Diary of Tasmania’s Co-ordinator-General John Perry outlines overseas targets in Asia

The Co-ordinator-General spent the equivalent of almost one month overseas between January last year and April this year — including 12 days wooing stakeholders in Asia.

Tasmania's Coordinator General John Perry has spent the equivalent of almost one month overseas between January 2018 and April this year. Picture: SUPPLIED

THE CO-ORDINATOR-General spent the equivalent of about one month overseas between January 2018 and April this year — including more than 20 days wooing stakeholders in Asia.

John Perry’s diary, released to the Sunday Tasmanian under right to information laws, showed the leading public servant — who earns about $470,000 a year — spent 51 out of 455 work days outside of Tasmania. He attended 684 meetings in that period.

But State Growth refused to specify who Mr Perry was meeting with, instead distilling attendees to Co-ordinator-General staff, Tasmanian, other state and federal governments, and “stakeholders”.

Stakeholders included people who worked across a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, mining, mineral and timber processing, and health and education infrastructure, State Growth said.

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A request from the Sunday Tasmanian to list meeting attendees by name or more specific categories was refused.

“Detailed diary entries would provide an incomplete picture for meaningful assessment of effectiveness [of the Co-ordinator-General],” the department said.

“Whether or not a particular individual or organisation follows through on investment proposals or projects could reasonably depend on a myriad of reasons unrelated to how often or not the Co-ordinator-General met with them.”

As well, the State Growth spokesman said, people who met Mr Perry were guaranteed confidentiality, and their details could be considered commercial-in-confidence.

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The diary information shows Mr Perry met with 583 “stakeholders” over 15 months and the Federal Government 15 times.

He spoke with Tasmanian Government representatives 168 times and people from other state governments 11 times.

Almost 190 of Mr Perry’s diary entries related to attending a conference or seminar and 76 involved events.

The bulk of Mr Perry’s time overseas — 14 days — was spent in China, partly with the Premier and other members of the Government on its Asian trade mission last year.

And on one particularly busy day Mr Perry appeared to flit between Hong Kong and Singapore for a range of meetings and events.

He also visited Japan and the US.

The bulk of Mr Perry’s time was spent in northern Tasmania, where he is based.

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