Bureaucrats banned from lavish lunches on taxpayer tab

Fine dining bureaucrats have been banned from meeting in ritzy restaurants, after the federal Opposition blasted ‘a complete rort of taxpayers’ money’.

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson has hit out at ‘restaurant rorts’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Fine dining bureaucrats have been banned from meeting in ritzy restaurants, after the federal Opposition blasted “a complete rort of taxpayers’ money’’.

Federal Education Department secretary Tony Cook yesterday apologised for a $12,637 bill racked up by public servants who booked high-end restaurants to host work meetings.

He revealed the bills – including $1209 charged by 10 staffers meeting at the one-hat Courgette Restaurant in Canberra – to a Senate estimates hearing yesterday.

Federal Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said the “restaurant rorts’’ were a disgrace.

“How could you run a department which allows this sort of flagrant waste of taxpayers’ dollars?’’ she said.

“Meetings should be held in a meeting room with a cup of tea and a biscuit, not in fine dining restaurants.

“That’s just a complete rort of taxpayers’ money in my view.

“These are just restaurant rorts – it’s a disgrace.’’

Mr Cook said he had banned the practice in a new hospitality policy, after a meeting with federal Education Minister Jason Clare last month.

“I think we have let the taxpayers down in terms of what they would expect of public servants,’’ Mr Cook said.

“We now have limits on the expenditure that is allowed to be made … the maximum rate is $77 (per person for meals).’’

The new hospitality and business catering policy, tabled in the Senate, says staff must not purchase alcohol without written approval from Mr Cook or a deputy secretary of the department.

Jobs and Skills Commissioner Professor Barney Glover donated his payment to medical research. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Any decision to spend relevant money on official hospitality or business catering must be publicly defensible,’’ it states.

The policy bans bureaucrats from spending taxpayers’ money on three-course meals, on food or drinks for social occasions, or on tips to restaurant staff.

Senator Henderson also took aim at the newly appointed Jobs and Skills Australia Commissioner, Professor Barney Glover.

She said Professor Glover had claimed a $37,000 payment to sit on Universities Accord review panel, at the time he was vice-chancellor of Western Sydney University.

“It’s not right, that when Australians are struggling to put food on the table, that you’ve got a vice chancellor earning a million dollars a year, who then seeks to charge the Commonwealth another $37,000 for working during the week when he’s already being paid by the university,’’ she told the Senate estimates hearing.

“This does not pass the pub test.’’

Mr Cook told the hearing that Professor Glover had donated the $37,000 payment, after tax was deducted, to the University of Western Sydney medical research school in June last year.

Assistant Education Minister Anthony Chisholm said it was outrageous that the Opposition “want to smear Professor Glover’’.

“I think that’s unfortunate, given his long history and commitment to the higher education sector in this country,’’ he said.

“It is disappointing that people would want to take what seems like a gesture on his part to support his university and not take this money personally, and use it against him.’’

The Australian sought comment from Professor Glover, who started his new role only this week, and was sent a statement from Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor.

A spokesman for Mr O’Connor said the Remuneration Tribunal had set payments for members of the Universities Accord expert panel, and Professor Glover had chosen to donate his to medical research.

“Professor Glover is an upstanding member of the education sector, and as well as providing valuable advice to the Albanese government, was appointed by the previous Coalition government to a panel that advised them on how to prevent foreign interference in the education sector,’’ the spokesman said.

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