❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Housing about the cost of an overseas trip, alleging extravagant use of taxpayer funds for first-class flights. The Minister denies flying first class and states the costs cover more than just flights.
AnsweredQoN 443Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MINISTER FOR HOUSING — OVERSEAS TRAVEL
443. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Housing:
Before
I ask my question to the Minister for Housing, I put on record the great
service of Kirsten Robinson as our Clerk. I wish her all the best.
I
refer to the report of overseas air travel by ministers that was tabled today.
It revealed that in December the minister took a $25 000-plus
first-class flight to the UK, accompanied by his adviser, Claire Comrie. It was
$51 000 for the pair of them. They flew
along with two departmental staff members, making the airfares alone for this
trip a $92 000 expense to the taxpayer. It was a trip supposedly to
visit and review social and affordable housing. The cost of the minister's
flight is equal to the yearly rent for three houses in Perth, despite an
economy return flight —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Education and member for Swan Hills and
others, I would like to be able to hear the question and I would like to
minister to hear the question too.
Mr R.S. LOVE : The cost of
the minister's flights is equal to the yearly rent for three houses in
Perth, despite an economy return flight costing around $2 500. If the minister
had taken those, he would have saved $84 000. How does he justify this
extravagant use of Western Australian taxpayer funds?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Minister for Education, I asked you not to interject before. You have continued
to do it. Please do not. Leader of the Opposition, there was a lot of preamble
to that question—more than usual. I ask you to bear that in mind when
drafting future questions. Minister for Housing.
443. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Housing:
Before
I ask my question to the Minister for Housing, I put on record the great
service of Kirsten Robinson as our Clerk. I wish her all the best.
I
refer to the report of overseas air travel by ministers that was tabled today.
It revealed that in December the minister took a $25 000-plus
first-class flight to the UK, accompanied by his adviser, Claire Comrie. It was
$51 000 for the pair of them. They flew
along with two departmental staff members, making the airfares alone for this
trip a $92 000 expense to the taxpayer. It was a trip supposedly to
visit and review social and affordable housing. The cost of the minister's
flight is equal to the yearly rent for three houses in Perth, despite an
economy return flight —
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Minister for Education and member for Swan Hills and
others, I would like to be able to hear the question and I would like to
minister to hear the question too.
Mr R.S. LOVE : The cost of
the minister's flights is equal to the yearly rent for three houses in
Perth, despite an economy return flight costing around $2 500. If the minister
had taken those, he would have saved $84 000. How does he justify this
extravagant use of Western Australian taxpayer funds?
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please.
Minister for Education, I asked you not to interject before. You have continued
to do it. Please do not. Leader of the Opposition, there was a lot of preamble
to that question—more than usual. I ask you to bear that in mind when
drafting future questions. Minister for Housing.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. That is wrong. I did not fly first class. I flew in accordance with
government policy. The costs relate to —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : This is an
opportunity for the minister to respond. I ask the opposition and other members
not to continue to interject.
Mr J.N. CAREY : The report
tabled in Parliament does not relate to flight costs only. It is a full cost
for the visit, including flights, accommodation and associated costs such as
internal travel on trains and subways. I did not fly first class, as the member
has claimed. In accordance with the policy, I made a full —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, if you want to have the opportunity of a supplementary, please do
not continue to interject. Minister for Housing.
Mr J.N. CAREY : I made a full
statement to the Parliament for the ministerial trip and provided a full
itinerary of that trip.
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister for
Education, you are really testing my patience. As a former teacher, I would
hope the minister knows better. The Leader of the Opposition with a supplementary—not
the Deputy Premier.
question. That is wrong. I did not fly first class. I flew in accordance with
government policy. The costs relate to —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : This is an
opportunity for the minister to respond. I ask the opposition and other members
not to continue to interject.
Mr J.N. CAREY : The report
tabled in Parliament does not relate to flight costs only. It is a full cost
for the visit, including flights, accommodation and associated costs such as
internal travel on trains and subways. I did not fly first class, as the member
has claimed. In accordance with the policy, I made a full —
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the
Opposition, if you want to have the opportunity of a supplementary, please do
not continue to interject. Minister for Housing.
Mr J.N. CAREY : I made a full
statement to the Parliament for the ministerial trip and provided a full
itinerary of that trip.
Dr A.D. Buti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Minister for
Education, you are really testing my patience. As a former teacher, I would
hope the minister knows better. The Leader of the Opposition with a supplementary—not
the Deputy Premier.
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