations for the June quarter,” he said, before later acknowledging MPs have to be precious about taxpayer dollars.

His comments came after it was revealed Mr Pyne spent $5000 of taxpayers’ money in 2009 to fly with his wife and two of his children to Sydney for a Christmas-New Year holiday.

Department of Finance documents show each return flight from Adelaide cost $1200, and he claimed two nights’ travel allowance of $238 as well as $711 on Comcars.

But his office told The Australian on Saturday the then opposition education spokesman held a planning day with opposition leader Tony Abbott while in Sydney.

“Neither Mr Pyne nor his family have ever seen the New Year’s Eve Sydney fireworks,” it said.

Labor frontbencher Tony Burke is again in the spotlight after being criticised for claiming business class travel for his family to Uluru in 2012.

The then environment minister also spent $16,000 using one of the prime minister’s jets for three days in 2010, including “ghost flights” when no one was on board.

Mr Burke had the RAAF Challenger travel empty to pick him up from Hobart, before taking him to Newcastle, Dubbo and then back to Sydney for a series of meetings, News Corp reports.

It then returned empty to its base in Canberra, but Mr Burke’s office said he had no option but to travel on the government jet because his meetings did not align with commercial flights.

Liberal MP Mal Brough refused to judge any of his colleagues for their expenses when asked on Saturday.

The former minister has taken it upon himself to publish his travel expenses on his website.

“I just want the people that have the opportunity to elect me to make that judgment call for themselves, with the facts about what myself and my family do,” he told the Seven Network.

Labor frontbencher Gary Gray welcomed the review into MPs expenses by a panel whose members include retired Labor speaker Harry Jenkins and former opposition leader Brendan Nelson.

“This review will help improve the Australian public’s confidence in our parliamentary democracy, which is urgently required,” he said in a statement.

It will also lead to a better system so MPs can effectively serve their communities and be supported in their work and family life, he said.