Liberals back public servant jobs in questioning excess by some senior bureaucrats
Giddings and Aird support catching a cab from Hobart to Burnie as a legitimate expense
Explanation needed for other excessive costs and information sought on other senior executives
The State Labor Government may not be forced to cut so many public service jobs if it reined in spending by senior bureaucrats.
Many Tasmanians could not afford to catch a taxi from Hobart to Burnie, and would see this as a total waste of their money.
Yet the Health Minister and Treasurer have condoned this behaviour and the expenditure of taxpayers’ money in this way as acceptable. Furthermore, the Treasurer today refused to release the details of the travel claims of the other department heads and senior bureaucrats in the State.
Therefore, today the Liberals have lodged an FOI seeking intrastate, interstate and the overseas travel expenditure, including airfares, accommodation, transfer costs, including taxi fares, of all departmental heads and senior bureaucrats.
Tasmanians need to be assured that the Government’s rhetoric about cost-cutting is matched by reality.
Public servants need to be assured their job is not put at jeopardy because someone at the top of the tree has not tightened their belt.
Peter Gutwein MP Shadow Treasurer
