Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas is in Italy, thanks to Qantas, while his wife has also made the trip, posting regularly to her Instagram account.

6PR Breakfast host Mark Gibson, in for Gareth Parker, questioned what exactly the Lord Mayor was doing in Italy, and questioned whether his wife should be there.

"It's pretty extraordinary, I just wonder what you think about whether that's appropriate.

"That the Lord Mayor is doing his thing in Rome, for reasons that aren't all that clear, but also his wife is along as an Instagram influencer, making money out of a trip to events that haveu been funded by Qantas and using Qantas-paid accommodation.

"I wonder what the ratepayers think while the part-time Lord Mayor swans around Italy."