Prosecutors argue former parliamentary speaker Peter Slipper deserves to go to jail for misusing parliamentary Cabcharge vouchers to tour Canberra-region wineries in 2010.
But the former MP's lawyer says Slipper deserves to have no formal conviction for the crimes because of his good character.
Slipper faced the ACT Magistrates Court for a sentence hearing on Monday on three counts of fraud. He will be told his sentence on Wednesday.
In July, Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker found Slipper acted dishonestly and knowingly caused a risk of loss to the Commonwealth when he misused his travel entitlements to take three taxpayer-funded trips to the prestigious wineries.
During the ACT Magistrates Court hearing, the court heard the former federal member for Fisher racked up $954 in travel on government-issued Cabcharge vouchers on three occasions over a five-month period in 2010.
The trips included visits to Murrumbateman wineries such as Clonakilla and Gallagher Wines, and a lunchtime stop at Wily Trout Wines at Poachers Pantry.
Slipper pleaded not guilty to all three counts and argued he had conducted parliamentary business on the trips so had been entitled to use his government allowance to pay for them.
The maximum penalty is a one-year jail term and a $6600 fine for each offence.
A Commonwealth prosecutor on Monday argued Slipper should be jailed for the crimes.
But defence barrister, Kylie Weston-Scheuber, said time behind bars was not within range for the "trivial" offences.
Ms Weston-Scheuber argued her client had already been significantly punished through his public fall from grace and his good character entitled him to a non-conviction order.
The barrister told the court the three offences had been isolated incidents in an otherwise long and distinguished political career.
She said her client had contributed to his community and church during his time in public life, and had been described by referees as "honest, reliable, and honourable"..
The defence said Slipper - who still received about $115,000 a year in parliamentary superannuation entitlements - had suffered significant extra-curial punishment as he had been publicly humiliated, harassed by the media and lost his career, wife, reputation and mental health.
Ms Weston-Scheuber told the court the offences fell into the lowest range of offending behaviour as, unlike other fraudsters, he had not claimed for something that did not exist.
The lawyer argued the crimes had been opportunistic and isolated, with only three offences picked up by a police investigation that checked all of his claims over a three-year period.
Ms Weston-Scheuber said her client was willing to repay the amount.
But Commonwealth prosecutor Lionel Robberds said the criminality could not be measured by the dollar amount, but by the circumstances.
Mr Robberds said Slipper had been an experienced politician who had been aware he was not entitled to claim the money.
The prosecution told the court the offences had been "repeated and calculated", and done in a way to avoid being detected.
He said democracy could only survive if people had faith their representatives would not abuse the position.
"He was in a special position, [a position] that the public demanded in him behaviour that did not include defrauding the Commonwealth," he said.
"[This was a] deliberate, planned dishonesty by an experienced parliamentarian.
"There's no uncertainty ... he knew he was acting criminally."
Mr Robberds said defence submissions showed Slipper refused to accept he had committed a crime.
Meanwhile, Slipper's lawyers will seek to have the conviction overturned in the ACT Supreme Court.
Court documents, lodged with the court last month, said Slipper sought to have the guilty verdict set aside and a finding of not guilty entered in relation to the three charges.
The appeal will rely on 13 grounds, including that the verdicts had been unsafe as the magistrate had drawn inferences of dishonesty not available on evidence, failed to have regard to procedures in place to repay monies claimed, erred in refusing to allow cross-examination of a Department of Finance official, and erred in finding evidence established beyond reasonable doubt that Slipper had travelled for "private purposes".
Slipper's lawyers also sought to put further evidence before the court, in the form of two news reports published by Fairfax Media.
One report, from October 2013, outlines how Prime Minister Tony Abbott was permitted to repay expenses after claiming entitlements to attend Sophie Mirabella's wedding.
