Irony of gold plated charity Christmas tree lost on Health Department

HOW many hot meals could Foodbank NT buy for those who would otherwise go without a hearty Christmas dinner with a spare $5000 in its back pocket?

The Health Department’s $5000 splurge on a Christmas tree is a real head scratcher.

• Health Department splashes $5000 of taxpayer cash to lease Christmas tree

THE decision of Health Department bureaucrats to spend more than $5000 leasing a Christmas tree at a time of supposed fiscal belt tightening is an absolute disgrace.

Everyone loves a bit of festive cheer but this complete and utter waste of money is shambolic on all levels.

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Making the decision even more beguiling is the irony, which apparently went unnoticed by the powers that be, that the whole point of installing the tree was to raise money for charity.

The idea of leaving gifts under the tree for those less fortunate is obviously laudable but surely a better option would have been to spend even a few hundred dollars on a more modest tree and just donate the rest straight to charity.

How many hot meals could Foodbank NT buy for those who would otherwise go without a hearty Christmas dinner with a spare $5000 in its back pocket? The department’s spokeswoman pointed out that other trees in Territory hospitals had been donated by the no doubt hardworking managers at their own expense.

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This whole scandal proves no matter what Chief Minister Michael Gunner says about saving money, the bureaucrats will do what they want anyway. They need to be reined in.

We have said the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission’s final report will be meaningless if public servants aren’t made accountable.

If you ever need a reason why they need to made accountable, this $5000 Christmas tree is your answer.

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