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| Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes |
The Daily Telegraph story - which did not contact Ms Nelmes for comment - said the Lord Mayor took her young daughter with her on a council trip to Singapore last year.
While in the South-East Asian country, MS Nelmes paid $270 for a single day's childcare and used public funds to pay for it, which is within the $6000 annual limit Newcastle Council staff have for career expenses.
"I'm not unique as a working mother in a leadership role and this often blends carers responsibilities with work. At no time did I ever seek reimbursement for my daughter's travel, I paid for it all myself," Ms Nelmes said.
"The only expense I claimed was related to her childcare expenses for one day."
She said she was forced to take her daughter on the trip since Council gave her little notice of the trip.
"It was in the school holidays and the only way I could go for those three nights was to take my daughter and I paid for her and I claimed one day of childcare expenses," she said.
"In my mind, I thought that was reasonable to make sure I exercised my duty."
Ms Nelmes called the article in The Daily Telegraph a "beat-up" and said it was detracting from the exciting changes Newcastle is experiencing.
She said the story was a "relative non-issue considering all of the great things that are happening in the city and all of the important issues happening around the world".
A Newcastle Council spokesman said council introduced an expenses policy more than a decade ago, which was aimed to "increase the participation by women and underrepresented groups in local government".
"Pursuant to clause 17 of the expenses policy, the Lord Mayor was entitled to and did claim for one day of approved childcare in Singapore," the spokesman said.
The Daily Telegraph spoke with a number of Newcastle councillors - excluding the Lord Mayor herself - including Liberal councillor Brad Luke, who said he probably wouldn't pass the pub test.
"I don't think the average person ... is going to be happy that while on an overseas trip on council expenses she not only took her daughter, but claimed childcare," he told The Daily Telegraph.
