Queensland Premier Steven Miles has defended a use a chartered jet for an 11-minute-long flight to deliver a birthday cake to a Labor MP and announce a new security fence.

Mr Miles chartered the government plane from Hervey Bay Airport at 4.22pm on Monday to make the 74km journey to Bundaberg where he landed at 4.33pm. 

The premier posted photos of himself to social media presenting a birthday cake to local MP Tom Smith for his 34th birthday. 

‘Surprised @tomsmithmp with a couple of mud cakes for his birthday. Happy birthday mate!’ he captioned the Instagram post. 

The following day, Mr Miles announced a new security fence for the Bundaberg East State School if Labor wins next month’s state election. 

The premier also toured the site of Bundaberg’s hospital, which is currently undergoing a $1.2billion upgrade set to be completed in 2027. 

Mr Miles’ office said the government had already leased the plane, so the trip to Bundaberg had not cost taxpayers any extra money, the Courier Mail reports. 

The premier said taking the trip to avoid the notoriously dangerous Bruce Highway was ‘entirely appropriate’.

‘I had been very busy and it would have cost more to have hired a car for that leg of the trip, and the other legs of the trip could not be completed by other transport,’ Mr Miles told reporters on Wednesday morning. 

‘I drive the southern leg of the Bruce Highway every single morning and whenever I’m in the regions we are very often travelling that road.

‘So when you look at the trip in totality, it makes sense.’

The plane trip was part of a three-day trip to Hervey Bay and Rockhampton where the premier announced two of seven new satellite hospitals. 

The Miles government will spend taxpayers’ money on upgrades to 11 existing hospitals, three new hospitals, seven satellite hospitals and a dedicated cancer centre as part of its ‘record-breaking’ $1.2billion spend on Bundaberg Hospital. 

The project will add 121 beds, more emergency department treatment spaces and surgery theatres.

Mr Miles’ latest jet controversy came after the government chartered two private jets to simultaneously travel to the same destination – just days after passing a bill enforcing a cut in carbon dioxide emissions.

Mr Miles and staff flew in one jet while Police Minister Mark Ryan and Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski used another for a trip to Townsville to hold a press conference about youth crime. 

The private jets, which cost around $6,500 an hour to hire, left Brisbane within 15 minutes of each other for the 2,800km round-trip on April 22. 

Mr Miles and his staff flew in an Embraer Phenom 300 while Mr Ryan and Mr Gollschewski travelled in a Cessna Citation CJ2+. 

The government justified the decision by saying the runway at the local airport was not long enough to allow for the landing of a plane that was big enough to carry all the travellers.