Matt Kean’s trip to meet King, attend climate fest cost $70,000

Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean cost taxpayers more than $70,000 when he and a government entourage flew to the United Kingdom to meet King Charles III ahead of COP27 in Egypt late last year.

Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean cost taxpayers more than $70,000 when he and a government entourage flew to the United Kingdom to meet King Charles III ahead of COP27 in Egypt late last year.

Newly released details of the trip published by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet show Mr Kean brought along a senior adviser, with NSW Treasury secretary Dr Paul Grimes also joining the delegation.

The published report showed the 10-day trip to London, Cairo and Sharm El Sheik cost more than $72,000, including $47,930 for Mr Kean and one staffer, with the bureaucrat costing $24,074.

Some of Mr Kean’s Liberal colleagues privately criticised the trip at the time as it had occurred during a crucial week in parliament with first-home buyer stamp duty reforms on the agenda.

In his report, Mr Kean said the trip had enabled government engagement with the “highest sub-sovereign level of Moody’s” and “supported our longer-term maintenance of NSW’s Triple-A credit rating”.

Treasurer Matt Kean spent $70,000 to travel to the UK and Egypt for meetings with ratings agencies and to attend a climate conference. Picture: Twitter

Mr Kean said his role as both Treasurer and Energy Minister had enabled two “necessary work trips” to be combined into one “providing greater value for money”.

“It was a bonus that while in the UK to meet with financial bodies, I was invited to meet the King and discussed our shared passion for conservation,” he said.

Mr Kean was not the only minister to take a taxpayer-funded trip last year – we paid $294,633.93 for Premier Dominic Perrottet’s nine-day trip with five staff, three officials and three police to Japan, South Korea and India in July.

A six-day trip to Israel by Skills Minister Alister Henskens and a staffer cost taxpayers $46,497, while a seven-day trip by then Trade Minister Stuart Ayres to Singapore and India cost $36,990.

In July, retiring Transport Minister David Elliott visited Japan and Hawaii on an 11-day Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship trip with sacked Clubs NSW CEO Josh Landis, Opposition veterans spokesman Greg Warren, East Hills MP Wendy Lindsay MP, a staffer and six school students.

The trip for Mr Elliott and his staffer cost taxpayers just over $52,057.