Albo to the rescue

[facthunter]

I think she was persuaded to attend to highlight the show by the Promoters.. Ministers get about 1/2 of what top public servants get. They don't have CASH to splash unless they are on the TAKE. Serving the Wealthy. Nev

[onetrack]

God helps those who help themselves, but God help anyone caught helping themselves. Old sign from an orchard.

[onetrack]

Quote

Ministers get about 1/2 of what top public servants get

And right there, is part of what's wrong in this country. Add in the number of top public servants "on the make" as well, and we're well on the way to being a 3rd world country.

So many of the pricks getting caught lately with helping themselves, based on straight-out criminal greed. The penalties should be doubled for these greedy pricks in exalted positions.

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/commonwealth-employee-among-three-people-charged-over-alleged-multi

 

https://www.nacc.gov.au/convictions

 

https://www.counterfraud.gov.au/case-studies/senior-public-servant-involved-australias-largest-public-sector-fraud

 

We've one prick who was working for Fremantle Ports Authority, he scammed $5M out of the Authority, took off for the high life overseas, and they still haven't caught him after more than 6 years.

 

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-family-s-alleged-freo-ports-rort-blows-out-to-5m-as-contractors-hit-with-new-charges-20200915-p55vqw.html

 

Edited yesterday at 06:45 AM by onetrack

[Marty_d]

5 hours ago, facthunter said:

I think she was persuaded to attend to highlight the show by the Promoters.. Ministers get about 1/2 of what top public servants get. They don't have CASH to splash unless they are on the TAKE. Serving the Wealthy. Nev

Base salary $233,660. As a cabinet minister she gets additional 72.5%, so add $169,403. Puts her a bees dick over $400k.

Are you saying that someone on $400k, who already gets her own free travel and prime seat at any sporting event she wants, can't afford to pay for her family out of her own pocket?

[red750]

They chose to put themselves in that position. Oh my, I work so hard.  sniff, sob.

 

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. They might be on less than the top public servants, but it's better than Joe Bloggs, who has to cover his own expenses.

 

 

(ps.) Meant to send this reply this afternoon, forgot to press Submit.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I sort of agree with Kev on this.. Wells is the minister for communications and sport. So what the news isn't telling is is whether she is at the sporting events in an official capacity or not. If she is in an official capacity, it is understandable, for instance, that the commonwealth cars are waiting for her (it's not like they can discharge the driver for the day and then have them come back, I wuld guess - they aren't a taxi company). And if two tickets are given - then it is sort of natural her husband comes along.. Sort of...

 

The trip to New York were for her and her two staffers. I am not sure how long they were for, but it is $33K for each, on average. So, flights are likely to be at least business class.. say $10 - $15K each. First class, which one would expect a minister to travel will be c. $20K (they should get a discount, but lets just go with the numbers). That is between 30 and $60K gone. Do we know the number of nights she and her staffers were there?

 

Grand Hyatt hotel web lookup starts from USD $272/night. No doubt the rooms for the staffers can be the more basic room, but the minister should have a decent room, woth probably a separate living/working room to her bedroom for some privacy. So that won't be am Air BnB.. That is, of course, unless there are suites in the embassy - but the embassy (or highh commission) is probably in Washington DC.

 

Now, before you fellas shout, yeah, she can go cattle like the rest of us, and why shoudl dhehave a fancy suite, as someone who extensively travelled for business, the aircraft and hotel rooms are like mobile offices. You do work in them. I have written a whole budget paper between London and Prague; prepared for meetings, presentations, and the like; after leaving the office and usually some dinner with clients/colleagues, there is the recapping the days events and preparing for the next day. At the same time, you have to deal with things back at the office and other sites/clients you deall with. It seems glamorous and a jolly to many, but a proper business trip (I don't mean attending conventions - and I have never done them) is hard graft, or yakka in the Aussie vernacular. However, I do miss it. 

 

So, so what if she had a few chateau de Hoity Toity wines or something else.. 

 

But that is for her only. We used to get (and give) tickets for 2 to events - I would always take a work colleague.  They also worked for the firm and did a lot - so it was only fair. And I can't recall ever paying for my family to go on a holiday - even if it was to bring them along with me for the ride. That shold not happen, unless it is exceptional.. like a carer relationship or come extraordinary circumstance. In fact, I used to bring my partner along with me for business trips and pay for the flight - the company poicked up the hote because the room was the same price whether it was one or two people. Occasionally it was more for two, in which case I paid the difference.  I did use frequent flyer miles for her sometimes, but, these are a perk, not used by the company and thankfully here, not fring benefits taxed. 

