Uber nears an important political win in Australia
The Australian Federal Government is considering allowing MPs and other bureaucrats in Canberra to use Uber for business purposes in a bid to save taxpayers thousands of dollars through cheaper fares. This comes at an interesting time for Uber in Australia as the company is currently facing a strong backlash from the taxi industry, therefore gaining the support of MPs would be an important win for the company.

It follows calls from the Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm and federal Labor for the rideshare receipts to be claimed back because UberX fares are often half the price of a taxi fare and would save taxpayer money.

Such a move would be an important political win for Uber, which is facing a fierce backlash from the established taxi industry and is fighting the Tax Office in the Federal Court , arguing against a ruling that its drivers must pay the GST.

The federal government is considering allowing MPs, staffers and bureaucrats to use UberX for business, potentially saving taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in cheaper fares.

Last month the ACT became the first Australian state or territory to legalise the rideshare service Uber.

And now the Federal Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has asked his department to see if federal public servants can follow suit.

"Noting that Uber commenced operating legally in the ACT on Friday 30 October, the Finance Minister has requested advice on whether Uber presents an opportunity to reduce the cost of relevant travel and how to best take advantage of this development for travel requirements of public servants and staff of Members of Parliament within the ACT," a spokeswoman from the Department of Finance told Fairfax Media on Friday.

But any change would only apply for travel in the ACT with the spokeswoman saying: "The Department of Finance will monitor developments in other jurisdictions." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said his government will be "nimble" and "agile" in responding to the changing economy and "disruptive" entrants to the market.

But under the Liberal NSW government, authorities have begun a crackdown on UberX drivers saying that ridesharing is in breach of the NSW Passenger Transport Act. The NSW government is considering a review into the industry, which could pave the way for some acceptance of UberX.