LNP slams Commonwealth Games bosses' overseas ‘junkets’
Meetings in South America and Sri Lanka and fact-finding missions to the Bahamas were among the overseas trips approved by the state government for former Commonwealth Games chiefs and their staff.
A senior government staffer said the trips, which featured in the $472,919 of total overseas travel for the Games’ body GOLDOC last year, were approved at the highest levels, and ticked off by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Analysis of the travel data shows ex-GOLDOC chairman Peter Beattie and his chief executive, Mark Peters, spent $12,650 on a three-day trip to Sri Lanka last October to attend Commonwealth Games Federation board meeting.
Mr Peters also spent 11 days in the Bahamas attending the Bahamas Youth Commonwealth Games with two staff members, at a cost of $41,634.
No other information or business purpose around the Youth Games attendance was provided in the data.
The data revealed two staff spent $25,876 on a 13-day trip to London, which GOLDOC said was to attend the 2017 IAAF World Athletic Championships to “obtain technical knowledge and experience”.
The most recent overseas trip taken by GOLDOC executives occurred two months after the Gold Coast Games wrapped up.
Mr Peters, his deputy Brian Nourse, Barry Gyte who was in charge of transport to and from the Games, and six other staff travelled to Birmingham for eight days at a cost of $85,776 to “transfer knowledge” from the Gold Coast organisers to the Birmingham team.
LNP deputy leader Tim Mander slammed the expenses racked up by GOLDOC and questioned the value for money to Queensland taxpayers.
“The hubris of the Palaszczuk Labor government knows no end,” Mr Mander said.
“Whether it is sending senior staff to the Burning Man Festival in Nevada or spending an obscene amount on GOLDOC going to the Bahamas, Annastacia Palaszczuk is funding junkets across the world at taxpayers’ expense.
“[The Premier] and her celebrity-chasing Tourism Minister are completely out of touch to think that this passes any kind of credibility test.
“The question that needs to be asked is: why are Queensland taxpayers being slugged for GOLDOC staff to share knowledge in Birmingham when it is another country that benefits?
“Surely Birmingham should be paying for us? Hasn’t the government heard of the phone, or Skype?
“This is a government of hubris. None of it passes the pub test. Labor are more interested in frequent flyer points than lowering electricity bills.”
Comment was sought from the Premier and Commonwealth Games Minister, Kate Jones.
Meanwhile, GOLDOC’s annual report for 2017-18, which was among 70 reports released by the government without fanfare late last Friday, showed the body has one, solitary staff member left.
The general manager of finance and business services will remain in place until December 31 to wind-up the government-owned body.
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