Personal visit by police minister becomes 'official trip'
BUNDABERG-based police minister Jack Dempsey has been forced to defend a taxpayer-funded trip which was pre-arranged as a personal visit.
Mackay
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"As discussed, the Min is going to be in Cairns on a personal trip this weekend.
"Is there a quick event we can throw together for this?"
An advisor for police minister Jack Dempsey asked a staffer at police headquarters to "throw together" an official event during Mr Dempsey's pre-arranged personal trip to north Queensland in May last year.
The switch from a personal to an official reason meant Mr Dempsey could pay for the trip using his government travel allowance.
Mr Dempsey had arranged to travel to Cairns for a private matter on the weekend of May 26-27 2012. The email shows his office then made that trip official by arranging events related to his portfolio.
Mr Dempsey, who represents Bundaberg, had been sworn in to Premier Campbell Newman's cabinet just one month before the May 2012 email was sent, replacing David Gibson after he was sacked from the role.
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