By Mathew Dunckley and Patrick Elligett
Our friends in federal Treasury recently took some time out from counting beans to count pens in response to a couple of probing questions from Liberal senator Jane Hume.
Hume was keen to know, via the estimates committee questions-on-notice process, how much Treasury, and its assorted agencies, had spent on branded merchandise. The results were illuminating.
Senator Jane Hume.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The answers were posted late last week and Treasury caught our eye with its decision to spend $3300 on branded keep cups.
Bespoke pens were something of a, ahem, staple with the Australian Accounting Standards Board ($330), the Australian Taxation Office ($436.36) and Treasury ($1290).
The ATO also spent $4000 on commemorative coins to mark two events including the J5 challenge, which saw experts from Canada, France, United Kingdom and the United States trying to track down international tax criminals. That also apparently warranted another $498 for a coin display box.
A contender in the unusual choice category goes to the Australian Taxation Office, which spent $5170 to buy 1250 “protein shakers” as part of its entry-level program.
But the winner would have to be the standards board’s decision to spend $303 branding hand sanitiser for an Asian-Oceanian Standard-Setters Group event. No, we’d never heard of them either.
AOSSG, an acronym that truly rolls off the tongue, also got in on the commemorative coin game prompting scorn from opposition waste spokesman James Stevens.
“I knew that Treasury minted our coins, but I’m surprised that they struck one to commemorate the accounting standard-setters getting together,” he told CBD.
“Hopefully there was at least $3297 worth of memories created for attendees at the conference to justify the expense.”
Elijah’s Winnington ways
One of Australia’s day-one medallists was eager to tell his fans back home about the unorthodox mental technique behind his silver medal-winning composure in the 400m freestyle.
The trick? “Pretend it’s Disneyland.”
Winnington, speaking to Channel Nine poolside, described the American fun park as his favourite place in the world, and said when he was standing behind the blocks he imagined himself queueing for one of his favourite rides.
The ride that inspired a silver medal-winning performance.Credit: Alamy
Space Mountain or Magic Kingdom, in case you were wondering.
Whatever works, Elijah.
I’m sorry, Tom, I can’t. Mum’s doing a lamb roast
When you win Olympic gold, the accolades go well beyond medals and glory.
If you are lucky, you might get a DM from a Hollywood star.
Tom Cruise enjoys day one of swimming in Paris.Credit: AP
Ian Thorpe, swimming god turned Nine commentator, shared a vintage memory after spotting Tom Cruise engaged in some high-energy clapping by the Paris pool on Sunday.
“He called me after I won at the Sydney Olympics, and Nicole Kidman did too,” Thorpey recalled. “It was really bizarre.”
They went on to work together on a charity project in the US, the Thorpedo explained.
His co-host, Mat Thompson, couldn’t resist: “Are you meeting up for dinner with him later?”
But surely, Thorpe had better plans — like a lamb roast with his mum.
Taylor has a dip at the pool
While we’re on the topic of Olympics commentary, CBD was totally unsurprised to hear Mark ‘Tubby’ Taylor had made that most natural of career progressions from cricket commentary to three-metre springboard synchronised diving analyst.
Taylor was upbeat about the medal chances of Australian pair Anabelle Smith and partner Maddison Keeney before Smith lost her footing on her heartbreaking final dive.
CBD thought the former Australian opening batter handled the gravity of the moment with aplomb. One of our less generous Paris correspondents, however, suggested the commentary effort represented no threat to his reputation as the master of forward defence.
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