Powerhouse Museum spent $270K on staff trips overseas the past four years but plead poor to Baird government

THE Powerhouse Museum has spent $270,000 on staff trips abroad over the past four years — even as it pleads poor to the state government.

The Museum did everything it could to hide their expenditure, even though they cried poor. Picture: Destination NSW

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THE Powerhouse Museum has spent $270,000 on staff trips to Argentina, Singapore, Korea, Greece, France, Germany and Vietnam over the past four years — even as it pleads poor to the state government.

The spending came at a time the museum has been pressing the Baird government to spare it the one per cent cut a year or "efficiency dividend" that the Baird government puts in place on all departments.

Opposition arts spokesman Walt Secord argues the spending was a waste of money and the Museum tried everything it could to hide the expenditure. The spending peaked in 2015-16 when $90,745 went on trips.

Opposition arts spokesman Walt Secord argued the spending was a waste of money. Picture: Toby Zerna

Earlier this year, in parliamentary committee hearings, the President of the Board of Trustees for the museum, Barney Glover argued: "The efficiency dividend here applied to cultural institutes, to my mind, is something the Government should reconsider.

"It is very challenging to manage museums, or any cultural institute — or any public agency for that matter — when funding is cut that way." The information released by the Museum shows that there were nine trips to Korea in the four year period and four trips to Singapore.

In 2012-13, the General Manager of Marketing Museum Experience and Commercial Services spent $12,504.22 presenting a paper at a conference in Stockholm and travelling onto London.

In 2014-15, the Director of Curatorial Collections and Exhibitions spent $16,706.70 travelling to Paris to develop and meet potential sponsors and attend the Applied Arts Museums Directors conference in Vienna and London.

In 2014-15, the Director of the museum travelled to Korea, London and France to "negotiate exhibitions" at a cost of $11,635.12.

The Museum did everything it could to hide their expenditure. Picture: Destination NSW

Mr Secord, who battled for the information before obtaining it through parliamentary processes; at one point being asked for $1020 to fund a freedom of information application, said Arts Minister Troy Grant should look into the spending, which he labelled "extravagant".

"While no one disputes the need for arts curators and administrators to conduct overseas study trips and investigations, this expenditure seems unduly excessive," Mr Secord said.

"At a time when arts organisations are desperate for funds and have given evidence to the parliamentary inquiry talking about being starved of funds, it is very surprising that the Powerhouse would spend almost a quarter of a million dollars on travel.

"It is now clear why the Powerhouse Museum tried to prevent the release of the expenditure; even they must have realised that the expenditure was excessive after it was tabulated."

"Unfortunately, the Powerhouse Museum has been less than forthcoming with the information on overseas travel. It shows a cloak of secrecy over its activities.

"That is why the Arts Minister and the Baird Government must formally investigate the expenditure and the rationale behind the expenditure. We must be satisfied that the expenditure was worthwhile."

The Sydney museum even called the Baird government to spare them the one per cent cut a year that the government puts on all departments. Picture: Justin Sanson

A spokeswoman from the Museum said: "Between 2011-2015 MAAS budgeted on average, 0.2 per cent of its total operating budget on overseas travel. Over the five year period, total overseas travel expenditure was $128,420 below this allocated budget.

"Overseas travel is critical to providing professional development opportunities for staff and securing for Sydney the best travelling exhibitions available globally.

"A significant number of the trips under taken by staff were partially or fully funded by external partners, ensuring that budget efficiencies are maintained.

"The volume of travel undertaken by MAAS staff is in line with or below travel taken by other Sydney cultural institutions."