Cost of living ‘contempt’: fine dining, trips, cultural perks for education fat cats blasted

What cost of living? In a six-month spending spree Education Department bureaucrats spent up on trips away, top restaurants, and multiple Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies.

Federal Education Department fat cats are being accused of living it up and wasting taxpayers’ money after details emerged of travel costs for meetings around the country, fine dining in fancy restaurants and multiple costly Welcome to Country ceremonies.

The trips and perks were revealed in questions on notice from a budget estimates hearing, where Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson grilled federal bureaucrats about a series of one-hat restaurant meals and a $5100 price tag for Indigenous “cultural activities”.

In the first six months of last year, the department spent $172,691 on events and catering — and another $118,404 on accommodation and travel costs for the bureaucrats to attend “planning meetings” — all billed to the taxpayer.

Some of the events included meetings of the “Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership” team in March last year — who decided to spend $4500 of taxpayer money on a “Cultural dance performance by the ‘Koori Youth Will Shake Spears” dance group.

The Canberra bureaucrats also billed $11,088 to the taxpayer for audio visual support and $3000 for their member dinner, held in Melbourne.

Images of Doubletree by Hilton at Alice Springs, where Federal Department Education bureaucrats had dinner at the Hanuman Alice Springs (Double Tree by Hilton) at taxpayer expense costing $1870, after already spending more than $2000 on their breakfast, morning tea and light lunch Source: Supplied

The Federal Education Department employs almost 1500 public servants, with most living in Canberra.

Taxpayers were also billed $5100 for a Welcome to Country ceremony combined with “cultural activities” at a March 2023 meeting of the “Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership”.

The Double Tree by Hilton at Alice Springs, where Federal Department Education bureaucrats had a meeting costing $19,439 for a two day venue hire, $1700 for a Welcome to Country and cultural activity and $1870 for dinner. Source: Supplied

The same group of bureaucrats then went on to enjoy another “Welcome to Country and cultural activity” at a cost of $1700 in Alice Springs in June 2023.

The government officials — as well as members of the “First Nations Peak Body” then had dinner at the Hanuman Restaurant at the Double Tree by Hilton at taxpayer expense of $1870, after already spending more than $2000 on catering on their breakfast, morning tea and light lunch.

Another bill sent to taxpayers was $1209 for the National Research Infrastructure Advisory to enjoy dinner at the one-hat Courgette Restaurant in Canberra in March and chat about their “work plan” for the next year.

The Double Tree by Hilton at Alice Springs, where Federal Department Education bureaucrats enjoyed dinner. Source: Supplied

What the bureaucrats spent up big on: $4500 for a cultural dance performance by the Koorie Youth Will Shake Spears dance group, top left, and restaurant meals at Ginger Indian Restaurant, top right, Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Alice Springs, bottom left, and Canberra's one-hat Courgette Restaurant. Pictures: Supplied

Other restaurant meals were held at the Ginger Indian Restaurant at Harris Park in Sydney, Black Fire Restaurant, Mezzalira, and Brunello Restaurants in Canberra, Big Esso in Melbourne, Tattersalls Hotel in Armidale and Malt Dining in Brisbane.

Opposition education spokeswoman Senator Sarah Henderson blasted the spending.

“The Albanese Government could not care less about the cost-of-living crisis so many Australians are facing,” she said.

“As the senior minister in the education portfolio, Jason Clare has treated taxpayers with contempt.

“Holding so-called meetings at fine dining restaurants including Canberra’s ‘one hat’ Courgette is nothing more than a restaurant rort.”

Senator Sarah Henderson during a Senate inquiry. She is concerned about excessive expenditure and the impact on Australian families. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Libertarian Party Upper House MP John Ruddick believes the Federal Government needs to abolish their Education Department.

Libertarian Party Upper House NSW MP John Ruddick says our constitution assumes education is a matter for the states.

“The extraordinary waste recently exposed in the senate is merely the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

“The entire department is waste.

“The Libertarian Party advocates for the abolition of the federal Department of Education.

“Somehow we’ve ended up with a federal Department of Education which doesn’t operate any schools – it claims its purpose is to ‘provide advice’ on education to the federal government.”

Asked about the spending, Education Minister Jason Clare said: “I have instructed my department to ensure taxpayer’s money is spent appropriately.”

In NSW, Labor Premier Chris Minns announced in December he planned to order executive teachers in leadership positions back into the classroom, to cope with teacher shortages.

The Federal Education bureaucrats were also fond of their morning tea and “light lunch” events, with taxpayers footing the bill for multiple events, including:

• $500 for catering for Harmony Day in March last year,
• $548 for department officials from the “Accord Panel” to have light lunch in February,
• $356 for a “non-government schools managers forum” in March and,
• $525 for afternoon tea in May for officials to meet with various universities.

Welcome to Country ceremonies held from June to October 2023:

• Welcome to Country for the Early Childhood and Youth Planning event, $400,
• Welcome to Country for the research forum, $495,
• Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony for the Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership, $880,
• Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony for NAIDOC, $1100

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