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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1801 ..
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, my question, through you, is to the Chief Minister. It arises from the quarterly ministerial travel report the Chief Minister tabled yesterday. Chief Minister, I noticed that for a 15-day period in March of this year your media adviser spent almost $13,000 on a taxpayer-paid trip to Israel and the United States on something called the Israel Australia Chamber of Commerce Trade Mission. Chief Minister, what special qualifications in Australia-Israeli relations, or perhaps even in trade, does your media representative possess that would justify this trip at a cost of nearly $13,000 of taxpayers' money? When do you propose to table a report on this visit from this officer that justifies the expenditure of that sort of public money on such a trip?
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, the ACT was invited to go on this particular mission.
Mr Kaine: Answer the question.
MS CARNELL: That is exactly what I am doing. I believed it was really important that somebody attend as a representative of the government on that trade mission. When we looked at what ministers had to do at that stage, it was not possible for any minister to be away for a 15-day period at that time. The people who were on that particular-
Mr Corbell: What about Mr Hird?
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, is it impossible for everyone to be quiet, particularly Mr Corbell? We believed it was important the people on that mission be representatives of government. There were some politicians; there were representatives of the private sector. Why did I send Mr Harris? I sent Mr Harris because I believed his interest in the area, his knowledge in the area and his capacity to report back to me and to other members of this Assembly were exemplary. That has been proven. Mr Harris has already reported to me and will report to this Assembly in the very near future. I am very surprised that anybody would doubt his capacity to handle a trip like this and to report back very appropriately.
MR KAINE: I do, frankly, Chief Minister. I ask a supplementary question. The same quarterly report shows that the minister for health spent 10 days with his spin doctor in Japan and the Minister for Urban Services spent 13 days in South Africa, presumably to see a football game, and the costs are not stated. Will the Chief Minister please inform us what the total cost of those two junkets was, including the amounts charged to the Qantas travel slush fund?
MS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, I feel really strongly about this, so I am going to answer this question in full. It is essential that we get overseas more often, not less often. It is absolutely essential for this Assembly and for members of this Assembly. Mr Wood has just been away. Mr Wood made the point the other day that it was very beneficial for him in broadening his knowledge in the area.
Similarly, we regularly send members of this place to CPA conferences overseas. When are any of those trips reported back to this place? When are any of the trips that those
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