The former National Party leader and speaker took 701 flights between January 2001 and June 2008 at a cost of $214,545, according to figures obtained by The Sydney Morning Herald under Freedom of Information.

The free flights are enjoyed under the Life Gold Pass scheme for retired MPs who had served 20 years in parliament.

However, current Member for New England Tony Windsor has condemned the scheme.

“I have always said politicians should not be entitled to extra benefits at all, even former prime ministers,” he said.

“Politicians have the benefit of a good superannuation and I don’t see the real value in someone else having to pay for trips around the place when they are no longer elected.”

Mr Windsor said it was also unfortunate that while the scheme only applied to people who had been in politics for decades, all federal MPs would be tarred with the same brush.

The perk provides free business or first class airline travel within Australia for the former MPS and their spouses.

There are no flight limits on those who qualified before 1994.

Those who qualified after 1994 are restricted to 25 return trips a year.

Mr Sinclair, formerly of Bendemeer, is involved in extensive charity and community work.

He is the president of Austcare, chairman of Good Beginnings Australia, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, the Australian Sheep CRC, the Australian-Taiwan Business Council, Scouts Australia and was president of the now defunct Murray-Darling Basin Commission.

He served the New England electorate from 1963 to 1998.