The Sauce: Kevin Rudd racks up the air miles bringing Julian Assange home

Who gets to use US Ambassador Kevin Rudd’s many air miles points? Which lobby group has taken exception to the Education Minister — and why? And who’s been spotted around town? The Sauce has it all.

When Kevin Rudd was prime minister, then-Labor treasurer Wayne Swan banned frequent flyer perks for politicians and their staff, to make savings in the budget.

The Rudd government renegotiated its travel contracts so that frequent flyer points were deducted in return for discounts from airlines, instead of pollies individually racking them up for personal use.

The Sauce wonders if the same rules apply to Rudd as Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, given his regular flights.

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Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade travel documents obtained by Opposition “waste watch” MP James Stevens show Rudd recently accrued 75,000 “mileage plus” points during his flights to accompany Julian Assange on his trip home.

Stevens had FOI’d Rudd’s travel expenses for the Assange trip, with the documents showing the United Airlines airfares cost a total of US $9407 – plus “award miles”.

Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd supported Julian Assange in his bid to return to Australia, and accompanied the WikiLeaks founder on his trip home. Picture: Getty Images

On June 22, Rudd flew “United first” class from Washington DC to New York before catching a second business-class flight from New York to Tokyo.

The following day, Rudd flew business class from Tokyo to the remote island of Saipan, where he joined Assange on his trip home.

At the time, Rudd said he travelled alongside Assange because he was the “principal point of contact” with both the US Department of Justice and Assange’s lawyers.

It was suggested Rudd played an important role in convincing Julian Assange to accept a plea deal with the United States Justice Department, resulting in the WikiLeaks founder’s freedom.

At the time of press, The Sauce was awaiting comment from DFAT.

STAND OFF

A flurry of emails from a volunteer organisation has put noses out of joint in Macquarie Street.

The Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association in August wrote to Education Minister Pru Car, requesting a meeting at Parliament House on September 19.

Citing a heavy workload, a representative in Car’s office explained that the minister would “unfortunately be unable to attend and sent her “sincere apologies”.

Education and Early Learning Minister Prue Car. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Describing the response as “extremely disappointing”, the association fired off another email in which it acknowledged how Car had a “busy workload”.

However, it urged her to “review” the decision given it was an organisation of volunteers advocating for rural and remote students’ education “and the future leaders of this country”.

The next day, the association stepped it up with another email to Ms Car’s office, noting that it had been “refused a meeting with the deputy premier”, and that a media release “which will detail our issues and the fact that the minister is not prepared to discuss the issues with us” had been prepared.

“I am sure you understand that this is not a pleasant way to do business …” the email said.

“Thank you for organising a meeting for us.”

It is understood Car has met with association representative five times since coming to office, including in May this year.

The last we heard, no meeting has yet to been locked in – and an association media release is yet to hit our inboxes.

The association declined to comment.

HOT SEAT

It was excruciating viewing.

With five portfolios, Labor minister Anoulack Chanthivong was always going to face a multi-pronged assault from his political rivals at Budget Estimates.

Liberal MLC Jacqui Munro led the grilling, with questions on Chanthivong’s recent two-week trip to Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Chanthivong’s ministerial disclosure shows he visited the three countries in July as part of an overseas trade mission, costing taxpayers $29,000 for himself and a staffer.

He said the trip was necessary in order to grow markets in what was the “fastest-growing economic bloc in the world”.

Minister Anoulack Chanthivong. Picture: Gaye Gerard

After navigating through Greens’ questions about some prisoners not having access to their one free call from jail and other crossbench inquires, Chanthivong again faced off with Munro over whether he had read the budget papers.

“What’s your question,” Chanthivong asked, as an increasing incredulous-looking Munro repeatedly replied: “My question is have you read the budget papers?”

“As I said, the budget papers are handed down by the Treasurer,” Chanthivong said. “What’s your question?”

After Munro again explained her question was whether he had read the budget papers, Chanthivong replied that he has “read a whole range of papers”.

After an excruciating few more rounds had ended with Chanthivong finally declaring he HAD read the budget papers “that are relevant to my portfolio”, Munro declared “excellent” before asking him to turn to “Budget Paper Number 2.”

The reply?: “I don’t have it.”

SPOTTED

Former premier-turned-US BHP rep Dominic Perrottet out jogging in the Domain on Saturday with ex-planning minister Rob Stokes.

Perrottet — who is now based in Washington DC — caught up with his former running mate while in Sydney for a business meeting.

On Friday, former Liberal ministers David Elliott and Matt Kean were also seen, having a “work lunch” at Luke Mangan’s Glass Brasserie in the CBD.

The Sauce hears the unlikely pair, who we are told were deep in discussion with two other diners about the benefits of using recycled materials in new infrastructure, were attending in the capacity of their new roles.

Since leaving politics, Kean has become the Climate Change Authority chair while Elliott is the CEO of the The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia.

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