Ratepayers billed $1100-plus per night for Brisbane, Gold Coast councillors’ Paris Games hotels
Ratepayers will pick up the hotel bill for the official Paris Games visits by the Brisbane Deputy Mayor and Gold Coast Mayor, it can be revealed.
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Ratepayers will pick up a $1100-plus-per-night hotel bill for the official Paris Games visits by the Brisbane Deputy Mayor and Gold Coast Mayor, it can be revealed.
Brisbane Deputy Mayor Krista Adams and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate were assigned to the luxury Hotel du Collectionneur by the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games.
Booking.com listed upcoming vacancies for one-bed rooms in the hotel, a short stroll from the world-famous Champs-Elysees and other tourist attractions, as starting from $1156 per night.
Guests at the art deco hotel enjoyed city views from some rooms with private terraces, including of the Eiffel Tower, a spa and fitness centre.
Australian councillors, mayors and officials also stayed at the Hyatt Regency Etoile, which currently was listed on booking.com at prices starting from $334 per night, and the Hotel Meridien Etoile, where prices started from $299 per night.
Ms Adams stayed for 11 nights, while Councillor Vicki Howard was allocated to the Hyatt for five nights.
The total cost of Ms Adams’ Paris travel bill was $12,557, less than the budgeted $16,300.
That included $11,489 for her accommodation and $1068 for a return Eurstar trip between London and Paris.
Ms Howard, the Community, Arts and Lifestyle Committee chair, spent a total of $14,129, less than her budgeted total of $26,300 for her Paralympics visit.
That included $2364 for her accommodation and $11,765 for flights.
Mr Tate’s office said the total cost of sending him and two officers to the Olympics was about $40,000.
A spokesman said the council delegation, which included a specialist Olympics staffer, spent between 13 and 17 days in Paris.
Mr Tate returned to the Coast from the Olympics before jetting back to Paris again for the Paralympics as part of another council delegation.
The spokesman said the costs of that trip were still being calculated.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli’s total Games travel bill was reported earlier this year to be $7500, although a cost breakdown and the hotel at which she stayed have so far not been revealed.
The office of Brisbane-based federal Sport Minister Anika Wells, was approached for comment.
Like Mr Tate, she also flew to Paris for the Games, from July 22-28, and returned to Australia before flying to France a second time for the Paralympics from August 25-September 1.
Ms Adams paid for her flights to London before the Games to visit her children and billed ratepayers only the cost of a Eurostar train fare.
She said OCOG guests had no choice in where they stayed and were assigned to one of three hotels within a secure zone in the Games city because of concerns about safety, as well as logistic reasons.
Ms Adams said she had a very busy schedule visiting Paris Games “active sites’’ and other facilities, workshops, meetings and seminars.
The experience had been invaluable in learning what Paris did well and what Brisbane could do better such as revitalising its night-time economy.
She would present a report to Council at its next session and briefly addressed details of her trip and her findings at Council’s meetings on August 13, 20 and 27.
“Just like the State and Federal Governments, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast councils, Brisbane was also represented at the 2024 Paris Games,’’ she said.
“Along with being the main host city, Brisbane will also be home to many venues during the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games so it’s important we, alongside our Federal, State and SEQ Council representatives, learn from other host cities to ensure we deliver the best games ever.’’
Ms Howard did not address the cost or hotel details of her trip when her Paris bill was raised in Tuesday’s Council meeting by Labor Councillor Steve Griffiths.
However, later in proceedings she gave a five-minute report on what she had done and what she had learned.
But she said she had attended numerous meetings and sessions and met key Paralympics officials, as well as directly observed the challenges the 1000-year-old Olympic city faced in providing accessibility.
Labor Opposition leader in council Jared Cassidy accused the LNP administration of being “completely out of touch’’.
“How dare the Deputy Mayor, who used ratepayer money to stay in an expensive five-star hotel during the Olympics, say asking for transparency is pathetic,” he said.
“It’s mind-boggling that Cr Adams thinks it’s appropriate to spend residents’ money on a hotel worth thousands of dollars per night when she isn’t even on the organising committee.
“Her trip, as well as LNP councillor Vicky Howard’s, cost ratepayers more than $40,000.
“The Opposition would much rather see that cash spent across our communities to improve infrastructure ahead of the Brisbane Olympics.
“What’s even more baffling is that the budget saw $189-thousand cut to Olympic related work within Council, yet they’re still funding overseas trips for politicians.
In June it was revealed Brisbane ratepayers had forked out $325,000 for council staff to travel overseas on Olympic and Paralympic Games business over the past three years.
A further $123,000 had been budgeted to send five staff to Paris.
Sunshine Coast Council chief executive Emma Thomas said earlier this year that the council was originally advised Mayor Rosanna Natoli’s accommodation in Paris would be funded as part of the Olympic Family Program, plus travel costs up to $1000.
She said council was “made aware” that the mayor’s accommodation would not be funded after the April 24 council meeting.
Ms Natoli said the cohort travelling with the Olympic Family Program was not able to choose their own accommodation and she was glad it was not a top tier arrangement.
She paid for her own flights for her travel to Paris from July 25 to August 2.
The State Government sent just five officials to Paris and no ministers, while a total of 15 councillors and their staff attended.
The Games ran from July 26 to August 11, although some events started on July 24.
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