PRIMARY Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn was the big travel spender of Parliament during the past three years, with almost $68,000 in overseas travel costs.
Mr Llewellyn had a domestic and overseas travel bill for the three years of almost $104,000.
Over the three years, 20 cabinet ministers, Labor MHAs and senior Opposition MPs spent almost $400,000 on overseas travel.
But, they’re not in the same league as their 17 Tasmanian federal colleagues, who spent almost $400,000 in one year on overseas travel, as reported in last week’s Sunday Examiner.
Treasurer Michael Aird came second to Mr Llewellyn with $52,000 in overseas travel, including the mystery trip to Europe last year to help revive the pulp mill project. The official figures did not include the big Aird trip, but he confirmed that it would cost $50,000.
Opposition Leader Will Hodgman took advantage of the usual allocation of one overseas trip each parliamentary term for the Opposition Leader, and in 2008 spent more than $45,000 on an overseas trip with his wife and staff.
In the high overall spending stakes Police Minister Jim Cox spent a total $82,000 on travel, including $27,628 on overseas travel; Health Minister Lara Giddings spent $95,129, including $40,138 on overseas travel, and Tourism Minister Michelle O’Byrne spent a total $92,781, including $46,414 on overseas travel.
Former tourism minister Paula Wriedt managed to spend $47,671 until she was sacked from cabinet in September 2008, and this included more than $27,000 in overseas travel over the three years.
Former premier Paul Lennon spent $45,501 until he resigned in May, 2008, but less than $3000 on overseas travel.
Leader for the Government in the Legislative Council Doug Parkinson spent a total $46,624 on travel and most of this was spent on an overseas trip in 2008 which cost taxpayers almost $40,000.
