Infrastructure Tasmania chief executive officer diary reveals limited travel

The diary of appointments of a leading public servant has revealed limited travel, with Labor calling for his agency to be abolished.

Infrastructure Tasmania chief executive officer Allan Garcia.

THE head of the body responsible for co-ordinating major infrastructure proposals in Tasmania has left the state on business just six times in two years, a copy of his diary of appointments reveals.

The Mercury requested a copy of the diary of the chief executive officer of Infrastructure Tasmania from the Department of State Growth from January 2018 to November 2019, which was provided without the requirement of a Right to Information application.

Former Local Government Association of Tasmania boss Allan Garcia was named as the inaugural chief executive of Infrastructure Tasmania in 2015.

Then-infrastructure minister Rene Hidding said ITas had been set up to provide independent advice to himself and the Treasurer and to co-ordinate and plan major infrastructure proposals, with a particular focus on transport.

The diary shows Mr Garcia, who is on a salary package of $324,000, attended a total of 604 meetings and events in the almost-two-year period and travelled interstate on five occasions and travelled overseas on one occasion to New Zealand.

In comparison, Co-ordinator-General John Perry spent the equivalent of about one month overseas between January 2018 and April this year.

Mr Perry’s diary, released to the Sunday Tasmanian under right to information laws earlier this year, showed the leading public servant spent 51 out of 455 work days outside of Tasmania. He attended 684 meetings in that 15-month period.

Co-ordinator General John Perry. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Most other meeting attendees in Mr Garcia’s diary were categorised as being ITas staff, stakeholders, local government, State Government, Federal Government or ministerial staff.

The six interstate meetings and conferences were to attend Infrastrucure Australia meetings, launches and audits, to be a panel member at a Infrastructure NZ conference and meetings with New Zealand government representatives, plus to be a presenter at a national local government conference.

At Infrastructure Australia meetings ITas represents the state’s interests in ongoing matters of policy discussion and identification of future infrastructure priorities at a national level.

The Mercury asked what, if any, outcomes there were from the interstate trips, but the State Growth Department did not provide any.

Labor infrastructure spokesman Shane Broad said Labor had long questioned the creation of ITas.

“It’s an expensive office that’s delivered next to nothing in five years – taxpayers are not getting value for money from Infrastructure Tasmania,” he said.

“Its only tangible action is release of the 30-year infrastructure strategy – but only after repeated delays.

“Labor is on the record with our plan to abolish the agency and reinstate an industry body to guide infrastructure investment in Tasmania.”