 

But that is the thing. Real business travel is taxing, you can't get a lot done with your personal life that you can at home. Some perks should be tolerated - it is a question of proprotionality.

 

[pmccarthy]

Long ago now I flew interstate or overseas three or four times a week. I refused to fly economy. No one should have to suffer that.

[red750]

They are saying on Sunrise this morning that her trip to NY for a 6 minute speech at the UN cost taxpayers $190,000. She also charged taxpayers to fly her from Brisbane to Sydney and back for her own birthday party, and another occasion where shw and her kids flew interstate so one son could take part in a boxing match.

 

Back in 1986-87, I worked for the Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd, which had just merged with the Bank of NSW, forming Westpac. I was a systems analyst working on the personnel system for CBAL which had to integrate with the BNSW system. For a couple of months I flew from Melbourne to Sydney on the Monday morning. Taxi from home to airport, bus into Sydney CBD. Worked until about 8 pm, taxi to Hurstville where the bank owned a group of flats normally used by relieving staff. There were a group of us, 2 to a flat. Stayed over the following weekend, then flew home after the two weeks, then start all over again. Cooked our own meals at the flat, took care of housekeeping ourselves. The bank picked up the bills, but it was no holiday.

[Marty_d]

Make the travel rules the same as for the public service.

@Jerry_Atrick while there is some truth in your post, it sounds like you were working for private companies.  They can waste money however they like, or at least as much as the shareholders will put up with.

The government is a different beast. We can't choose to be "shareholders", our taxes pay for everything they do. A higher standard is expected and should be adhered to.

While no one is arguing that cabinet ministers should travel in economy, we should ask whether the benefits of the 6 minute speech outweigh the cost - ie should the last-minute fares have been purchased at all.

That trip aside, the overly generous family travel should be scrapped. Yes they have to spend a lot of time in Canberra, but any FIFO worker does the same thing and doesn't get their family flown out to visit them.

As for the sporting event tickets, and any other gifts from companies - this is something that wouldn't be acceptable in the APS and shouldn't be acceptable to politicians. 

I'm not just picking on Wells here, there's a lot that spend more, on every side of politics. They should all remember that 99% of the people they represent get a lot less income than them.

 

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Marty_d

[facthunter]

It's no fun travelling  long distances by Air and you Must arrive in a shape to front up Prepared and Fresh.. The trip was a Late decision. Hence NO discounts. She would feel obligated to attend the Football as  how does it look if she doesn't?   When you're in the Lower House you are always conscious of the Value of Public Appearances. .She's also entitled to some family life. Canberra is hard on that. Recognise THIS for what it is. A Bloody great OPPORTUNISTIC Beat up by the usual Hypocrites.  Nev

[Marty_d]

We can surely walk and chew gum at the same time.

Yes there will be an opportunistic pile-on by the usual suspects, but that shouldn't stop us from calling out overly generous entitlements that do not reflect what the majority of people would consider fair.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-10/pollies-charge-taxpayers-for-family-travel/106122328

[red750]

They interviewed Albo on Sunrise this morning and he said she and her support staff were originally meant to travel with him when he went to meet Trump, along with the press etc who went with them. But due to the introduction on the social media ban for under 16's, it was decided that she should stay here to deal with that which is why her booking was late.

 

He said these matters are handled by an independent committee and he wouldn't be drawn on whether the rules needed reviewing.

[facthunter]

There was NO Cover Up or attempt to.  Nev

[rgmwa]

She's good at her job and probably didn't do anything she wasn't allowed to under the rules, however she (and a lot of other politicians of all stripes) should have seen the warning flags and paid out of her own pocket for her family to attend these events.  However the obvious point is that the rules need to change to align with public expectations and Albo needs to get onto it.

 

[kgwilson]

I wouldn't be a politician for the 4 or 5 hundred grand a year they get. Their lives are not their own and they have little time for their families. Taking the family to a sports event when you are the sports minister is OK with me as she has long periods of time away from them.

 

The trip to the UN was an absolute must as Australia is the first in the world to impose a social media ban for under 16s & she championed it and needed to get this across to other nations who are trying to do the same. To me it promotes Australia as being at the forefront of a caring society not at the bottom of the pit like the US where the only thing that matters is the billionaires getting even richer.

 

At their level of importance and the personal sacrifices they have to make plus having to be places at short notice means flying first class is totally justified and what  I expect. Like everyone she made the choice to get in to politics but it is unforgiving and brutal. Put any of the armchair warriors who whinge about everything in their position and the tune will change pretty rapidly