ASEAN Summit: Anthony Albanese’s department spent $20,000 on flowers, $44,000 for Jessica Mauboy to sing

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s department forked out close to $20,000 in taxpayer cash for lavish flower displays and $44,000 for Jessica Mauboy to sing at an exclusive event which wined and dined world leaders.

Taxpayers forked out close to $20,000 for lavish flower displays and $44,000 for Jessica Mauboy to sing at an exclusive event where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wined and dined world leaders.

“Approved” expenditure for $19,723 to supply flowers for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit at The National Gallery of Victoria in March were released by Prime Minister and Cabinet under Freedom of Information requests.

The taxpayer-funded cash payment was made to Melbourne-based florist Flowers Vasette in March, which included “garden floral designs for a media wall at the entrance to The National Gallery of Victoria to the tune of $2750, as well as “arrival florals” and gold plinths costing a combined $1100.

Close to $500 was spent on bar floral arrangements, while the pièce de résistance was a $7260 “elegant” 12m- long arrangement for the Great Hall dinner table.

Australian singer, Jessica Mauboy performing at ASEAN in 2024 with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Picture: Instagram

A further $440 was spent on an on-site induction and $880 on delivery and installation, while ARIA-winning singer Mauboy was paid $44,000 for her performance at the event.

“What an honour it was to perform at the reception for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit 2024 in Melbourne this week,” Mauboy wrote of the event on social media on March 7. “Thank you so much for having me.”

The Prime Minister hosted leaders of ASEAN and Timor-Leste for the “ASEAN-Australia Special Summit”.

Part of the $20,000 floral display ordered by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s department for the ASEAN Summit at the National Gallery of Victoria.

A Prime Minister and Cabinet spokesman said the Special Summit was a “major event commemorating 50 years of our relations with ASEAN”.

“In 2023, Australia’s two-way trade with ASEAN nations amounted to $183.4bn, with the summit highlighting the importance of our commercial relationship and strategic ties with ASEAN,” he said. “All procurement related to the summit was undertaken in accordance with Commonwealth procurement rules.

“Expenditure on the Summit was in line with similar sized events, including the 2018 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Sydney.

Part of the $20,000 floral display.

“Costs included staffing, venue hire, entertainment, IT, security, transport and accommodation to support well over 1000 delegates.”

Attendees to the summit included ASEAN secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn, the prime ministers of Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Lao, as well as the presidents of Indonesia, and the Philippines, alongside the Sultan of Brunei.

Anthony Albanese meets President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. amid a backdrop of the $20,000 floral display ordered by Mr Albanese’s department on March 5, 2024.

Australian Government AusTender listings also revealed the department spent $41,649 hiring out the space from the National Gallery of Victoria, while it was also confirmed a further $13,600 was spent on catering for the first day of the event.

Government tenders also included reports the department spent a further $31,739.53 on catering from a separate provider on March 5 and 6, as well as $23,000 on “hotels and lodging and meeting facilities” for ASEAN-related meetings in Canberra from March 6-10.

Australian singer, Jessica Mauboy took to Instagram after performing at ASEAN in 2024. Picture: Instagram

Shadow government waste spokeswoman James Stevens said it was “remarkable and insulting that while Australian families are struggling to put food on their dinner table, Anthony Albanese is putting $20,000 of flowers on his”.

“Unfortunately this is another example of our Prime Minister enjoying himself while average Australians are suffering through his cost of living crisis,” Mr Stevens said.

Originally published as ASEAN Summit: Anthony Albanese’s department spent $20,000 on flowers, $44,000 for Jessica Mauboy to sing