Editor’s view: Big question that remains over civic leaders’ luxe Paris stay

What is yet to be fully explained to ratepayers who picked up the travel bill for civic leaders to visit Paris is the most important thing, writes the editor.

The view from the Hotel du Collectionneur in Paris where Brisbane Deputy Mayor Krista Adams and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate stayed during the Olympic Games

Eight years from now, Brisbane will host the world’s biggest event – the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These Games are, of course, held once every four years. That means it is critical to hoover up every possible lesson that we can from those events when they are on.

It is therefore entirely justifiable that officials from the Queensland cities that will host events in 2032 – and state government delegates – attended Paris for the program the International Olympic Committee puts on to help future hosts.

That said, those trips must also be properly justified – transparently – to voters, who can then make their own call on whether it was worth it.

We await these reports, and will scrutinise them properly. It is also entirely within the rights of the oppositions at both the council and government level to interrogate the value of any “study tours”, as with any public expenditure.

Brisbane City Council Labor Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy is right, then, to have raised the approval of accommodation in Paris for Deputy Mayor Krista Adams at an $1156-a-night hotel instead of other cheaper venues where other officials stayed.

As a result of Mr Cassidy pointing it out publicly, Ms Adams has had to justify that decision to ratepayers – again, as she should. She explained that Organising Committee guests – of which she was one – were not given a choice of where to stay, instead being assigned to one of the three hotels. She also explained that she had paid personally for her flight to London before the Games, to visit her children – only billing ratepayers the cost of a Eurostar train fare from London to Paris.

Brisbane Deputy Mayor Krista Adams

These are things ratepayers should know. But we would add that what is yet to be fully explained to those who ultimately picked up the $12,557 travel bill for Ms Adams is the most important thing – the lessons she, and the council’s “specialist Olympics staffer” who also attended, garnered from their 11 days and nights in Paris.

A five-minute statement to the council chamber is a good start, but it is not enough. The justification should be in a detailed report of relevant findings, released publicly, so that voters have the chance to read that report at their leisure.

Again, this is not to say that going to Paris was unjustified. Certainly on face value, state government and council officials attending Paris 2024 makes far more sense in terms of value for public money than some of the global “study tours” our state government ministers often take (when they are not grounded due to it being an election year).

On that point, we do wonder if the government should have sent a larger delegation to Paris than just the five officials who went – from the police and the departments of State Development, Infrastructure and Transport. If it is going to soon be your job to put on the world’s biggest event, there is value in being on the ground in real time as the event happens in another city.

No state government ministers attended, a risk-averse call which is understandable – and justifiable, considering the likelihood of a change of government at the election on October 26.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate

Perhaps more government officials should have gone to Paris, so our public service can start properly preparing.

Queensland councils sent a total of 15 people to Paris – including Ms Adams, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli, and Brisbane City Council’s chair of the community, lifestyle and arts committee Vicki Howard (who racked up a bill of $14,128 on her Paralympics visit).

All have the same obligation as Ms Adams does to justify the value of their attendance in Paris.

Mayor Tate has explained the three-person delegation he led attended 21 business meetings,
30 observer sessions, 18 official ceremonies, 18 sporting events, 23 escorted venue and site visits, and one panel session. That sounds like a packed agenda, but again what is more important to be disclosed to ratepayers are the relevant lessons learnt by him and the others from the council who went along.

Any private sector boss who sends a senior manager on such a trip would demand a detailed review, not simply a calendar of meetings with buzz words such as “advocacy” and “collaboration” attached as the sole explanation.

It should be no different in the public sector, where those who pay the rates and the taxes are the boss. They deserve to know the detail.

STAY FOCUSED, QUEENSLAND

It is clear after yesterday’s debate between the two candidates for the US presidency that it will be a real contest on November 5 – and a ding-dong battle in the lead-up.

This will be a show that demands popcorn and so will attract interest and attention globally, including here. That being so, we urge voters to also pay attention to the election on October 26 that is actually far more important to Queensland.

One of the quirks of our state’s new system of fixed four-year terms is that our election day will always coincide with the last few days of the four-yearly US presidential poll.

How this quirk plays out here for incumbents and challengers will become clear over time. But every state election is critical, of course.

Let us hope Queensland voters can retain the necessary focus while the show plays out across the Pacific.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here