How $135,000 of tax payer money may have been spent on ABC Adelaide breakfast radio duo
Comparing Parisian monuments to Adelaide roundabouts and “drinking” Seine River water were among the topics reported on by ABC Adelaide breakfast.
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Social media posts on the ABC Adelaide Instagram page have revealed more about what the $135,000 paid by taxpayers to send breakfast radio presenters, Sonya Feldhoff and Jules Schiller to the Paris Olympics might have been spent on.
Videos shared to the ABC Adelaide and radio presenter’s personal Instagrams include shots of a fully decked out studio, referred to as ‘studio de Triomphe’ by the team.
“It looks like a hotel room,” Mr Schiller says in the video.
“But it’s not, it’s something very special,” Ms Feldhoff adds.
The presenters are pictured surrounded by multiple computers, headphones and what appears to be sound and recording equipment.
According to the ABC, the $135,000 of taxpayer money was put towards flights, accommodation, hospitality, equipment, transport and broadcasting costs.
The breakfast radio duo seem to have spent the majority of their time in Paris out on the streets interviewing Olympic fans and attendees and did not assist with any commentary of the sports events.
“When I mention the word Australia to you, what do you immediately think of?” Ms Feldhoff asks tourists in front of the Eiffel Tower in a video posted to Instagram.
While watching sports may not have been at the top of ABC Adelaide’s to-do list, Ms Feldhoff did share some footage from the 20km women’s walking event which appears to have been taken from the sidelines while surrounded by fans.
In their radio program, the pair discuss other Olympic venues such as the stadium but do not suggest they attended events there.
Tickets to Olympic events are highly sought after and difficult to get a hold of, with prices for single tickets ranging from $40 to $1500 depending on which event is being attended.
A spot at the Opening or Closing ceremonies starts at $150.
Ms Feldhoff and Mr Schiller spent time exploring Paris and were pictured in front of tourist attractions, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.
In one radio segment, the presenters even compared the Arc de Triomphe roundabout to Adelaide’s very own Britannia roundabout and showed off Paris’ version of the O’Bahn in a highlights video of their time in the city of love.
In other posts they pose backstage with a South-Australian born Moulin Rouge dancer and enjoy eating snails at a Parisian cafe.
While there is yet to be confirmation of specific costs paid by the ABC for these experiences, an average tourist can expect to pay $26.42 to enter the Arc de Triomphe and $37.31 for Eiffel Tower entry with a ticket to the Moulin Rouge starting at around $143.65.
There has been no indication what class of plane ticket the pair were provided with, but circulating rumours have suggested that they may have been seated closer to the front of the plane.
An average round trip economy class ticket from Adelaide to Paris before the Olympics cost around $1,944 with a business class fare costing around a whopping $9,255.
Pre-Olympic reports from French consumers group, UFC-Que. Choisir, revealed Paris hotels were tripling prices for visitors staying in the city for the Opening Ceremony with a double room usually costing $523.89 for one night being bumped to $1707.19.
Where the ABC presenters stayed in Paris has not been divulged but from these prices, it is unlikely that any accommodation was cheap.
Senator Alex Antic, who sought the spend through the Federal Parliament, criticised the $135,000 bill footed by the taxpayer.
“It is difficult to reconcile spending like this with repetitious claims that the ABC is underfunded,” he said.
“Australians are growing tired of being told they have to tighten their belts when our public broadcaster isn’t prepared to do the same.”
Mr Schiller also received a fencing lesson from French fencer, coach and bronze medallist, Patrick Groc with footage of the encounter being shared on social media.
Fencing, a sport of Italian origin, has not included an Australian competitor since the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Mr Groc participated at The Forte Village Fencer Academy camp in early July, where fencers could pay $1,000 USD to attend the experience and receive coaching from Mr Groc and other fencing greats.
While the radio team largely avoided Olympic events, they did “drink” water from the Seine River, which despite being a free activity, may have come with a side of E. coli.
“Mmmm … delicious,” Mr Schiller said in an Instagram reel after pretending to take a sip of the infamous water, which nearly saw the demise of the 2024 Olympic triathlon events.
Despite being surrounded by athletes from around the world, the program interviewed a French AFL team and spoke with a street mime from Lyon.
They also conducted over the phone interviews with bronze medallist cyclist, Matt Glaetzer, the mother of pole-vaulters Kurtis Marschall, Kyle Chalmers’ dad and esteemed sports commentator, Bruce McAvaney.
ABC Adelaide were contacted for comment but advised that they did not wish to speak on the matter.
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