Members of WA Parliament receive an annual allowance to spend on their office or on engagement with their electorates, and any spending above that allowance comes out of the MP's own pocket.
In 2022-23, when the allowance was $78,000, Krishnan claimed the full amount and spent a further $157,000, taking his total to $235,000. That included $143,000 on community engagement and $72,000 on communications. The next highest-spending MP that year was former Labor Churchlands MP Christine Tonkin, who spent $110,000, about $22,000 above her claimable allowance, while WA Premier Roger Cook spent $300 more than his allowance. With a backbencher's salary of $161,000 that year, Krishnan's spending amounted to more than 97 per cent of his base salary.
The pattern continued in 2023-24, when the electoral allowance rose to $88,000 and Krishnan spent $149,000 above it: $144,000 on community engagement and constituent support and $71,400 on communications. On a base salary of $166,000, that was 89 per cent of his salary. Krishnan was also paid an additional $20,000 for his role as a parliamentary secretary, and Greens leader Brad Pettitt was the next highest-spending MP, at $27,000 above his claimable allowance.
In 2024-25, with the base salary at $173,000 and expenses held at $88,000, Krishnan spent $231,689, which was $143,000 more than claimable and 82 per cent of his base salary. Average annual full-time earnings in Australia that year were about $100,000.
Krishnan said all funding from his member's allowance had been committed to community organisations in his electorate such as schools and sporting clubs, and confirmed he was spending his own money. "Additional funding, which I have declared, has come from my personal accounts," he said. "I have been committed to the people of Riverton and will continue to deliver for my community." He did not respond to questions about why his spending was so much higher than his colleagues'.
His office said that of the $90,000 member's allowance provided in 2025-26, only $58,512 had been spent so far.
Beyond the expenses, Landgate records show that in 2024 Krishnan and his wife Yaamini Jagadish used their Mosman Park home to secure a $1 million loan, drawn up by WA small business lender Corporate Funding, for a company of which his wife is sole shareholder, Medical Transcriptions Pty Ltd. Weekly repayments were set at $5769 if the entire debt was drawn down. The latest records show the loan has been refinanced with a new facility of $332,000, at interest of 3.5 per cent monthly with weekly payments of $1911, with the couple listed as guarantors. WAtoday understands the loan was short-term security for a business loan.
Krishnan has faced questions over whether he appropriately declared his business interests and loans, and over his gift and travel declarations, since the New Jersey court case included allegations about hospitality he received in New York in 2024 while securing the loan. He maintains he has acted appropriately at all times and was confident he had met his declaration obligations. "As these matters are currently the subject of court proceedings, I can't comment further," he said.
Krishnan resigned from all director roles in his related businesses when he entered politics and remains only a sole shareholder in his family company, Srishanna Pty Ltd. Srishanna was a major shareholder of Spectrum Health Group, the GP clinic network Krishnan co-founded as a doctor before entering politics, before it was sold in a multimillion-dollar deal last week. Krishnan refused to detail how much he made from the sale, citing commercial confidence.